As Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’”

Upon awakening from the winter slumber, the Emerald Isle literally “comes to life” with a mesmerizing array of wildlife not found any other place on earth. As the largest bears on our planet slowly emerge from their dens, the snow melts and the ground unthaws we wait in anticipation for the many splendors the ridiculous botanical diversity of Kodiak Island will provide us when it comes into full bloom.

What’s happening in Kodiak Island Rivers…

In early spring, the first stage of immature salmon, also referred to as salmon fry (alevin), begin to hatch and leave their gravel nests to feed, ultimately migrating to the saltwater. This occurrence marks the beginning of the fishing season. At this time, alevin are the primary food source of dolly varden. Dollies will feed extensively on these fish and follow the migration all the way to the salt. From ice-off, into late May, salmon fry imitations can provide some seriously fast action fishing! Once the alevin make it to the saltwater they have a tendency to school up along the river mouths and beaches trying to avoid predation. Properly presented flies (clousers, deceivers, gummy minnows and even shrimp patterns on calm days) can result in banner Alaska fly fishing days there, as well. Fishing for resident rainbow trout and arctic char can also be productive at this time.

The majority of the steelhead within the Kodiak archipelago return in the fall, overwintering in rivers and lakes such as the Karluk River much like dollies, however spring steelhead are primarily concerned with spawning, with the majority of the spawn occurring in April. In order to help sustain this precious resource, we do not target spring steelhead and consciously avoid sexually active fish on reds. Steelhead are poly-anadromous fish and, throughout the spring months, it is common to catch drop backs surviving the spawn on their return to the salt while targeting other species.

As spring progresses, chinook (king) and sockeye (red) salmon are the first salmon species to return, beginning in late May, peaking by mid-June. King salmon numbers on the Karluk decreased substantially in 2007, reached an historic low in 2008, but were back on the climb in 2009. We’re hoping last year’s increase is indicative of strong numbers to come for this upcoming season! Red salmon numbers have remained extremely strong with several hundred thousand fish returning to multiple Kodiak Island drainages each year.

We’re ready for our most successful season yet and we invite you to join us for nature’s party  in the rugged wilderness of Kodiak!