Bristol Bay Fishing Reports

Coho crazy was the theme of the week.

The Togiak river was fishing really good with lost of big fish being caught.  Trout and char fishing continuing to be good, as well with some slabs being caught.  Lots of animals being seen during the flights this time of year and the fall colors start to show.  Some big bull moose and lots of bears cruising across the tundra. We are headed into the final weeks of the season and its bittersweet.  Sometimes it seems the weeks last forever and others seem to fly by, but in the end you cannot deny how awesome this country is.  The friendships and family created at Mission lodge are undeniable.  So, as the fish migrate to their home waters we too shall find our way back to Mission in ’22.

Silver fishing and bead fishing dominate this time of year and it’s been good.  The refuge fishing has been spectacular with some very big arctic char being caught. Togiak silver fishing has been very reliable with flies, jigs, and smegs.  Trout have been caught also on some of the lake/refuge hops.  Fall is in the air up here and we’ve had some frosty mornings on the dock.  The water levels are dropping pretty fast but I’m sure a big rain is right around the corner.

Silvers and Trout were the main event this week with the Goodnews and Togiak rivers fishing good for silvers. The Grant and Ongoke rivers were in good form with some nice rainbow trout showing up for the camera.  A couple stops in the refuge paid off with some awesome dolly and char fishing.  The sockeye spawn is starting to kick into high gear in most locations with bead fishing being the preferred method.

The Silvers are here in more significant numbers! Some days, it took a bit to get a dozen other days 45 min and everybody had a limit.  

However, it was good times on the beach and some fabulous shore lunches that included ribeye on the bbq.   The Goodnews and Togiak rivers saw silvers starting to push.  The Muklung river also fished well for silvers.  This boat ride from the lodge proved fruitful and well worth the journey.  The sockeye are starting to spawn, so the rainbow fishing is getting excellent.   Out in the Refuge, with a bit of hike,  we found some nice trout and dollys.  The Grant river rainbow fishing continues to get better as more sockeye eggs flow downstream.

The weather was great for most of the week, sunshine and 65. Lake hops were incredible, with some excellent char action. One was over 30” and 10 pounds.  The sockeye were flooding the Togiak for a couple of days, and the getting was good.  The sockeye on the Tog average 5-8 pounds, with lots of them near 10 pounds.  Rainbow fishing is starting to kick into gear.  

A few of us forged our way up the Grant and got rewarded with sight casting for some beautiful trout.  Several rivers producing big trout, and it will only get better.   The upper Nush fished well with tons of Dollys and a few nice trout caught among the spawning chums. The Wak was also spectacular, with a few nice bows caught bead fishing behind some spawning pinks, and the dry fly action was also hot!  The Silvers are showing up, and we are ready.