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First rainbow trout in a while!

By Troutnut on July 10th, 2012
It had been too long since I caught a rainbow, so I made a quick stop at a creek on the south side of the Alaska Range. Alaska's new no-felt-soles regulation made this alder-choked boulder garden one of the most treacherous places I've ever waded, and I emerged from it soaked and bruised, but I did get a couple pretty little rainbow trout for my effort.

The creek is between salmon runs right now, so the fishing was slower than it's usually supposed to be, but that also kept me from any bear encounters. During salmon runs, everyone says this creek is an extremely bear-infested, alder-choked boulder garden. I think I might pass on that experience, since I navigate the slimy boulders in my rubber wader boots at about the average walking speed of an Ephemerella nymph, and the bear encounter guidelines say to walk away slowly, not to slowly splash around and stumble all over yourself. However, I have not yet heard a bear laugh, so it might be worth trying...

Photos by Troutnut from Byers Creek in Alaska

From Byers Creek in Alaska. From Byers Creek in Alaska. Little Chinook salmon fry kept smacking my fly as I fished for rainbows, and one of them finally got a piece of the hook. From Byers Creek in Alaska. From Byers Creek in Alaska. Byers Lake, the source of Byers Creek. Kesugi Ridge in the background is a popular hiking spot. From Byers Creek in Alaska.

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut from Byers Creek in Alaska

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Hanging on! From Byers Creek in Alaska.
Hanging on!
StateAlaska
LocationByers Creek
Date TakenJul 10, 2012
Date AddedJul 14, 2012
AuthorTroutnut
CameraCanon PowerShot D10
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From Byers Creek in Alaska.
StateAlaska
LocationByers Creek
Date TakenJul 10, 2012
Date AddedJul 14, 2012
AuthorTroutnut
CameraCanon PowerShot D10
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From Byers Creek in Alaska.
StateAlaska
LocationByers Creek
Date TakenJul 10, 2012
Date AddedJul 14, 2012
AuthorTroutnut
CameraCanon PowerShot D10
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Comments / replies

GONZOJuly 14th, 2012, 9:02 pm
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681
However, I have not yet heard a bear laugh, so it might be worth trying...

I think I'd pass on that one, too. :)

Although I've used (sticky) rubber wading boots for well more than 10 seasons with reasonable satisfaction, an inexpensive set of wading chains can be useful when things get really slick.
OldredbarnJuly 14th, 2012, 9:33 pm
Novi, MI

Posts: 2608		Lovely little river there...Laughing bears or not. The wildness of that place is part of the deal, no?

Jason, if you can actually get a bear to laugh he may show you a little mercy...But like G seems to be saying...Who wants to chance it that the bear you cross paths with lacks a sense of humor.

Thanks for the pics.

Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively

"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
MartinlfJuly 15th, 2012, 12:06 pm
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3233		Jason, I'm using Simms boots with star cleats in the Little Juniata, the most treacherous place I routinely wade, and can't tell any difference from boots with felts and spikes. I recommend the star cleats highly for slippery situations, if your boots will accept them.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
TroutnutJuly 15th, 2012, 6:15 pm
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737		Thanks for the tips on waders. I'll look into those.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Feathers5July 17th, 2012, 10:19 am
Posts: 287Jason, the only time a bear laughs is when he's done swallowing you.
GldstrmSamJuly 18th, 2012, 1:00 am
Fairbanks, Alaska

Posts: 212
Jason, the only time a bear laughs is when he's done swallowing you.


But, if you think you do hear a bear laughing watch out because it is probably just his stomach rumbling.
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus

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