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Monthly Archives: February 2013

Fly fishing for Bristol Bay’s spectacular Char in July

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Mark Rutherford

Not Saying “Give Up Chasing Trophy Rainbow Trout” when you fly fish and raft down a spectacular tundra river. But you should know why Sea run Dolly Varden Char are spectacular and why anglers travel to Bristol Bay Alaska specifically for huge pre-spawn males in mid-late July.

 

Here’s the beta: There are more than 50,000 Sea Run Dolly Varden returning to the 5 primary rivers we fish. The peak of the run is July 15-30. The July fish are the largest adults and are returning to the river where they were born to stake a headwater territory and spawn. An 18- 24” adult is a great fish and is the backbone of the trophy fishery. The most memorable fish push 28”. They are often highly pigmented in pre-spawn colors and considered by many to be more beautiful than the Leopard Spotted Rainbow. Plus the return of the largest Dolly Varden Char coincides with the lowest water levels and best weather of the summer.

 

Want to know more? Does the enigmatic Char intrigue you? Do you wonder why a fish tagged on the Togiak River, Goodnews, or Nushagak is later caught hundreds of miles away up the Yukon? Dollies intrigue me! Like so many others I was once enthralled only with large Rainbows but then I incidentally took a few really notable Char. The whole deal is changed now. The big Char are treasured, they are not easy, yet are sublimely beautiful like a brook trout is beautiful. We cast as they bust balls of smelt in the brackish estuary or while herding salmon fry in the headwaters. We throw the biggest streamers in the box in deep channels or sometimes must make perfect matches to the salmon egg “hatch” on the flats. This is a fish you want to spend some time with and it doesn’t hurt that the Rainbow and Salmon fishing is spectacular at the same time.

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Testimonials

Mark, Thank you many times over for a perfect trip. All your planning and attention really shows Ken Helfenbein
Not a week goes by that I don't think about my fishing adventures with Mark Rutherford in the most remote, stunning, and productive fishery on the planet, Bristol Bay, Alaska. R.A. Beattie
I told people I was going on the trip of a lifetime and that is exactly what this has been. John Gormley. Togiak River. August 11-18, 2018
I released more fish in the first three days than I’ve caught in my entire life, combined! Will Tully. Goodnews. July 17-25, 2014.
I have fly fished Alaska for many years and this is the best. Not only the number of fish but the quality of the fishing . John Moore
A week filled with fish, great food, magnificent camp sites, spectacular vistas, wildlife sightings, fun and, most of all, good people Bob Erickson
You & Kate ... are outstanding people and role models Richard Voss
There was a hard strike with jumps and hollers to match my excitement. Such magnificent beings these Silver Bullet Coho are. Amy Robinson
In our days floating down the river, we encountered the rainbow trout in its rarest form — completely wild, ferocious and faster than a speeding bullet Paul Greenberg
It was a stellar week. Our time on the river strengthened my sense of purpose in life and changed the way I view the world. Bob Roark

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Wild River Guide Co.
P.O. Box 608
Dillingham, AK 99576
(203) 247-9070
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