Salmon and Grayling Streams

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Alaska

> The Tanana River

This is my first (non ice-fishing) fish of 2011 and my best burbot yet, my first one of a respectable size, although they get much bigger.

Here's what the main channel looked like on this trip. The tributaries up in the hills look like this, or worse. Early May isn't fly fishing season yet in interior Alaska.

Ice breakup on the Tanana

Trying for burbot. I've taken a few small ones on setlines in this eddy in the past, but never tried on rod and reel. There were no takers.

The last contiguous ice on the Tanana near town. On the right side of the photo, the river's original ice still extends all the way across. A rapid flow of water and ice is pushing in toward it from the left. Moments later, the original ice gave way and opened up a free-flowing channel packed with truck-sized icebergs.

Break-up on the Tanana

Break-up on the Tanana

Ice piled up on the Tanana

The mouth of Piledriver Slough on the Tanana River

Typical set-up for burbot fishing: throw the heavily weighted bait in and sit around until something happens. This calm eddy off the edge of the main channel was relatively free of ice.