With winter's end, Juneau anglers are looking forward to fly-fishing
ACTION: Season starts at end of April and runs to first week of October.
By ERIC MORRISON
The Juneau Empire
Published: May 21, 2006
Last Modified: May 21, 2006 at 04:39 AM
JUNEAU -- Winter is officially over for some of Juneau's most dedicated fly-fishermen. The Raincountry Flyfishers club held its annual year-end casting clinic recently at Twin Lakes to iron out some kinks and get ready for the many angling options Juneau offers during the summer. The club meets twice a week from October to April for instructive meetings and fly-tying sessions.
"This is the last session we have before the summer," said president Mark Vinsel. "Everybody would much rather be fishing when the fish are in and the weather is nicer."
Vinsel said the clinic gives people a chance to check their gear and try out new fly rods they've acquired over the winter.
"We do a little casting clinic for members with experience to lend a helping hand to beginners learning," Vinsel said.
Brad Elfers, owner of Juneau Flyfishing Goods, said the summers in Juneau give anglers ample opportunity to get in some fishing.
"It's one species after another," he said. "Pretty much from the end of April to the first week of October, there's something going on."
He said anglers can aim for Dolly Varden in May, king salmon in June, pink salmon in July and August, and silvers in September.
"It's just nonstop," he said. "It's pretty fun."
Tony Soltys, a fishing instructor, said there are a lot of great places to go fly-fishing around Juneau, whether it be in fresh water or salt water. He said people fish the lakes, the creeks and the coves off the road system.
"This is absolutely excellent country," Soltys said. "We have trout fishing and salmon fishing people would die for. In fact, they come up here, and we have it right here waiting for us."
Vinsel said a lot of being a successful fly-fisherman in Southeast Alaska depends on knowing the fish cycles rather than the entomology that might be needed at locations in the Lower 48.
"Our fishing here is much more dependent on the timing of the runs and the presence of the fish," he said. "Generally, I think with our shorter growing season and the timing of the runs, when the fish are in they generally bite."
Vinsel said it is exciting when you are at the right place at the right time and get a fish on the line.
"The opportunity to catch a king salmon on the fly, which we can do here on the road system, is something people will try their whole lifetime for an opportunity like that," he said. "To catch a 30-pound fish that can really pull like that, on a fly rod, is just unmatched in normal experiences of most fly-fishermen in the Lower 48."
Elfers said fly-fishing always keeps him on his toes.
"It's a really interactive sport," he said. "You're always casting. You're always thinking. You're always looking. You're moving around. We like to joke that fly-fishing is fishing for people with ADD (attention deficit disorder)."
Jim Ackerman, who has been fly-fishing in Juneau for decades, said the sport is both exciting and relaxing.
"It's just a really nice time," he said. "You can go out there and you can enjoy the scenery, watch the eagles, after you tie up a few flies the night before. It's great."
Chris Zimmer, president of newly formed Juneau chapter of Trout Unlimited, said fly-fishing gives you the entire angling experience.
"You can do the whole thing of creating your flies, build your own rod if you want, catch your fish and eat them," he said. "It's almost like a whole food-gathering cycle."
Fly-fishing guide Chris Casey said fly-fishing is a sport that anyone can succeed at if they have the desire to do well.
"It's an equal opportunity in the sense that both males and females can get involved in the sport," he said. "We're seeing more women get into the sport every year and they just love getting out into the outdoors."
Soltys said fly-fishing is not too difficult to learn if you have a knowledgeable instructor to show you the ropes. |
