Bear Bums - Bear Hunting

So, 3 of the 4 of us going on this hunt are hunters and 1 fishes, but even he isn’t a fanatic. We have done some research and spent some time at Cabelas talking to the fishing experts and here are some of the conclusions we have come to.

Because our primary purpose is bear hunting, we don’t want to use up unnecessary space in the cabin or on the plane with multiple poles and other fishing gear. But, Salmon Lake Cabin on Prince of Wales Island presents a dilemma because the cabin is on a lake and there is a trail that follows the Karta River back to the ocean (Karta Bay) which is about 5 miles. We will be doing a lot of hunting on the river (in the river) and also on the lake which means that we will be doing a lot of fishing in both places.

We’ve learned that the fishing aficionado might take two poles, possibly a fly rod or lighter pole for the lake fishing and a stiffer pole and line for the river fishing. On the river we plan on finding the majority of the salmon and the lake will provide some salmon but mostly cutthroat, rainbow and Dolly Varden.

Here is the type of gear we will be bringing based on the time of year and the two different locations we’ll be fishing:

-Salmon:

-We want to use flies that provide bright colors like pinks, purples and chartreuse.

-The salmon lures will be Blue Fox Pixees and other lures that have bigger spoons than we’ll use for trout always using the more brilliant colors. We will also use what is called a Dingleberry Jig.

-The spinners will be the Bluefox Vibrax sizes 4,5,6.

-Trout:

-We will use flies…..flesh flies, nymphs and oil wolves.

-Spinner sizes 1,2,3 and Marabou Jigs.

-Rods and Line:

-The fly rod needs to be at least an 8 or 9.

-The spinning rod will have to be a 12-20 rod with 14-15 lb line for the salmon.

Because fishing is a side bonus of our self guided bear hunt, we will use the flies in the rivers by placing a sinker 10-12″ from brilliant colored fly and on the lake, if not using the fly rod, we can place a bubble on the line and drag the fly on the top of the lake water.

As I’ve admitted, I’m no fisherman, but I confess I’m excited about the fishing potential of this trip. Any advice on technique and what to use is appreciated!