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Fish Adventure Pudge Kleinkauf of Alaska's "Women's Flyfishing" has been fishing with Hook-M-Up Fishing Adventures for the past two years and has had great success fishing for Silver Salmon and Rainbow Trout. Pudge talked to Woody about fishing for Sheefish the following season. She said she had tried fishing for them before, but had not done well. She wanted to try again. Knowing that the region Hook-M-Up fishes has one of the best Sheefish rivers in the whole state of Alaska, Pudge thought of the idea to advertise it on her web site as, "She after Shee."
Alaska is a dream for most outdoor adventurists. Many people have a chance to come to this great place to visit mostly in the summer, and for some winter sports.
In 1980 I had the urge to go to Alaska to see if I could do it, with a dream to see the bush of Alaska. After a couple of years of traveling Alaska's road system and doing everything from plumbing to gold prospecting, the opportunity finally came. A job was available in a village in the bush, Aniak.
Unlike salmon and trout, Sheefish have not had that much exposure; there is hardly anything written about them. They are very acrobatic on a fly rod and they are called the "tarpon of the north." The plan was set for the following July of 1999. A fine group of adventuresome people including professional photographer, Michael DeYoung, signed up for this discovery adventure.
Finally, after a lot of preparation for what the group would need for the 120 mile trip, the day arrived. Woody and fishing guide, Art, left Aniak two days early to get a camp set and scout out the area in which they would be fishing. The day they left the wind and rain made traveling on the river really hard. It was so bad; the river had waves 4 feet high, and the rain was blowing horizontally. The boat constantly bounced up in the air, landed hard on top of the water and jolted everything. They took many stops to give the back and buttocks a break.
About fifty miles into the trip, something happened to one boat's engine. After trying to fix the engine in the middle of the river with white capped waves, the boat was towed to shore and checked out. The problem was in the jet pump. It was decided to take it off and head back to Aniak for repairs. All the way back to Aniak the river was no better than before.
Bright and early the next morning Woody and Art were at the repair shop. Luckily the owner was cooperative and able to make the necessary repairs to the jet pump right away. Once more they were on their way. It was hard to believe, but the river was as rough again as before, if not rougher.
Finally, late that night, Woody and Art made it to Sleetmute. They had a lot of work to do to make up for lost time. They had to find a place to camp and scout out several places to fish, because the group was going to arrive by charter the next morning.
They decided to go ahead and find a camping spot. Woody had fished the river about 12 years ago, but Art had never been that far up before. Woody had some idea of where to find the elusive Sheefish, so most of the time was spent looking for a place to camp. The group was going to be there for 3-4 days, so they needed a good spot with lots of wood and good access to the river. (Designated camp spots with a fire pit are not found in the wilderness.) They had no luck finding a camp spot along one river, so they went back down the Kuskokwim and searched upstream. They got lucky and found the perfect camp sight not more than 1 mile upstream. There was enough room for 4 tents, a shelter to eat under, and most important, plenty of firewood.
The morning came fast and it was time to pick up the people at the airport. Luckily the weather had calmed down and the sun was shining. It was about time for a break. The plane was on time, the group and gear were all picked up and everybody was brought back to camp. They all loved it. They were unaware of all that Woody and Art went through, and they were never told. Everybody was really pumped with enthusiasm for the upcoming adventure. Gear was stowed. There was even time to tie a few special flies for the next morning.
The next morning was Day 1: Everyone was early for breakfast and then off to search for the fishing hole. Woody wasn't sure where the exact location of the elusive Sheefish could be found. They also didn't know what type of fly the Sheefish would go after.
Last night's fly patterns were tied similar to a minnow with bead eyes. Some were weighted and some were not, as they didn't know what type of water they would find these mysterious Sheefish in.
About 12 miles up the river, Woody spotted a swirl on the surface and everybody got excited. Rods were in hand; flies were picked. On the first cast, the first fish was on! The fish went deep, but did not come to the surface for two or three minutes. When it finally did, it was not a Sheefish! It was a large pike (30-36 inches). On a fly it was great fun, but not what they came for.
Four or five more pike were caught before the group decided to move on. Working their way downstream, they tried several spots but only caught pike. It was getting around lunch time, so they decided to go back to camp for lunch. They took a break until the evening to fish. In July, evening fishing lasts until around midnight or 1:00 A.M.
They decided to go upstream and start where they had left off that morning. All it produced was pike. Lots of pike from 20"- 36". Afterwards they talked about the day and what they would do the next morning. The plan was set!
Day 2. The morning started off the same. They went back to the same area they fished at the evening before. After fishing for a short time, they moved downstream where they spotted a swirl. Was this where the elusive Sheefish was hiding? They laid a fly close to the spot. Wham! Fish on! It headed to the bottom! It was a real large pike about 48 inches long.
Around noon they stopped in a spot close to the confluence of the two rivers. After about three casts a fish jumped and it was as bright as a silver dollar. Yes! It was a Sheefish! The first one! They fished there for 2 more hours, but no more Sheefish were caught. They decided to go back to camp until the evening fish. Finally the elusive Sheefish was found!
That evening they went back to the same spot where the Sheefish had been caught earlier that day. It was a difficult spot. The boats had to be anchored about 10 feet from the bank in water that was about 2 feet shallow. This position made it possible for the fishers to cast into a channel that was about 8 feet deep where the Sheefish were moving. The only flies used were the ones they tied that looked like minnows and were weighted.
The fishing was awesome! Sometimes there were two or three fish on at a time! It was so action-packed that the photographer could not even keep up with it. So he laid down his camera and started fishing. This fishing frenzy lasted for 2 to 3 hours. It stopped as fast as it started and left everybody's blood pressure boiling. Everyone's arms were sore from all the casting and fighting. True to the reports, the Sheefish put on quite a show twisting and jumping out of the water.
The group decided to call it a day. One of the fish caught was bleeding from the gills, so they decided to try it for supper. When the fish was filleted out, the meat was white and firm with no fish smell. It was marinated in a brine of Yoshida Gourmet and Teriyaki sauces and cooked over an open fire. It was excellent.
That evening the group decided that they all caught what they came for. They wanted to take a boat ride down the Kuskokwim River back toward Aniak after the morning's fishing. Around the camp fire they shared fish stories and memories that they were going to keep forever.
Day 3: The group was at the fishing hole early. They fished for only 2 hours and caught several fish. Back at camp they broke up camp quickly, picking up all their gear and heading downstream. About one and a half hours later they stopped at another river, the George River. There they caught several grayling, a few dollies and a couple char.
The two boats continued heading down river to a village called Crooked Creek. They walked through the village and stopped at the store for a few needed snacks and some gas.
Down river from Crooked Creek about 15 miles they came across the Oskawalik River. The fishing was similar to the George River except there were more char and larger grayling. About that time, everyone in the group asked where camp was going to be set up for the evening. All Woody would say was that camp was already set up down river about an hour away. Everyone in the group just scratched their heads wondering what was going on.
About an hour later both boats pulled into a shore with not much more than a bunch of willows showing and a trail leading up the bank. Once they walked to the top of the bank, all the group could do was stand there in awe of what they saw. This was Hook-M-Up's upper camp.
It was like a little village in the middle of nowhere. It consisted of a large dining hall overlooking the river, six cabins, a steam bath building, restrooms, a large building in the back with three apartments and a freezer room attached to it. There was a nice out door fire pit ready for a match to light it.
It was getting towards evening and dark, so Woody gave the group another surprise. He started the generator and flipped the switch, lighting up the whole area. Within an hour dinner and the shower was ready. They were all eager to eat and try out the steambath house for a well-needed shower and steam. Exhausted, the fishers all bunked down on well-padded beds under canvas tent cabins. They were all dreaming of the exciting fishing they had experienced.
The next morning the party was off on yet another adventure exploring Alaska's great outback. They traveled not more than a half mile up the Kuskokwim River from Hook-M-Up to one of the most beautiful clear water rivers in the state. They launched on a short jet boat ride up river to some wonderful fishing holes. They caught a few grayling and a couple dollies. Normally, salmon is found there, but it was in between runs. It was a great way to end a truly great adventure.
By the end of the day the group was back in Aniak at Hook-M-Up's base camp. The women claimed the hand-hewn log cabin as theirs, while the men took to the other tent cabins. A home-cooked meal was served before the steambath house was ready. Everyone enjoyed eating and telling the stories of their adventures to the crew at the base camp. They spoke of finally finding the mysterious Sheefish, the beautiful weather and scenery, the four moose and three bears spotted, visiting two Eskimo villages, the surprise of spending a night at the upper camp and enjoying the 120 mile boat ride down the scenic Kuskokwim River. The next day the group left with many memories of their wonderful adventure with Hook-M-Up.
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