New Blood

juro (11-01-2001 06:29 p.m.):
Welcome and it's great to have you on board! I'll take as many fish stories from Alaska as I can get

Congrats on the big BC fish, I can really relate after a recent trip up there myself.

I'd imagine that most if not all of the steelies up your way are wild?

Click to expand...

Juro,
The runs here are almost entirely native. The only hatchery steelhead that I'm aware of are just out my back door here in Klawock. The state used to plant some hatchery business but they've been getting out of that business and as far as steelhead I think they've divested completely by now.

The Klawock lake hatchery does have a very small hatchery program. I'd estimate that the Klawock run is about 75% native with the rest hatchery. And the hatchery fish are entirely from Klawock stock so there hasn't been the negative impact that the south 48 has seen.

Alaska is pretty progressive in their regulations. Two fish may be retained per year and only if they are 36" or greater in length. Bait is also prohibited. The 36" retention was added to appease harvest-minded people. This regualtion has worked well. The number of fish > 36" is small enough that it has pretty much eliminated harvesting of steelhead -it just aint worth it for someone who wants to thump a fish cuz odds are they wont get a legal one.

Tight lines (on the fight AND the swing!)
Pescaphile

Fred,
Southeast AK island streams are often steep and boulder strewn -water that is is suitable for fishing the swing isn't that common. This pocket water is usually best fished with a dead drifted glo bug or nymph fished under an indicator using a 9.5 or 10' 7 or 8 wt rod.

YUCK!!! Gillnets and dynamite are effective too!

I fish a few of the streams which allow the classic swing. Our water is generally colder, so I'm usually forced to fish sinktips.

Like so many other of you are who are also afflicted by O. Mykiss, I have too many rods but seem to want more. All my sticks are Sage -not cuz I think their better (tho they are great) than anything else, but because I can get 'em cheap (sort of). My main rods are the 8150-4 and 7141-4. I really love both of those rods (they're pretty similar to each other). I also use a 7136-4 and a 10150-4.

For lines I really like the Mastery Spey/Salmon. I chop off 17' and install loops and then use tips of varying density - intermediate, II,III, IV & VI depending on the water. I fish a wulff TT 7/8 on the 7136 on the Bulkley and use a full DT for bigger rods for my dry lines. All my lines are spooled on Hardys.

I could catch (hook for certain) more steelhead if I used the indicator and glo bug/nymph technique-no doubt about it. So what! I could hook more yet if I used drift gear. But I figure I flyfish because I like it better than other (more productive) techniques, so why not use the technique with the fly rod I like best? Fishing spey rods the past five years has made the swing more effective -and more fun!

I guess I have to catch enough of 'em though to keep me happy. I can't see freezing my toes casting a dry line/ fly combo and not getting bit -so I'll use the tips a small concession I think. I'll save the dry line/fly for the Thompson-and not get bit! But now and then I will there and oh! what a sweet reward! I've caught quite a few steelhead from Oregon to Southcentral AK -those Thompson fish are in a class by themselves! I almost got spooled there even using a No.3 Salmon.

By the way, pesacphile is now dead. I misspelled my handle earlier -Oops!

Pescaphile

Good read. And when you said all your lines were spooled on Hardy's I knew the fish weren't the only things "hooked." God there expensive but my old Hardy Marquis Salmon 2 is still the reel of choice on the 10 wt Sage for larger fish/water. Only 'problem' with them is the geared wheel that runs (if this is a proper way to say it) the click/drag is brazed onto the bottom of the spool. When the teeth round off the spool is cooked. Actually shipping the reel and spools off to House of Hardy in England to have them replaced. Interesting to try to figure out what all this will cost me (shipping back and forth is about $65 US for Airborne) plus 12 pounds Stirling. Gotta look up the exchange rates and find out what that equates to in $.

Anyway, couldn't get the spools 'fixed' on this side of the Pond (Cortland is the US distributor) so sent House of Hardy a e mail on what were my options (reel is old enough that they don't make them, or replacement parts). Next morning Andrew was waiting for me in my e mail inbox at the bank. Highly Cool!

When a Hardy "screems" everything within 150 yards comes to a full stop to come see the action.

***Anyway, couldn't get the spools 'fixed' on this side of the Pond (Cortland is the US distributor) ***

You are very fortunate Hardy USA didn't touch your reel. I sent a Marquis #10 that I had just bought (for my 7136) to them to simply switch over the lineguard from left to right-hand wind (the head on the retaining screw was stripped). They lost the reel never knew what was going on when I called them, never ever returned calls and when they finally found it they said attempted and couldn't fix it -simple line guard screw! They sent it to Hardy UK who promptly fixed it and returned it to Hardy USA who then sat on it for another month! When I got it back it was scratched up from tool marks (Hardy USAs attempt to fix it I'm guessing). I have never had such poor service anywhere -well maybe the phone company but that's another story....

I subsequently have heard other horror stories about them from others.

If you need your Hardys worked on try the Archuleta Reel Works in CA. Excellent work, good service and authorized by Hardy UK. I highly recommend Bill Archuleta. Don't have the address and number handy but will post it if you want it.

In case anyone reading this is getting the impression that these reels aren't durable, the only reason I sent my reel to Archuleta was my own fault. I had left it sitting on the ground and then proceeded to squarely back over it with a fully-loaded 3/4 ton pickup!!! It drove that reel into the dirt. Even after this vehicular accident, I landed two hot hens that very day. The reel still worked! It only had dented flanges on the spool rim (Marquis Salmon No. 1) which made it scrape a bit and lots of ugly scratches all over it. I realize that I my outcome was pretty fortunate given the circumstances but hows that for durability! It's still the reel I usually grab first.

I have an old 3-7/8" perfect that the gear is worn on. I wont touch it. That reel is a smooth as a hot knife thru butter. I think Hardys only get better with use. Not much resistance, but enough to prevent backlash and that's enough. Just turning the crank brings a smile to my face.

I, too, love that Hardy scream. A trick I learned from Dana Sturn on his BB is to engage BOTH of the dogs rather than just one. I do this on my Marquis No. 3 (my Thompson reel). I had read that the Thompson fish are so wild that sometimes the dog in a click-pawl reel be knocked loose sending the reel into free spool! Engaging both dogs is said to prevent this. I've never heard of this happening but can attest that engaging both dogs makes your Hardy scream even more. It's really LOUD!!!!!

Oh yea, and I can finally attest to those Thompson fish too. I needed all the backing that No. 3 reel had for those fish. **big satisfied smile**

Pescaphile