Irongate Reservoir is Draining

It’s hard to believe it’s finally here, but the resevoir behind Irongate dam began to drain today at 2200 or so cfs. The next few weeks will reveal a “new” river behind the dam, and what a sight it will be!

Draining Iron Gate Reservoir thru the same tunnel the river flowed thru when the dam was built!

Question and Answer: Aniak River with Brandon Worthington

Where is the Aniak River located in Alaska and what is the travel like to get there?

The Aniak River is located in Western Alaska, north of the Bristol Bay region and a tributary to one of the great terminal rivers of western Alaska, the Kuskowim. For being so remote and isolated, the Aniak is an easy place to get to. Anglers overnight in Anchorage before boarding a quick 1.5hr commercial flight the following morning to the village of Aniak where lodge guides await our arrival. From there its a quick ride to the base lodge for orientation and lunch before we strike off, fishing our way up to the mid river lodge and the base for the full week of fishing ahead. One of the big Aniak values is this first half day of fishing puts us into our first Pike and Sheefish of the trip in addition to the following 6 full days on the water.

What are the fish species that you’ll catch on the Aniak?

Mouse eating Leapord rainbow that regularly tape over 2 ft are the prize. But the river is also stuffed with grayling to 18 inches, Dolly Varden with Northern Pike and Sheefish in the lower beats of the river. Seasonally, large runs of Chum, Pinks, Silver, Sockeye and Kings also ascend the river. During our last trip we had one angler hook and land 8 species in one day!

Who enjoys the fishing program at Aniak?

Anyone who likes big visual takes, tight line grabs and fishing the surface. First off, the Aniak has 80 miles of guided river, as well as many uncounted miles of side channels and braids. Anglers who love not seeing other anglers, fishing un-pressured water for big aggressive fish, and seeing a varied, remote alaskan river have a great experience here. Fishing can be both on foot, or out of the boat, either anchored or on the drift. The Aniak guides can accommodate anglers of all physical abilities. Last season, some folks fished almost exclusively out of the boat, pulling mouse and streamer patterns off the bank Montana style, anchoring in prime log jams, and drifting prime runs. Others parked the boat and explored miles of braids on foot, scrambling over log jams and adventuring around the next bend. What’s neat about the Aniak is all of the water, from skinny channels to the big main river hold big, aggressive fish.

What are the Accommodations Like?

A Deluxe Safari Style Camp. These big, comfortable platform structures are far from a tent. These 30x10 double (or single) occupancy weatherports have electricity, a partitioned en suite shower, vanity, and flush toilet. Each tent is furnished with two comfortable raised beds with foam mattress, nice linens, quilt and pillow. There is also a small card table and chairs inside. To keep any bugs that might sneak in thru the front door when you get in and out each bed has a mosquito net. One of the best features of each weatherport is the front porch which is covered, has chairs and offers a fantastic view overlooking the Aniak.

How’s the Food?

Aniak River Lodge employees a talented chef which handles all of the meals for the group. All meals are served in the dinning hall and are family style. Breakfasts of eggs, sausage meats,  pastries and breads send you out the door. Lunch is on the water, and is a variety of simple but adequate sandwiches, wraps and chips unless you prefer a shore lunch to cook up a dolly or when in season, a salmon. Appetizers greet anglers quickly after returning from fishing and is followed by a hearty entree and desert. Pizza night is a big hit where everyone hangs around the pizza oven as chef keeps them coming until we can’t take anymore. The lodge does not supply alcohol but it can easily be brought in with pre arrangement.

What is a Sheefish?

Sheefish are cool. Sometimes referred to as the Tarpon of the North, they are found in only a few rivers in Alaska. These smolt eaters hang in the lower river and eat small fish as they out migrate to sea. They can grow large, jump and are even anadromous, moving between their spawning beds and the ocean each year. They are the largest member in the whitefish family.

Fishing for Sheefish is on the swing, down and scross, steelhead style. The fish often porpose, chrashing small fish and give away their positions.

When is the best time to be on the Aniak and how does the fishery change over the season?

Our hosted week (July 5-12) is positioned during the prime mousing window early-mid July - just as Chums, Kings, Pinks and Sockeye are charging into the river but before the egg drop and spawning activity. We specifically chose this week to NOT need to fish beads thru the redds of spawning salmon but instead fish the prime lies of the river like log jams, banks and side channels where the Rainbows ambush the abundant rodents that unfortunately find themselves in the water. 

Who is Aniak River Lodge?

ARL is run by managing partner Ludi Garrak who is in front of and behind the entire operation. A former guide here 20 years ago, Ludi still enjoys the fishery and has a hand in the day to day operations both from the base lodge in the village and mid river camp. You’ll often see him for dinner or running supplies up or down, hair blown back, ray bans on and a big smile all the way.

Aniak River Guide

The guides at Aniak are seasoned alaskan professionals and wizzes at running jet boats thru the rivers' complexity. All have experience elsewhere and have chosen to be Aniak guides because of the unique and outstanding fishing program here. Most come back each season and in 2023 we expect the same cast of characters. They are all great communicators and passionate about the way of the mouse.

Why is the Aniak one of the coolest Alaskan fishing experiences?

Mousing, mousing, MOUSING! The mousing capital of the free world literally allows anglers to fish a mouse pattern all day, every day and find lots of success. Because the Aniak flows thru a boreal forest, the shrews, voles and mice are abundant. Add in loads of log jams and you have perfect structure for large fish to ambush big meals. Additionally, the Aniak River Lodge is the only operation and lodge in the region. Unlike Bristol Bay where there are numerous lodges on each river and fly outs competing to drop folks off before the other guys, you are truly alone in this great alaskan wilderness. Additionally, anglers don’t fish the same water twice, rotating thru the beat system, fishing with different guides, and experiencing the river top to bottom and side to side.

These un pressured fish reflect that only 150 or so rods fish here each year and are beautiful; intact maxillaries, firm bodies, bright colors and brazen demeanor.

Yucutan Flys

I’m stacking up some flys for our January trip to the Yucutan. We’ll be fishing Ascencion bay, Xcalak and Chetumal Bay, Super Fun Fishing Trip!

Fishing Mice on the Aniak River, Alaska

Each July Brandon host a group of anglers to the Aniak River, the mousing capital of the world, with Aniak River Fishing Lodge.

These fish are no joke, literally tearing after mice skated on the surface, providing some of the coolest freshwater fishing anywhere in the world, period!

While we didn’t make this video, this drippy afternoon has be thinking about the northland and our upcoming week in 2023. Enjoy the video and drop us a line if you care to join in our adventure to the Aniak next summer!

Gaspe Salmon, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Craig’s bucket list trip, June 9- July 9th 2022

The Restigouche: The trip started out good as both my bag and I arrived in Quebec City with only a few hour delay and my rental car was good to go. It soon turned Ugly. My first lodge on the Restigouche River had no fish as First Nations were netting just downstream and the lodge staff were instructed not to let us know this was occurring. The good news is that I received a refund a few days in.

The Matapedia: So, I arrived at my second lodge on the Matapedia a few days early to find unseasonably high but clearing water. There were a few fish around, including some over 30lbs, but limited places to wade fish and many anglers. My trip turned bad when I discovered though my guide had a boat, he didn’t know how to use it and nearly drown us. I don’t think it was on purpose?

Each morning I was the first one to wade fish a run, each beat after that, I was not. I managed to move a few fish but it wasn’t until half way through the second week before I hooked the fish of the trip. My guide thought it was a twenty pounder, I thought perhaps a tad lighter. It took several long runs including the last where it jumped three times in succession before becoming unpinned (due to Pilot Error). I moved a few more fish but had no more hooks ups.

Gaspe: The trip turned good for the final two weeks when my long time friend Ed arrived from the wine country to fish with me. We stayed in a motel in the scenic village of Gaspe, home to the York, Dartmouth and Saint Jean Rivers and ate amazing meals in the local restaurants. Again the anglers outnumbered the fish and available runs but the competition was nothing but friendly. We fished some amazingly beautiful water and I landed my first Atlantic on the York River. The guide said 12lbs, I thought 10lbs, so we settled on 11lbs because, in all my years I’ve never heard anyone claim an 11lber! Both Ed and I moved a few more adult fish, a few Grilse (think Klamath Adults Steelhead) with Ed losing a spectacularly large, bright, hot fish on the Dartmouth that took right under my nose. We both landed a few Sea Trout which in this part of the world are Sea Run Brookies.

Bonaventure: We then visited the little town of Bonaventure with the famed crystal clear River with the same name running through it for our final few days. Our guide was Claude Bernard, the Dean of the River, a true gentleman of 84 years. We fished from his Sharps Canoe and also used it to access the best runs. We landed a few Sea Trout (I turned out to be King of the Sea Trout, landing double digits numbers), hooked a few Grilse and moved some Adult Atlantics to dead drifted Bombers! It was good I didn’t die of a heart attack watching these monsters rise to inspect my offering! I managed to land a large Grilse at the end of a long lineup of locals who had befriended us on the most popular run the next to last day. Our final day we would see that fish had moved in and a few gave us looks but we couldn’t get them to commit! We wished we could have stayed longer. I wished I had more years ahead of me than behind me to further explore this amazing part of the planet.

Drop a line if you are interested in visiting the Gaspe. I know more than when I left, and will share all that I am able. Good tip: a complicated access permit system means it’s critical to plan your trip well before the November 1 draw deadlines for the following year.

How to comment on the Klamath Dam Removal Plan

The Federal Energy Regulatory Committee has issued its draft environmental impact statement which is big hurdle moving klamath river dam removal project one step closer to fruition. There is currently a comment period open until April 18th.

As a fellow river lover, and perhaps a client of our who has fished the Klamath River system and knows the benefits dam removal with bring, please take a minute to comment in support of dam removal and urge FERC to allow KRRC to move forward ASAP with the proposed action with staff recommendations.

Here’s how to submit your comment ⬇️

  1. Write your comment, less the 600 words in a word processor.

  2. Click on FERC’s eComment system. Fill in the simple online form with your contact information.

  3. Check your inbox for an email from FERC. Click the link in that email to go back to FERC. Now you can add the project number you are commenting on.

    The Klamath Dam removal project has two numbers: P-14803-001 and P-2082-063.

    Enter these one at a time into the appropriate “search” field. Tell it to search. When it presents the project number, click it to add to your comment. Then in the comment field copy and paste your comment.

  4. Hit “Submit,” and you are done!

Here is an example and comment I submitted…

To Whom it may concern,

The Klamath River needs dam removal as urgently and as expeditiously as possible. It is clear the dams create poor water quality, harmful algae blooms, lead to outbreaks of fish disease, block spawning habitat and contribute to declining anadromous fish numbers and economic opportunity for local economies.  The proposed action with staff modifications clearly show the potential for improvements across the board for this ailing river. The Klamath is by all accounts an exceptional river, but its ecologic and economic potential are simply being hamstrung by the effects of the four lower dams and their associated reservoirs.

As a fly fishing guide within, upriver and below the project reaches, I know and have come to know this river intimately, plying its waters and running my business here year round. It is as resilient and productive a river as I have ever encountered, even in it diminished state, but it is primed and ready to be set free again, unyoked to realize it full potential again. I believe, and studies show dam removal will improve the state of the river, it’s fish, people and the local economy across the board.

Also as an affected outfitter of the dam removal project and a member of the recreation stakeholder group providing input on the recreation plan, I appreciate and support the staff conclusions and recommendations in the draft EIS and urge that they be adopted, particularly the modifications to:

  1. The recreation facilities plan to include the development of recreation sites and

  2. Consulting with upper Klamath outfitters to schedule construction activities and access restrictions to minimize adverse affects on boating.

I fully support dam removal and license surrender, with staff recommendations and again urge expediency. With yet another summer drought ahead there is no time to waste for the Klamath, it’s fish and its people.

Brandon Worthington

Worthington Fly Fishing


Presentation: Guides eye view of the Upper Klamath dam removal

Brandon Worthington of Worthington fly fishing presents “Guides eye view of the Upper Klamath dam removal" to Delta Fly Fishers.

Tune in for an informative multi media presentation to get updated on the largest dam removal process in US history!