As the ice melts and streams begin to flow again, anglers across Alaska rejoice as we reach the cusp of fishing season.
For Southcentral fly fishers looking to wet a line, options are not yet abundant. Some of our favorite haunts are currently closed to angling, area lakes are locked in ice, and not all of us will be making the migration for southeast steelhead. However, opportunities are being revealed along the Parks Highway.
For those more eager to hook the first rainbow or Arctic grayling of the year, Susitna River tributaries can be a good bet. While catching a fish is far from a sure thing, the simple pleasure of cold water massaging your waders and quiet beyond the calls of migratory birds will remind you why fly fishing in Alaska is worth the winter wait.
For the past decade I have casted, stripped and drifted my way up and down the Parks Highway every May. While I’ve been skunked many times, I’ve also found tremendous success. Each spring outing on the tributaries along the Parks is different, which keeps me on my toes and coming back for more.
Resident fish in the Susitna River are highly migratory, and their habits are difficult to decipher. For spring fly fishing, it’s important to know that rainbow trout overwinter in the mainstem of the Susitna River system, congregating near tributary mouths. With this in mind, your limited time is best spent downstream, near the mouths of tributaries where smaller streams flow into the Susitna.
The first piece of advice for spring fishing in Alaska bestowed upon me was to “look for diving terns” to find fish.
Arctic terns are fishers too, and in spring they are on the hunt for juvenile salmon. If you happen upon a flock of terns diving and singing in glee, there’s a decent chance you have happened upon the jackpot. Juvenile salmon are also a primary spring food source for trout, which may be gorging themselves on the same school of fish. Cast a salmon fry into the commotion and be prepared for a potential attack as you strip it in.
An important approach to spring fishing that I simply stumbled upon was to keep moving. If the fish aren’t there, don’t camp out. Keep moving until you find fish. Press downstream or make some casts upstream. Switch patterns, add weight to get deeper, or try a new stream entirely.
Several years ago I experienced what can only be described as a banner early May day. The next day I brought a couple of friends along, bragged about my prowess the entire drive there, only to be immediately knocked down a peg or two when we couldn’t buy a bite. In a move of desperation, we explored another tributary on the way home where we discovered an impressive pod of Arctic Grayling busting every fry pattern in sight.
I recently asked Richard Johnson, a past President and passionate fly fishing educator with Alaska Fly Fishers, his fly recommendations for spring and received wisdom consistent with that which was given to me all those years ago: “If the river gets a salmon run, and most of them do, fish a fry pattern. You never know what will be nipping at that little thing. Be prepared with different sizes and variations and always pack some small flesh flies, they can be very productive throughout the spring.”
To boil down my advice, and what has been shared with me, cover distance water is your best friend and let Arctic terns be your guide.
Fly Pattern 6 pack for Spring
- UV Salmon Fry
- Salmon Fry Clouser
- Cotton Candy (or similar small flesh fly)
- Dolly Llama streamer (black, white, or flesh)
- Griffith’s Gnat dry fly
- Hare’s Ear nymph
The salmon are coming, are you prepared?
- Clear space in your freezer for a fresh harvest of fish by smoking and canning to preserve last year’s catch. I like to follow this recipe by Hank Shaw.
Fly Fishing Calendar of Events
- May 20: Parks Highway Watershed Clean-Up hosted by 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle, Phantom Tri-River Charters, FishHound Expeditions & Trout Unlimited. Contact 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle to learn more.
- June 3rd: Plants for Salmon Riparian Planting Day on Montana Creek at the Yoder Road Bridge, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Hosted by Susitna River Coalition, Trout Unlimited & the MatSu Salmon Habitat Partnership.
- June 10: Two Hand Alaska Spey Clave, hosted by Mossy’s Fly Shop from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Russian River Ferry.
Closures & Regulation Reminders
- The Kenai River is closed until June 11
- Campbell Creek & Chester Creek are closed until June 15
