20/10/08 - Tim Weston reports on his recent visit to Alaska.

Giant trout and plentiful salmon, Alaska definitely deserves its reputation.

For a long time I had heard exciting stories of the magical fishing and the wonderful lodges in Alaska's Bristol Bay Area. Recently I was lucky enough to travel to this remote part of the world and experience it first hand.

The fishing offered by the lodges I visited was simply outstanding. With a float plane at your disposal it is possible to explore miles upon miles of different rivers to catch trophy rainbow trout, paint fresh salmon and wily Arctic char as well as other species such as Arctic grayling and northern pike. The fishing options are almost endless.

The rainbow trout surprised me the most. They were certainly a very different beast to the stocked fish we have here in the UK. The acrobatic leaps and long powerful runs brought a smile to the face of each fisherman I saw hooking and playing one of these wild Alaskan fish. They are great sport on a 6# or 7# rod.

The trout fishing is split into three distinct parts. The spring trout feed on the salmon smolts as they migrate out to sea. These fish are hungry and aggressive after the long lean winter and will attack almost any streamer fly that is presented to them. Later in the year as the salmon enter the river and start to spawn, the rainbow trout follow them up the rivers to gorge on the millions of eggs that are released into the water. The trout are very greedy at this time of year taking full advantage of the natural bonanza. These fish are best caught on an egg imitation, they are very aggressive and you can watch them move across the stream to intercept your fly.

The fishing during the third part of the season consists of swinging large flies that imitate the flesh of the salmon that have spawned and died during the summer. The autumn rainbow trout are getting ready for a cold winter in the deep lakes and are greedily taking the protein rich flesh of the salmon that is floating down stream. The trout hit these flies with savage ferocity and after the summer months of feeding on the eggs are super fit, ensuring an epic battle.

All five species of Pacific salmon run the rivers of the Bristol Bay region including the largest runs of sockeye salmon anywhere in the world.

The early part of the season, June and early July is when the king salmon enter the rivers. The kings are the largest of all of the Pacific salmon ranging from 20-45lbs. Although it is possible to catch kings on the fly they are more often found in the deeper runs of the very large rivers. To specifically target these fish you should not rule out spinning as that can be the most successful way of hooking a giant king salmon.

The sockeye salmon arrive in vast numbers in mid July and start to die out towards the second week of August. For rods who want to catch large numbers of fish daily then the sockeye run is the one to aim for. This time of year is perfect for a father and son team when the younger rods should be able to catch fish at will. Sockeye have a reputation of a hard fighting salmon with a turn of speed that is simply amazing.

With the sockeyes come the chum salmon. Chums are said to be the hardest fighting of all the Pacific salmon species. They range from 10-20lbs and are solid muscle that fight with dogged determination.

Late August and early September is the time when the silver salmon start to enter the river systems, as do the smaller pink salmon but only on odd numbered years. The silver salmon are the most closely related salmon to the Atlantic's and are a joy to fish for with either a single handed or a double handed rod.

The silvers enter the rivers on every tide and are an exceptionally hard fighting, fit fish. Almost every silver salmon I hooked took me down to the backing with fantastic speed and power that made them very difficult to land. They all had fully tailed sea lice so had only been in the river for a matter of hours. This demonstrated to me the major advantage of the float plane fishing; we were able to go to the fish and cover a vast distance from the lodge in a very short time which enabled us to intercept fish as they entered the rivers.

In addition to the fishing, the scenery and wildlife are worth the trip alone. Fishing while watching brown bears catching salmon from the other side of the river is not something you see everyday. Bald eagles, wolves, moose and elk can all be seen either on the river bank or when you are flying over the tundra to or from the fishing grounds.

The various accommodations that we offer in Alaska range from a family lodge that is perfect for a group to take exclusively, wonderful rustic accommodation through to the more palatial five star hotel type lodges. They all have their own special charm and character.

For the travelling rod who relishes the chance of catching up to seven or eight different fresh water species in a week including large salmon, hard fighting rainbow trout and char, Alaska is the only place on the planet where this is not just possible but an everyday occurrence.

For more information about fishing in Alaska please contact Tim Weston.