Milliron's Alaska and Colorado Fishing Blog

Alaska 2024- Grads rule! Day 1-3

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 23:44:00 +0000

Wow...what a trip. I do not remember sleeping so little, and having one of the best times in Alaska. Of course, the night before leaving, I couldn't sleep. I got just under 2 hours. For the next 4 nights, I averaged just 2 hours. Some of it from excitement, some of it from necessity. When an easterly wind is howling outside, and you are on a 27' boat in Prince William Sound, it was hard to not get worried about breaking away from the anchor, and being washed up on shore until the next big tide. Or being rolled into rocks and having every soul on board in danger. "Man up I did", as Yoda would say.

-This trip was planned fin 23' when 2 of my good friends asked if I would bring them to Alaska on a father son graduate present for both young men.

Day 1- We arrived in Anchorage and immediately went to Midnight Sun car rentals to pick up our van. Then off to the grocery store, and headed down to Whittier to meet Matt from Whittier boat harbor rentals. We did the walk through, and the kicker was not working, so he and a friend were working on it until 11 pm. "All Aboard" for a cold night in a cramped space. I took the breakdown table, and Darren and Tony stayed in the belly of the beast. The Grads, Dec and Trace stayed in the van on lumpy seats. Not much sleep for all, as we were excited to steam out 60 miles in a short 4 hours. The harbor was beautiful at night and many pictures were snapped. What a great place. Another thing we were worried about was the herring on board, and getting hit by one of the many black bears we saw sneaking around the boat docks, raiding boats to find food. We buried our food and bait under the hatch and hoped Yogi would leave us be.

Our boat the M.V. Salmon Shark.

One of the many black bears raiding the docks.

Darren getting some rest in.

Whittier Sound.

Whittier boat harbor at midnight.

Beautiful Night!

Day 2- We awoke around 5 am, and made some coffee. I had brought a cowboy coffee pot, and we made our first of many pots. We did not have cups, so we converted empty Coors Light aluminum cans and drank from them. Trace, Tony, and Dec started baiting our shrimp pots while I packed up the boat and got it ready to head out.

Baiting Shrimp pots.

Good Morning from our stern.

The Ride out to Montague was slow. We expected 22-23 miles per hour however our little Salmon Shark wouldn't break 17. Luckily the water was glass, and we decided to get some fish time in instead of continuing another 2 hours to the island. We also had a hot tip from Capt. Matt that the Silvers were in around the East side of the island. We made it to Smith in about 3.5 hours. Looking at the underwater features, and a current rip from tides, we cut the engine and floated in between the 2 islands. In no time, Darren's reel was screaming, and line was pouring out. We had our first king salmon on ...and what a beauty!

Darren with his 20lb. King

We continued drifting and picking up fish at the 100-120 depths. We made about 3 passes and caught halibut, cod, and rockfish. Things were looking great.

Coffee out of Coors Light Cans

One of PWS Islands

Pacific Cod

Yellow eye

The Crew inside the Salmon Shark.

The tide swung, and fishing was slowing down, so we cut outside the island to look for halibut in deeper water. We got to the N.E. side of smith in 280 feet of water to see if we could call up some Denizons of the Deep.

Triple cod spot

Couldn't keep yellow eyes off lines

Crazy rock fish with spines.

Dec lands a tiny butt

Limit of Yellow eye was easy.

Darren's new electric reel

The Tunnel to Whittier

Dec has a "Fish on"...again.

We kept catching all the species of the ocean except halibut. We managed 2 chickens, and kept at it. The fishing was hot and heavy. Not much time to rest before dropping down again. What a day!

It was about 8 p.m. when we heard the forecast for the next 2 hours. It was not good. We had to get to a protected bay, and Culross pass was looking very good. We steamed ahead and was hit with 2-4 footers of our Starboard side making for an uncomfortable ride. So we did what any good captain would do.....Blast Led Zeppelin, and take on the ocean!!!

Angry seas.

We arrived in Culross passage after 1.5 hours and were greeted to flat seas. What a place to seek shelter from the impeding storm. And the forecast was only going to get worse. 4-6 footers were predicted and a small craft advisory was in effect. Glad we made it to safety. We trolled the pass and immediately hooked up with a slab of a silver salmon. Wow, almost as big as the King we caught earlier in the trip. Fresh sea lice was all over it, and it looked like a diamond when we landed it. Trace was pumped. What a fish buddy!!

Jeff and Trace with his silver.

A bit of Jazz music after a tough crossing.

The whole boat wants more fish, even in the rain.

Dec grabbing some shut eye.

Ravioli for breakfast

Calm, calm, Culross passage

Lunch time subs.

Our anchor plotter. Over 200 times of swinging was very scary.

Some gorgeous scenery from the boat.

Day 3 We woke in long bay where we anchored. I slept very little because we had 2 tide changes, and I was not sure the anchor would hold. It was blowing sideways, and the rain was non stop all night. The 5 of us packed into a little boat to try and sleep. It was like sardines in a can. Perfect for 3 guys, but way too small for 5. We woke, made coffee, fished a bit as we were preparing to hit the entrance to Culross Passage for halibut. We hooked some rock fish, but nothing to keep us warm. We made it back to Whittier sound and did some fishing around whittier. We trolled the North side of the sound with no hits. The boat was due back at 6, and we had to refuel and unpack. So at 4:45- we headed back the 20 minutes to our soaking shrimp pots in hope of some delicious P.W.S. Shrimp.

The boys posing with crabs before they went back in the ocean.

Using the pot puller. Better than lifting 550 feet of line.

SCORE! 50 shrimp in our first pot.

We close out our Ocean part of the trip as we head for Cooper Landing tonight. We drop our fish at the Kenai Cache to have processed as we cant get into our cabin until later that day where we keep our vacuum sealers and freezers. It is important to take care of your meat.

Alaska August 14-22 2023

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 22:22:00 +0000

What a great trip. Tim, Mark, Tony and Trace joined me in Alaska for a week of fish catching. Our bread and butter for red salmon is usually the Russian river. On this trip, the Russian closed due to road construction, which it badly needed. The limits increased to 6 per day, so we got most of our fish in 2 mornings before it closed. 12 each is almost enough to fill a 50 pound fish box. 5 more fish and we would be full, and we had 5 days to do it.

We had some bluebird days and were able to enter Kenai canyon on two occassions. This is a special place, and the fishing was great. We concentrated on rainbows throughout and connected all day. Fish from 17' to 25" was the norm. Where else can you say that? From one spot, we stayed until the fish stopped eating, which was 5 hours from when we anchored. I can't say that I have seen a day this productive in the canyon. I believe we landed 30+ bows, and lost just as many. A fish about every 5 minutes.

On top of the good salmon and trout fishing, we went out with a charter out of Ninilchik. Seas were 2-3 feet and it was halibut sizing most of the day. We came home with a lot of "Butts" MaryTime charters was our boat and Doug was our Captain. We would book again in a heartbeat.

Thinking of an Alaskan Trip? Connect with me for info, guiding, hosting, or writing an itinerary for you.

Marytime Charters: 907 398-1602 (Doug)

Jeff Powering through the canyon

Tony and Jeff with a sockeye

Getting a workout netting Trace's many fish

The group!

Motoring across Skilak Lake

Lower Kenai limit

Red salmon eating my head

A Pic mid fishing

One of many nice bows

Jeff catches a trout on first cast demonstrating a drift

Green head

A limit on the Russian

Dragging to shore

Catch and Release

Nice Bow Trace!

Tony with a slab

What are the odds/

Trace with nice Bow

"Will it all fit"

Overlooking inlet of Skilak Lake

Steaks for Dinner

Father son and proud

Mark with a greenhead

Brown bear on the walk out

Tim with a nice bow

A boat ready to fish

Leopard Bow

Tony's greenhead

Black bear cub and Momma

Marytime "redeemer" boat

A "Butt"-load of halibut

Chum salmon leg

Enjoying Pasta a la salmon

Fresh off the grill

Good Bye AK. Until next trip.

Arkansas River below dam

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 23:21:00 +0000

Great trip this past weekend. Had my guys on fish all day. Cloud cover brought BWO's and temps were perfect. Colors of fish were incredible. Gotta love spring in the rockies.

Alaska dates are booking fast. Contact me for more information.

Save Bristol Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Sat, 25 Jul 2020 17:29:00 +0000

Bristol Bay Alaska-Bad news from the Trump administration:

Bristol Bay Alaska: I remember floating the Alagnak River 25 years ago with Jeff Dixon and Jay Setlock.  We almost crashed a float plane, we were stranded on a sand bar for 4 days waiting for anyone to show up with an air pump so we could inflate our raft, we forgot fuel for our stove so we had to eat cold mountain house and couldn’t boil drinking water, but oh my.....was this god’s country.  The beauty was incredible.  The solitude was awe inspiring.  We saw 1 float plane the entire time, more fish than we could ever count, and 12-13 bears a day.  What a special place this was.  I was in a protected watershed of Katmai national park and preserve, near Bristol Bay; deemed the last wild fishery in America, and the world.
   So I was so disappointed to read that President Trump just approved the pebble mine. What a sad sad day for millions of people who adamantly voiced concerns through the last 8 years over disrupting the last wild fishery, Bristol Bay Alaska.  The Pebble Mine, a company not even in the U.S., will now take billions in gold, silver, and copper from your public lands. Trump approved Pebble to build a 12 mile (you read that correctly) mine, destroy 2,000 acres of wetlands and more than 100 miles of streams.  Think about and all those native fish, wildlife, and the wild salmon in them gone forever.  On top of that they propose to connect a 212 mile road to the mine from the Dalton highway, most of which is through Native Alaskan tribal lands. 
  I don’t normally do politics, or even posts like this, but this is a loss for millions of Americans, the local population of people, and our children.  
   There are two courses of action to take.  #1 is to elect a different president who can put a stop to this, and find truth in the EPA’s negative recommendation of the mine, the concerns for native lands being taken away, and poisonous chemicals flowing into our rivers and oceans.  
#2. Get petitions started to inform Donald Trump (and congress)that we are not going to stand for this.  
    Let’s not treat Bristol Bay like we did the rainforests.  Let’s protect Bristol Bay Alaska by finding new leadership in our country, specifically someone who cares how we leave this earth for our children.
  Please share this post if you believe in saving Bristol Bay.  Together we can make change happen.

Cory Weidenbach, Paul Cavender and 2 others

2 Comments

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noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 03:37:00 +0000

2019 was a great year for fishing in Alaska. I just got back a few days ago and weather, salmon numbers, and trout fishing was all spectacular. One of the best trips I have ever hosted. My three anglers had constant hookups, smiles, and bent rods. It was incredible.

Colorado S54 Sheep Hunt-2018-Memoirs of a Colorado Sheep hunter.

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 04:33:00 +0000

If you are reading this and have the Archery Big Horn tag for west of the Gunnison area S-54, do whatever you can to find me. Facebook, instagram, this blog, and more. I know this area extremely well and will point you in the right drainages and direction. I wished somebody would have shared their hunt and experiences with me. By the time I found a guy, I was so many miles in the wrong area.

Memoirs of a Colorado Archery Sheep Hunter

-In May I got the news that I’d drawn an archery sheep tag. I had no idea what I was in for.

-Train as soon as you find out you have a tag. By then it may be too late.

-Sheepn’ ain’t easy

-Walk with a 50 lb. pack on rocky fields, mountains, hills, through creeks, and more. Walk until your feet have blisters on your blisters. Then your feet will bleed, and then harden. Only then are your feet ready for a sheep hunt. Buy the best boots you can afford, take the insoles out, and put some superfeet in. You will thank me later.

-Wilderness sheep areas are the hardest places by far. The terrain Sheep live in is unforgiving and dangerous.

-Sheep are circuit animals. They spend 2-3 days here, 2-3 days there, and seemingly always moving except for night time and 2-3 hours during the day. The good news is like Turkey’s, if you put them to bed, they will be there in the AM.

Glass West in the morning, and East in the evening. If you do not, you will be challenged to see sheep

-Look for the rear end of a sheep. It is white like a pair of long johns. This is the biggest key in glassing. Sheep butts aren’t always facing you though so glass and inspect everything.

-Take a 2nd mortgage for the best optics you can find. Or if you have the cash spend it! Buy a HD,ED, or the pair of binoculars you can find, and a spotting scope to go with it. Make sure the diameter is 80, not 60. Spend $2500 on swarovski if you can, you’ll thank me later.

-Glass every inch. I once saw a nanny’s face appear above a rock but she had been there the whole time. As I focused in, I found many other sheep in an area that I had I glassed earlier, and missed.

-Sneak around everywhere you think sheep will be. I had some lambs and ewes at 400 yards and got out of my seat to move 5 feet around a tree for a better view. By the time I did every pair of eyes was on me and they quickly took off. Sheep have the equivalent of 12 power vision.

-Bring a 30’ climbing rope. You’ll never know when you’ll need it to drop into sheep country.

-Forget low….Camp and stay high if you can. If you can’t because the creek you are camping on is the only water source in the valley, plan on 3 am early morning ascents with 2x the normal water you would drink. One day I went through 15 liters of water and was still thirsty. I also dropped 15 pounds in the first 4 days.

-Sunscreen sun screen sun screen.

-Don’t give up! Spend more time scouting 3-4 days beforehand than hunting your tag. Sometimes Rams you saw in July and August are somewhere else in September/October.

Sheepn’ ain’t easy.

If you have the money….go guided! If you don’t have the money to go guided….Spend 30 days hunting.

-For the DIY hunter, practice patience. It is far better to take a day off here and there, and do your 12-15 mile walking circuit in search of a Ram because they will eventually show up if you are in the right area!

-Talk to everyone! Biologists, local outfitters, people on the road with binoculars, fisherman, gas station attendants etc… Someone saw a sheep somewhere!

-I had the first 10 days of the season to hunt without leaving, and I didn’t see a single Ram because I tried to hunt them like an elk and kept moving around low country to high country. Pick the highest point to glass several drainages and stay there until you are sure they are clear. Only then can you move to another high area. But be warned, the drainage you just cleared now has sheep in it….Do you get it???

-On the 26th day of the hunting season I finally saw my first Ram! It was two rams together. One full curl and a ¾ curl. I put a successful stalk on them and had the full curl at 55 yards with my bow. I missed because of a technical error with my dialed yardage sight pin. The arrow sailed under the Rams heart by 4 inches. When I dialed the yardage, I was looking at the bow from the top down, I didn’t see that my line indicator was on 45 because at that angle it looked like 50. Know your equipment, and from all sitting, crawling, and awkward angles!!!

-Call everyone you know and enlist help. Whether they can glass from a truck because they are in a wheelchair to the most athletic person you know. Find trail runners and athletes to scour your sheep country in pursuit of Rams. Lead by example and don’t give up. More eyes = more success.

-A positive attitude is the only attitude in Sheep hunting. Yes you will be tired. Yes you will hurt. Yes your feet will swell and bleed. Yes you will cover more miles than you ever have. And yes your friends will give up on you after awhile, but keep your attitude and positivity...it will eventually pay off.

-Did I mention... Sheepn’ aint easy?

-After a shot at the full curl, I went back 4 days after on the last day to hunt. I had 2 sub-legal rams, 2 legal but thin-horned Rams and one decent 3/4 curl all within 50 yards, and I passed all of them up! I was set on looking for that big full curl Ram. I don't regret it at all. Once you see "the one" you will know that is the only Ram for you. I ate my tag but learned a ton about myself, my ethics, and what my body was capable of. I will never complain about elk hunting the backcountry again, because that is easy compared to Sheep Hunting. Sheep hunting is a passion that I now have and love. I'm still in the minus one club, but wouldn't trade my decision on the last days hunt for anything. I am truly a sheep hunter!

A great day on the Dream Stream, March10th,2018

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 16:13:00 +0000

The famed dream stream is where dreams can be made, depending on the year, flows, and fish. This last weekend showed what the "Dream" can produce.
Checkout these brutes that clients landed. For about 2 hours, I was constantly netting fish one handed with my good shoulder.

Alaska Trips filling fast 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 18:53:00 +0000

As many of us are planning for the summer months, Alaska is on everyones brain. I am going to host Anglers from July 23-August 2nd. If plans have you in AK prior to July 23rd, and you want a salmon or trout trip, let me know. I have limited rowing abilities right now thanks to a shoulder complication but we can walk/wade.
I also have another trip out July 7-12 so either end of that trip works for guiding as well.

Colorado Rivers still fishing well

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 18:50:00 +0000

The summer is waning and fall river conditions are the norm right now. The fishing is still hot so call for an opening time with me. If you want to fish numbers we can dip into the canyon. If you like bigger fish the dream stream is pretty good right now for bows, cuts, and browns.
Email me at milliron4@gmail.com or call if you have my number.
Guiding is slowing down but the fishing is still hot!

Tired of broken fly rods

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 23:43:00 +0000

If you are like me, then you have seen your fair share of broken rods, and most of them aren't from a big fish snapping it in half. Car doors, tires, stepped on, run over and more. This usually happens after you take the rod out of a secure holder. To battle this issue, I teamed up with a buddy and we came up with an invention that addresses it, THE SPORT VALET!
Check it out: SPORT VALET We are launching on kickstarter Sunday Nov. 1st. If you want one before anybody else, check it out.https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1383910707/1185824514?token=e15cb08c

Alaska 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 14:51:00 +0000

This year I have the pleasure to host/guide 5 guys from all over the U.S. We leave either Denver, Colorado Springs, and New York on the 22nd of July and all converge in Anchorage. From there we are renting a truck from ABC rental and heading to down to my buddy Kevin's tower cabin. We call it the tower because he built it to model a fire lookout tower. It's amazing. On day one, we will discover what the salmon are doing in the upper river, head down to the confluence of the Russian and Kenai rivers, or maybe head to the lower river. New this year is another addition to our fleet of boats. Now I have the choice between a willie 17', Willie 20', or the jet boat.
After we get our fish boxes filled with salmon, we will hunt down some big rainbows. Fires have closed a section of River that have some truly enormous fish known as the dunes and rainbow alley. With the fire almost 100% contained, I am hoping they reopen this section and get the guys on some huge Bows.
To wrap up our 8 day adventure, I have contacted good friend Capt. Ron for 2 days of halibut fishing down in Anchor point, AK. If the seas are under 4 footers, we'll be out for easy "butt" limits on the 27th and 28th.
This is an adventure of a lifetime for most of these guys. I can't wait to see their faces as they tie into a different class of fish in Alaska. Ones that will hopefully make lots of memories, fish tales, and happy fisherman.

Rivers coming down in Colorado, FINALLY

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 14:34:00 +0000

Mid July marks the run off period ending in Colorado, and usually the fishing picks up again. Most of the S. Platte, the rivers I guide on, have been 6-7 times higher than usual for June and this time of year. But recently they have calmed down to fishable levels. So lets go fishing!!! Give me a call or email me to set up a float trip or wade fishing trip.

Colorado Winter fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 04:34:00 +0000

Well I finally saw some blue wing olives for the first time today. This signals the end of small tiny size 26's flies and will allow consistent fishing ,weather permitting. As good as the South Platte fishes during this time, you may also wish to concentrate on the Ark below the dam and also hungry browns throughout the drainage. What I love about the BWO's are the ability to fish this hatch below,subsurface, and on top appealing to all angler methods. So get out and fish today. Or give me a call for either a wade in trip or a float trip on my boat.
Cheers!

Alaska on the mind?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:11:00 +0000

I have been fly-fishing and sight seeing in Alaska since 1997. I have logged in over 380 days between July and October and am ready to share all my experiences. I toured everywhere a car can drive and several remote places by bush plane,raft,or on foot. I love to find hidden local restaurants and can help you plan a trip you will soon not forget. Already, I have advised over a dozen satisfied people on trips and hosted several fly fisherman myself. For a nominal fee I can eliminate a lot of questions you have about your dream trip. Alaska is expensive to travel to and stay in. I can help you find the best lodging money can buy, or more affordable solutions for the budget minded traveler. Email me to get prices. I love talking ALASKA!
Jeff

ps I have done a week in Alaska for under $750...including airfare! I have also spent more than $4,000 as well.
It just depends on what you would like to do.

There are some huge Kings in Alaska! In some drainages they can be fished through July. If you want a shot at sight fishing or dredging some big Kings in the 50 pound range give me a call. I can point you in the right direction.

New Video -Alaska summer 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:54:00 +0000

NEW VIDEO!!!!

http://vimeo.com/37926187

NEW VIDEO!!!!

Back from another awesome trip

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:05:00 +0000

ALASKA 2011

Here is a synopsis of a couple days in Alaska:

Travel:
Thursday I flew out of Denver. I flew Frontier direct and landed in Anchorage at 10 p.m. My buddy Kevin was there to scoop me from the airport and after a Kodiak nut brown ale and a little catching up with Kevin and family, it was time to go back to the airport to get the other guys. Jeff D. was delayed in Minnesota and had to hole up for the night but Warren and Scott flew in on Alaska airlines and touched down at 2 a.m. After caffeinating up with several Starbucks doubleshots we drove down to the cabin and prepared to do battle with the salmon on the Russian river. Got to the cabin at 5:30 a.m. Friday morning and drove to the river by 6:30 Friday morning.

Friday morning 7/29:
A beautiful day with temps in the upper 60's and clear skies. We landed on a few pods of reds (sockeye) at the Russian and limited out in a few hours. Warren and Scott got the hang of the Kenai flip and both caught lots of fish. I like this river because the fish keep moving up all morning. The secret is to get there early before the light is too bright. Brighter light means fish hide in strong currents or shoot up the river so fast you can't catch up with them. We parked at Pink salmon parking lot and walked down to the river and stayed in one area the whole time.

After a quick fillet session we drove back to the cabin to process our 9 fish. We ate a quick lunch, geared up the drift boat and launched at Sportsmans and floated to Jim's landing. The fishing was sparse for trout because the reds had not yet made it to the upper river yet but we managed to boat several fish. Along the way we had wildlife sightings of a brown bear, black bear, eagles, and a moose. What a great wildlife day. Jeff D. and Kevin were driving down to the cabin to meet us so around 8 p.m. we headed back to Kevin's cabin for a great dinner of barbeque ribs, twice baked potatos, salad, bread, and Alaskan ambers. Kevin's family was down as well so we visited with them and went to bed around midnight since we had been up for 40 hours already.....our motto for the rest of the trip was sleep when you are dead as we averaged 4-5 hours of sleep per night!!!

Saturday 7/30
Another early morning at the russian for a quick limit or Reds. We headed back to the cabin to vacuum seal and freeze the salmon. With all the anglers in Alaska now we headed down to Soldotna and launched 2 drift boats with 3 anglers in each. Scott,Warren, and myself in 1 and Jeff D.,Kevin,and Teddy in another. We caught fish immediately after putting in and after finding the magic fly,proceeded to catch lots of trout and dollies that day.

Warren was the first to hook a monster, behing some spawning kings. The fish surfaced three times before I saw that it was a huge trout with it's pronounced stripe. After a quick explosion the fish broke off to leave Warren shaking in his wading boots. These fish are big and hard charging so Warren got a little education on how to handle big fish. It didn't prove enough as he hooked 2 more in the 30" category without landing them. We ended up boating over 125 fish between the two boats...A banner day. The rest of the week was eventful and exciting with some injuries,mishaps,and almost missing our flight out but I will save those stories for another day.

Best Guides on the Kenai

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:09:00 +0000

Hands down the very best guides on the Kenai river in my opinion is Fred and Stacy from Mystic waters. Floating with them is a pleasure with learning tips and instruction available at every turn. Fred just earned the prestigious "Master guide" status a few years ago and Stacy is as deserving. Clearly, I have floated with these guys several times. If you would like proof, think about this...I have my own boat on the Kenai and still want to float with them. As I go past them their clients are always landing the most fish on the river, PERIOD! Often times I feel like jumping into their boat to see what magic the are conjuring up to have such success. These guys are incredible. I host trips for friends and family members seeking the solitude and a chance at numbers of fish as well as size. I also plan trips for people as well and charge a nominal fee. I always try to book anglers on either Fred or Stacy's boat. It is that good. On a last referral for a good friend of mine he called me from the river to tell me he had caught over 3o fish before noon, landed a 31.5 inch rainbow and that was not his biggest hooked that day. He also told me (more than several times) the Stacy was the best guide he has ever been with... and he has been with a lot. If they are booked up during your dates consider changing your plans to find a slot that works for them, or maybe change your plans to a year later..., Seriously.
Look them up at:
http://www.mysticfishing.com
You will not be disappointed.

The Perfect salmon Stick

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:08:00 +0000

9 weight vs 10 weight

When it comes to salmon fishing in Alaska there is only one choice for me, a 10 weight. I have broken at least 8 9-weight fly rods in the last 14 years but since I have moved to 10 weights I haven't broke any. My favorite is the Orvis Hydros. As an Orvis endorsed guide it is true I get to try out new sticks and the price is pretty sweet but this one has it all. Lightweight,Beefy, and the perfect flex for throwing heavy flies and big weights. I normally tie on 30lb mirage tippet and use a system called slinkies for the weight. It is a perfect combination!
Do I get any kickback from Orvis-Nah I jus think this rod is pretty sweet!
Tip: Some fish learn to shy away from brightly colored flies....tie your bunny flies in "leafy" green or naturals.
Tight Lines

Planning a trip to Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:07:00 +0000

Planning a trip to Alaska?
How about finding the best guides on the Kenai? The best Halibut charter?
What if you are seeking great lodging, instead of tourist trap places? Good food?
Then welcome to my blog.
Here is tip #1
For Glacier viewing, try Whittier on the very fast 26 glacier tour. It is efficient and they always find calving somewhere. The secret is a dual Catamaran boat that cruises quickly through protected waters that Seward and Homer do not have. Since Whittier is all P.W.S. it is never too choppy to go out and the chance of getting sick is ZERO.
www.26glaciers.com/

I have been to Alaska 30 + times over the last 13 years. I know the areas around Anchorage on the road system and most of it's secrets. Leave a comment and your email with any questions you have, I will try to help out.

Jeff

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:03:00 +0000

Alaska Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Alaska Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Milliron) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:43:00 +0000

PODCAST-Check out the following alaskan adventure I was on in August with buddies Scott and Kevin.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=119411&title=Alaska_Podcast&vpkey=