Back in May, fishing fever seemed epidemic. The long winter was over. King salmon were nosing into fresh water and the promise of fresh filets on backyard barbecues was palpable.
Now it's September. Four months of fishing are behind us. The kings, reds and pinks have largely come and gone. Freezers are full -- or, hopefully, fuller. A nip is in the air. Daylight is getting precious.
Too bad, really, that this is the time to be fishing.
"Fishing just gets better and better right through ice-up," said Anchorage-based guide Jim McCormick. "People just put their rods away and it's a huge mistake."
For one thing, you don't need to be a martial arts specialist to clear out some room on the river bank. Students have returned to class. Anglers have become hunters. Others have retreated to the couch to watch football. Home projects that should have been done two months ago need to be finished in the next two weeks.
Other casual anglers will flee as soon at the temperature dips below 40.
Fish know better. Fish know they must eat now, and eat heartily, if they are to survive the winter.
Take advantage of their gluttony. And while you're at it, enjoy the fall colors, the peaceful fishing spots and the scent of autumn. Dozens of Alaska spots are ideal for catching fish, bathing in autumn's splendor or -- ideally -- both. Here are a half-dozen to consider.
RABBIT LAKE
The 75-acre lake, a scenic 4 1/2 mile walk from the Upper DeArmoun Road trailhead, is stocked with rainbow trout and scenery that would rival an Ansel Adams photograph.
Fish and Game stocked the lake with about 2,000 trout averaging 7.6 inches long in 1999, followed by more than 900 in 2002 and 400 in 2005. Once the state's new fish hatchery is operational, more fingerlings will be dumped in.
The alpine lake is seldom ice-free, so growth rates are slow. Years ago, a 9-year-old, 14-inch trout was caught there, said Chuck Brazil of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The pristine 3,085-square-foot lake is flanked by the Suicide Peaks, with Ptarmigan Pass to the north and McHugh Peak to the southwest.
PARKS HIGHWAY STREAMS
Clear-running streams near the Parks Highway from Willow to Byers Creek offer great fall prospects for trout or grayling. Superb fly fisherman and author Ken Marsh of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game includes Willow, Little Willow, Goose, Sheep, Montana, Troublesome, Byers and others on his list.
"Add to this the fall colors, cool air and ripe-berry smells of the season, all under the backdrop of the Talkeetna Mountains to the east and Denali and the Alaska Range to the north, and you have a recipe for both eye candy and some hard-fighting rainbow trout," says Marsh, who's pulled his share of 20-plus-inch rainbows from these waters.
Wade among boulders and cast to knots of spawning salmon where trout, grayling and Dolly Varden lay in wait for stray salmon eggs.
Marsh recommends a medium-weight fly rod -- 6- to 8-weight -- rigged with floating line and 12-foot leader. Attach a No. 4-8 single hook under a bead (to imitate freshly spawned salmon eggs). Thread the bead onto the line and attach with a clipped-off toothpick point two inches above the hook.
Attach a split-shot or two -- enough to keep things bouncing along the stream bottom -- to the line 18 inches above the bead. For variety, bring a reasonable selection of bead colors and sizes.
Best fishing is likely to be a ways up or downstream from the highway; the farther off the beaten path, the better.
WHITTIER
Seeking to extend your fishing season to the limit?
"A trip to Whittier for last-call silvers would be my late-season fishing trip choice," says Anchorage sport fish biologist Chuck Brazil. "Anglers searching for some of the year's last, best coho fishing can find it in Whittier."
The peak doesn't hit until the second or third week of September and fresh fish trickle in throughout October.
Silvers tend to mill around popular and productive fishing places such as Shakespeare Creek, Smitty's Cove, Salmon Run and the Whittier small boat harbor, ranging from 8 to about 20 pounds. A medium-action rod loaded with plenty of 12 to 15 pound test line works well. The bite varies daily -- some days the hot ticket can be spinners or bait, while herring or salmon roe suspended from a bobber are effective 24 hours later.
Situated below the Chugach Mountains and hovering glaciers, Whittier offers vibrant fall colors and a chance to take home a fresh silver salmon.
ANCHOR RIVER
The 30-mile long Anchor River north of Homer is a clear-water stream narrow enough that most fly fishermen can cast across. Decades ago, biologists estimate that 4,000 steelhead returned each year; now the estimate is much fewer and steelhead fishing is catch and release only.
Despite catch-and-release protections in effect since 1989 on the Anchor River, Deep Creek and the Ninilchik River, state biologists have no official counts to gauge the strength of those Kenai Peninsula steelhead runs.
"We really have no idea," said Nicky Szarzi, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist based in Homer.
The brunt of winter arrives a bit later on the southern tip of the Kenai, making the Anchor a beautiful fall stream well into October.
DENALI HIGHWAY
Grayling are the most commonly fished species along the 135-mile Denali Highway, a rugged and scenic road that connects Paxson and Cantwell. Between the sleepy Alaska hubs lie a few lodges and private cabins.
Amid glaciated terrain, spruce forests and plenty of crystal-clear lakes and streams is some of the Interior's best fly fishing.
The dirt road is laced with jarring potholes and stretches of annoying washboard between Paxson and Cantwell, with only three places offering gas and food -- Maclaren River Lodge, Gracious House and Tangle Lakes Lodge.
The vibrant autumn colors of birch and aspen trees and the tundra should peak soon. But move fast. It can snow here in July.
Try the Brushkana River, a tributary of the Nenana River that begins high in the Talkeetna Mountains, or Clearwater Creek for exceptional grayling fishing.
LAKE LOUISE
Most of the outdoors men and women at Lake Louise this time of year are hunting waterfowl or moose.
Then there's McCormick. He has been guiding clients on the lake recently, targeting the hefty lake trout that roam its deep, clear water.
"We went up there for four days last year, and it was incredible," said McCormick, who fished the lake at the end of September. "That fishery is way under used.
"We have targeted really big fish. Our smallest fish was 15 pounds."
He and a buddy landed 11 lake trout in two days, he said.
Colors have already started to turn and "they are beautiful -- especially out on the lake," said Yvette Delaquito, co-owner of Lake Louise Lodge.
Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.
Forum: Where are the fish biting?
By MIKE CAMPBELL
mcampbell@adn.com