The old saying in Alaska about the weather is that… “if you don’t like it, just wait ten minutes and it will change”. Normally this is a motto that we live and plan our days by for good reason. Dressing in layers is the name of the game when getting ready for a day of fishing out in the bush of remote Bristol Bay Alaska. Mother nature can be very cruel to folks up here that are hoping for a nice summer day in this region.

No so this year. Considering the area’s panache for crumby weather in June, also known as ‘June-Gloom’, and last year’s rough patch during this same week, it came as a huge surprise to our clients to be able to fish in shorts and flip flops most of the week. The Haynie family was back again, making it twenty years in a row at Mission Lodge. Not a lodge record, but darn impressive for sure. They reminded us that last year we only saw the sun for about 2 hours during this same time period.

While the sun might have kept the King Salmon fishing from really breaking lose, catch numbers were pretty solid for us all week on the Nushagak River. The Togiak River kept kicking out lots of Jack Kings and every other fish that swims in these parts. The flow of Sockeye finally peaked over the weekend, with plenty of fish throughout the entire system. In fact, late in the week a nine pounder was caught on a lake hop way up high in the Wood-Tikchik chain of lakes.

And with all those Sockeye Salmon pouring in, Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park was the happening place to watch large coastal Brown Bears feed on the migrating salmon. The previous week our guests when out to Brooks Falls and hit the park two days after the first bears showed. This past week it was ‘Bear central’ out at Brooks Falls. Fish jumping, bears catching, etc… truly the stuff of t.v. commercials.

I have often wrote about the amazingly coincidental fact the Mr. Murphy does in fact live in Bristol Bay Alaska, or at the very least fishes here a lot. You all know him. ‘The’ Mr. Murphy, as in Murphy’s Law fame.

Once again he has reared his increasingly ugly head, this time toying with not only the snow [or lack there of], but also the fish timing. For the last four or five Springs, we have shown up here on or about the fifth of June to find the lake mostly iced in. All twenty-two miles of it in fact. Which not only makes for tricky set-up, but has seemed to deter the King Salmon from coming in early due to very cold water temperatures.

So this Winter we decided to finally remodel the third floor of the lodge. In order to play it safe, we decided to not book the first week to give us a little leeway with construction in case something went sideways. Like a barge not being able to get into to port due to massive ice pack similar to the previous five winters. But oh nooooo, Murphy would have none of that. No snow for you. No Winter even. Maybe that had something to do with us buying a new snowmobile.

And early Kings – oh ya, and lots of them. Huge early numbers. We had over 30,000 in the Nushagak River before June 20th. Seriously?! And just to add to the fun, the sun came out and it almost appeared to be like Summer in [insert favorite town here] with temps hitting the high seventies with afternoon thunder storms. Actually more like midnight thunderstorms since the sun does not set until 4:15 am this time of year.

Despite all crazy nice weather and wacky fish timing, we caught plenty of fish. It did start out painfully slow for this first group, who were still living off the strong memories of the epic week they experienced last season, which was truly their best in ten consecutive years of coming to Mission Lodge. But by week’s end we were seeing very steady action on the Nushagak River for nice adult King Salmon. A funny twist was the Jack King Salmon action over on the Togiak River that filled the guys’ fish boxes with tasty little fillets. Traditionally this time frame is a bit early for the adult Togiak River Kings, so the lack of big adults was not noticed as anglers enjoyed non-stop action for Jacks, Chums, Sockeye, Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout.

Near the lodge we had a little anxious pacing as we awaited the big push of Sockeyes. I am pretty sure the ancient Mayans used to set their calendars by our run of Reds, and look were that got them. However the local Sockeye Salmon were only a day and a half late as they came storming in ten wide, tip to tail up and down the Wood River on June 25th. Within 72 hours we topped over 1.9 Million fish. Use your best ‘Dr. Evil’ ascent when saying that line. It was a marvel to witness.

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