Kvichak
-----Original Message-----
From: jcrosby [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 6:28 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Yakima
After posting yesterday about the rainbow-salmon situation on the Yakima, I
thought more about the Alaskan situation. Rainbows exist only in a narrow
range in Alaska, Southeast Alaska. Because of the salmon that return to
these rivers, rainbows have found their nitch in lakes and move into the
rivers to feed on salmon eggs and fry during the summer and fall months;
when the salmon return. I guided in Bristol Bay and there were few rainbows
in the lower section of the river. If you wanted to rainbow fish, we would
run up river into the "braides" which was an area on the Alagnak below the
two major lakes that fed the river. On the Yakima, there is a dam on Lake
Easton and on Lake Cle-Elem. For some reason, there are few rainbows on the
Cle-Elem River anyway. On the main stem Kwijak(sp?) it was the same way.
Rainbows inhabited Lake Illiamna and would journey out and back as the
salmon feast dictated. Steamer fishing with big "flesh flies" or smolt
patterns was fun, in my opinion. Bouncing egg patterns after "chucking and
ducking" was no fun, again in my opinion. We would "boondog" these weighted
egg patterns coupled with split shot on the line, for "sports" out of the
boat and get some nice pictures, but a lousy way to fish from this fly
fisherman's standpt, and I am not a purist by any means. Jere
