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JULY 8-12, 2006 – 5-DAY FLOAT

Fred DeCicco and I headed out with Peter Cockwill and Lou Hegedus for a week of Grayling fishing. We had a clear sunny day to start the trip, and the helicopter flight the drop off point was a beautiful ride. The pilot dropped Lou and I off first on a small island in the creek, just large enough for the helicopter. As I readied the equipment, Lou tied on a bugger and had a little fun with some Pink and Chum salmon. By the time we were all on-site, it was time for lunch.

We loaded up the boats with gear and began walking down river. Fishing started out slow, and we looked for Grayling in every possible spot. Late in the afternoon, a few cumulus build-ups produced a short thunderstorm and rain, but it cleared off in a hurry. The rest of the week was clear skies and temperatures in the 70’s during the day, 40’s overnight. The mosquitoes were out in full force during the cool early mornings, and then as the sun would heat up, the bugs weren’t bad at all.

Lou and Peter fished as a team in search of large grayling; Peter with a nymph, Lou with a dry. We ran into very few Grayling the first day, but the ones we found were quite large. Peter landed the first one, which measured at 21 inches (535mm) total length and over 3 lbs. On the second day we ran into much larger groups of Grayling, and the fishing was fantastic for the rest of the trip. Many very large Grayling were caught and released unharmed. A few small Grayling were caught, but that certainly was not the norm on this trip. On several occasions Peter and Lou had a fish on at the same time. We caught several Dolly Varden, and the drainage was completely packed with returning Chum and Pink Salmon. Round and Humpback whitefish were also plentiful, and proved to be a sporting challenge with the fly rod. Fish were caught on everything from nymphs to dry flies, terrestrials, and egg patterns. The renegade was the favored dry fly, and a lead head nymph also worked wonders.

Each night we set up camp early and after a good hot meal, Peter and Lou relaxed while Fred and I got to do a little fishing. We of course saved the Grayling for Peter and Lou, and concentrated mostly on the large Chum Salmon that were moving upstream. They were tough on my six-weight, but Fred’s Nine-weight made landing them a cinch. Camping was dry and quiet, with just the sound of the river going by. After a good nights sleep, we were ready for breakfast, coffee, and fishing by 8am.

The last day we fished and covered a lot of new river. Grayling appeared in the usual spots, and we were again very successful with dry flies on this cool, calm, overcast morning. We landed on a gravel bar for lunch, and about the time we were finished eating, the sound of a helicopter began to fill the quiet valley. It’s always tough to head back when the fishing and the weather are so great!

Overall the trip was a success! Many large Grayling were landed and photographed, then released. Thanks to Peter and Lou for coming up to visit us, we all had a great time and hope to see them again!

BR

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