I just booked a float trip on this river in late June with my brother. Sounds awesome. We'll get dropped off at a lake with a raft and float 64 miles to the mouth of the Skwentna. The first half of the trip is a gradual high swamp creek with slow pools and riffles- lots of rainbows and grayling. The second half of the trip is through a steep gorge setting with deep pools filled with chinook, sockeye, and char.

Anybody ever fish this river? I've been tying flies like a madman trying to get ready for the trip, but haven't found much detailed info. They say that because of the lack of pressure, the fish aren't too picky.

Buzzo,

Disclaimer - I haven't floated this one yet. I have heard during low water years that you may end up doing alot of dragging of your raft the first few miles. I would suggest you touch base with your air taxi to make sure the flows are satisfactory for the float.

For flies that time of year, not sure anything beats a purple egg-sucking leach and variations of it up in AK. That is always my go to fly.

Enjoy, I'm a little jealous right about now...

I did this float once, but it was toward the beginning on August. At that time, egg patterns worked very well on the trout and grayling. The grayling took surface flies pretty well, too

I've got a bunch of egg patterns tied up with different materials (beads, yarn, and chenille), a few egg-sucking leeches, some streamers, and now I'm tying some dries and naturals.

What about Chinook? I've tied some wiggletails, ak candlefish, flash, flesh, and kunz killers, but none of them really inspire too much confidence.

Anybody know a good fly-fishing board/site that might have good Alaska information?

Buzzo,

Try www.akflyfishers.org
Tom

Buzzo,

I've been down the Tal twice. That time of year, you'll have no trouble with water. You may have the opposite worry with two of the major rapids, Hell's Gate and The Flipper. Get advice from your air taxi about conditions, and rope around them if necessary. Make sure you have a hank of 100 ft of rope just in case.

That time of year, eggs won't be worth much, as nothing is spawning yet. The kings are first, in August. You should do well on Egg sucking leeches, zonkers, and sculpins for the trout, and big uglies for kings. You may even be a bit early for kings. If I were trying to pick the perfect time to do this river, I'd do first or second week in August. If you can still do it, I think you'd like it more if you fished later in the summer.

Yellow humpies work well on the grayling, and various dries and nymphs may work on the trout.

Buzzo,

Look up the recipe for a "Fat Freddie" for the kings. It will inspire a little more confidence, and if you get the right slot, will be alot of fun. Be sure you wrap some weighted wire around them to help get them down.

Here it is; http://alaskaflyfishingonline.com/afb/fatfreddie.html

Good luck.

What's a big ugly?