Silver Season (Mid August-Late September):
Silver salmon–or Coho–are a near-perfect quarry for the fly angler. The silvers in our home river are as big, strong, and acrobatic as you’ll find anywhere, and there are lots of them. Silvers begin to show in the river in early August and quickly gather in large numbers in every nook and cranny of the river. Lava Creek Lodge provides anglers an opportunity to catch literally dozens of chrome salmon a day while regularly spotting bears, caribou, foxes, eagles, and an astounding diversity of migratory waterfowl on a river with no competing lodges. Simply put, this is what salmon fishing in Alaska should look like.
We fish for silvers in the lower reaches of the river, where fresh pods of bright, sea-liced fish arrive daily. These fish are constantly on the move, and anglers will commonly encounter bursts of nonstop action as a new pod of fish moves through the run. Some days, the action hardly stops at all. Our guides can cover miles of water in a day to find the thickest concentration of fish, but most days require little time in the boat, so you get to spend more time fishing. The home river’s sandy bottom makes for easy wading, and anglers rarely need to cast more than 30 feet to reach the fish.
Silvers are perfectly suited to 8-weight rods and floating lines, either a weight-forward style or shooting-head depending on angler preference. Our guides carry spools of ultra-strong leader material a selection of brightly colored flies that the salmon can’t seem to stay away from, so there is no need to bring any of your own terminal tackle. That said, we are always happy to accommodate anglers who prefer to fish their own flies, and so are our fish.
In addition to the phenomenal fishing on the home river, Lava Creek Lodge offers a flyout option to a nearby river that receives a mind-boggling run of silver salmon. A five-minute flight transports two anglers and a guide to a river all their own for an unforgettable day of fishing. This river is smaller than the home river and provides an intimate fishing experience with opportunities to sight fish for silvers on shallow flats and throw topwater flies to aggressive fish podded up in the slower water. When the conditions are right, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.
The trout and char fishing at Lava Creek Lodge remains productive throughout August and most of September, and we are happy to accommodate a mix of trout, char, and salmon fishing if desired. Further, September marks the opening of waterfowl hunting season and provides an exciting opportunity to combine fishing and wingshooting for a truly unique Alaskan wilderness experience. Silver season is a special time at Lava Creek Lodge, and the possibilities for adventure are endless.