Trout, Char, and Chum Weeks (Late July-Early August):
In the weeks after the bulk of the kings have left the lower river and the silvers have yet to arrive, Lava Creek Lodge assembles a fishing program that shows off the full array of world-class fishing venues right outside our front door. This time of year offers our most diverse set of fishing options and has something for everyone.
Five seasons ago, Lava Creek Lodge sent its guides out on an exploratory mission to determine whether a robust trout fishery existed in the upper reaches of our river. The exploration went better than anyone had hoped, and we have since developed a program to target our resident trout, which average 20-24 inches and love to chase down mice and flesh flies. Alaska has plenty of trout fishing venues, but very few can offer anglers what Lava Creek Lodge provides: an entire river to themselves. Depending on conditions, we may fish for trout from a boat or shore, and we employ a set of presentations including dead drifted beads and flesh, stripped streamers, and skated mice.
Late July also kicks off the peak weeks of dolly varden char fishing at Lava Creek Lodge, which remains hot into September. As salmon start dropping their eggs in the spawning gravel, Dolly Varden–or “dollies”–line up behind the salmon to gorge on the easy source of protein. Since dollies are sea-run, many appear pure chrome while others show off their spawning colors: electric-blue flanks, pink spots, and orange bellies and lips. Anglers fishing beads that imitate salmon eggs can expect hot and heavy action, and 20 fish days are common. Dolly Varden are fantastic fighters, and some grow to over two feet long–plenty of challenge for a 6-weight rod. We target dollies in our home river and on a smaller tributary where guests can fly out for a spectacular walk-and-wade experience, fishing for big dollies and trout behind pods of crimson sockeye salmon in a crystal-clear mountain stream. Dollies and trout are often found together, and most days present opportunities to fish for both species simultaneously.
Our home river also receives a world-class run of chum salmon, which we believe are pound-for-pound the hardest-fighting fish in the river. The run peaks in late July and early August, after king season has wrapped up. These fish are incredibly aggressive to swung and stripped flies and are nearly as acrobatic as silvers, making for a thrilling day of salmon fishing. We catch chums in the lower portion of the river near the lodge, meaning minimal time in the boat and pods of chrome fish just hours removed from the Bering Sea. In some years, a late push of kings or an early push of silvers can create a bonus opportunity to fish for salmon, further expanding the mid-season possibilities.
During our middle weeks, we host just four anglers per week in single-occupancy cabins, providing an intimate lodging experience for our guests and even less pressure on an already pristine fishery. Thanks to the plethora of angling options from flying out for dollies, exploring the upper river for big trout, swinging flies for bright chums near the salt, or chancing upon a pod of kings or silvers, the experience of a lifetime is always just around the bend.