The Kvichak River 2011

In 2011, my Sons, JT and Mack along with my Friend, John Hamilton and his Sons, Cole and Walker, as well as JT's Fiance, Megan Coghill all joined in our annual trip to the Kvichak River. This is a photo of John with the Matriarch of the Andrew Family.

It didn't take us long to find fish in 2011.  The run was actually a little early in 2011, so it was past the peak by the time we got there, but with a little extra effort, we were still able to find plenty of Sockeye Salmon. Mack got started right away.  He has become an old hand at this.  Mack hooks more fish than anyone.

Megan has a BEAUTIFUL smile.  With a little coaching from JT, Megan was also able to get into the action. With a big, hefty Sockeye Salmon landed, Megan shows us that smile.

I think John had a great time with his Boys on this trip.  Each of us caught plenty of Sockeye Salmon. John helped fill the Freezer each day, then he joined me in pursuit of Rainbow Trout.  John is holding a typical Kvichak River Sockeye Salmon.

JT has really become pretty good at this.  I am certain that he caught significantly more Sockeye Salmon than any of us.  He not only hooks a lot of them, but seems to have the knack for landing them. JT is holding up a BEAST of a Sockeye that he caught.

Mack loses a lot of fish.  But, he hooks so many of them, that he still ends up beaching a lot of Sockeye each day. This is a nice photo of Mack holding up one of the larger Sockeye Salmon that he caught throughout the week.

Limits were difficult on some days, but I still think that everyone was able to get their fish every day. It has become a tradition for Mack to get a photo with a limit of Sockeye Salmon arranged around him.  Mack has become a pretty good Salmon Fisherman.

Someone has to cut all these fish!  The Boys are getting better at it, but usually I don't mind diving in to take care of it.  Over the years, I have become pretty efficient at it. This is the best meat available in Alaska.  I believe fresh Sockeye Salmon Fillets can't be beat!

Of course, like every other year, there are plenty of Bugs joining us on the Kvichak River.  They aren't overly aggressive, but with so many, they can be EXTREMELY annoying - especially, when you are up to your elbows in Fish Guts. In 2011, the Gnats seemed to be worse than ever.

Megan is manning the Food Saver to Vacuum-Pack all the Sockeye Fillets as I cut them up.  The Kids actually had a pretty good system going.  As I would cut, they would rinse then bring them up to the Cabin for processing. I think Megan was the driving force behind this operation.

Naturally, my favorite target on the Kvichak is the BEAUTIFUL Rainbow Trout.  Using my Flesh Flies, I was able to catch several healthy Rainbow Trout. Though not as many large fish as in past years, we were still able to find a few really nice Rainbow Trout.  Here I am with about a 25 inch Trout.

These carnivores are constantly on the prowl for a chunk of protein.  It is surprising how closely you must "match the hatch" to deceive them. This underwater photos shows a Fly that I devised to look like a chunk of fresh Sockeye Flesh.  Apparently it worked!

John and his younger Son, Walker, joined in my pursuit of greedy Rainbow Trout.  Walker is a pretty dedicated Fly Fisherman.  He wouldn't give up on these Rainbow Trout. Here Walker holds a nice 22 inch Trout he caught on a Flesh Fly.

A flight through the Mountains around Lake Clark Pass is one of the most beautiful sights one will ever see.  Photography simply can't do it justice. Sights like this and the opportunity to fish for Sockeye and Rainbow Trout like we did on this trip in 2011 are the reasons why I love to live in Alaska.