Alaska 2025 - Part 1

Alaska 2025 - Part 1

I'm will try keeping this "informational" and not my usual rambling.  Although, a few of you slightly more off beat folk seem to follow the rambling.  So already I am rambling.

OK, the cartoon.  The strip is one called "Tundra"; Ron has gotten me one of their books a number of years ago, but this is the first one I have seen "in the flesh" ... on newsprint.  This was in the Sunday Fairbanks, AK "Daily News-Miner".  And a free copy, no less.   It was just one one of 4 full pages of Sunday Funnies!  It has been way too many years since I raced for the Sunday paper to grab the color printed favorite comics.  I loved them well into my 40's.  Now, Fairbanks, Alaska, in my motel lobby, there they were!  Wake up, boy, and smell the rose colored printers ink!

August 2, 2025:  I just got in from my arctic grayling fishing trip with George Rogers, Denali Anglers.   George is truly exceptional, both as a person and a fishing guide.  He is a full time biology teacher .... in upstate New York.  Guiding for grayling is his plan for retirement.  He and his wife, both avid fly fishers, lived in Alaska for over 20 years before deciding that this traversing the country with only summer stays at their "cabin" in Cantwell  AK was a better lifestyle.

George's first concern is for his "client".  He decided, without my input other than age, that we would be better off fishing from his canoe than "slogging" through the wetlands, the brush and the drainage.  We only had to "slog" one time when he portaged the canoe around a couple of downed fir trees blocking the stream. 

 

It was a beautiful trip, for sure.  He was correct as to the canoe ride.  Fish Creek was running high from recent rains; wading would have made it a short day for sure.  As it was, we started about 9:30 and pulled out about 2:00.  I probably boated 30; lost more than that and short struck. ... a bunch.  These grayling, says George, are native stock and completely wild; no hatchery fish here.  Fish Creek is actually one of the premiere and unspoiled spawning streams for Arctic Grayling.  The upstream gravel beds and surrounding overflow ponds make safe haven for the babies.  This years hatch are now about 1/2" long; grow very slowly.  George said that in the evenings these ponds are just alive with juveniles, 2-4" long.

                           
As always, one adventure leads on to more.  There are places with bigger grayling.  George's plan was to take me to one such in the afternoon.  With the rain increasing; my casting arm "tired"; my legs feeling the 5 hours in the canoe, I suggested perhaps next year.
A 12" grayling - most I caught were from about 8"-14" - would be from 4-7 years old ... and just reaching spawning age.  Alaska record is 23" and just over 5lbs.   I will give it another try, and all being equal, with George.
So backing up a couple days, the train ride on Alaskan RR from Anchorage to Fairbanks is about an 11.5 hour "excursion".  If you like looking at trees - birch, aspen, fir, tall, short, upright and downed, alive, beetle killed, fire scared ... you can't go wrong.  Oh yes, in between the tree belts, tree rows, forests, groves and the like there is some absolutely beautiful scenery.
  
     
I'm glad I did the train ... but once ..., just saying!
So, George has strongly encouraged me to head back towards Anchorage - actually towards Palmer (which is where Ron and Theresa will hole up for 10 days and hawk socks at the AK State Fair.  But George (who was warmly wearing his first pair of Buffalo Wool Co socks when I left him) is sending me to the Pink and Chum Salmon run in Montana Creek.  Headed out in the morning; about 2 hours south.  And for the moment I bid you good night.  More tomorrow.
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