July 1-8 2025 Upper Kenai River fishing report

Trout fishing is picking up! A week of steady water levels measured at the Kenai Lake bridge around 7,000 to 7,700 cfs and steady water temperatures in the high 40’s to low 50’s have triggered a great bite on the Upper Kenai. Lots of cool clear water moving through the system right now. There has been some rainwater but most of the water is coming from glacial runoff. This sure helps keep the fish cool and in optimal feeding temperatures. Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden will continue to feed as water temp’s rise but I have noticed that many will become sluggish and give you one or two good pulls but then tire quickly as O2 levels decrease with warmer water. That is currently not the case. I had one rainbow nearly send my trusty old Ross Evolution into a freespool after a particularly angry strike on a beadhead nymph. The fish are feisty and fighting all the way to the net and more importantly recovering quickly and swimming for deep cool water. Bug life is flourishing in the current conditions. Caddis are still hatching, although not as prolifically. Large grey and small nuclear green stoneflies are getting going. Dragonflies and damselflies are finally hatched. Midges are everywhere and I’m pretty sure I saw a few fish rise on some variety of gray mayflies although I haven’t noticed any mayflies collecting on my boat yet. The drift boat seems to catch all the bugs.

Streamers have been working well also. I’ve caught some of the larger fish this week dead drifting streamers from straight upstream and getting good takes as its coming back to me or just on the turn, as usual. Early and late will produce the bigger fish in my opinion. These bad boys aren’t putting up with the trampling of the banks and are most likely content searching out one or two big meals and retreating to their brushy hideouts for the rest of the day.

I shouldn’t say this but the profusion of spey and switch anglers attacking the trout and Dollies with their flies have got these fish looking for some perfect drifts. Sending a large fly out into the fastest part of the river and rocketing it back to the shallows then standing there and pumping the rod a few times at your side might get you a couple but try dead drifting those same flies with about 20 feet of line and your results will probably improve dramatically. As a guide I’m supposed to watch everything happening in the water but watching the humans pays dividends as well. While spey and switch fishing can certainly be an art, I see many more Jackson Pollack’s than I do Bob Ross’ out there. Fine by me, I’m a single hand guy, but tune up those mega drifts with a mend or two and your catch rates will improve.

For the single hand folks, keep it simple. All the classics are working well. Hares ears, parachute Adams and skating emerges just below the surface are producing plenty of fish. Getting funky with some pretty little beadheads skillfully dead drifted has been my favorite over the last week. Hang them a few feet below a bobber and hold on! Yes I called it a bobber! Fishing without an indicator works well also but 90% of my client rods are set up with floaty things so I just grab and go when its my turn. Bead action has been tapering off but will probably pick back up if salmon enter the system and guys start chucking carcasses back in the river. Fish those below an indicator or not but that’s typically the fly the want to see drifting the most naturally and some type indicator sure helps. I’ll be over the bobbers by August but I’m no purist, I just want to have fun, use what’s effective and hope for the best. Let’s not put on airs about this. The point is to get out, turn off the social media for a minute and connect with nature. To each his own though, you be you and do it your way!

See you out there!

June 23-26, 2025 Fishing report from Upper Kenai River

Salmon fishing has continued to slow down over the last few days. I had one group of 6 guys all limit out on the 22nd but you had to stand in one spot and then over the next three days there was very little activity even in that exact spot. Rising water levels certainly changes the dynamics of our drifts in particular areas but we weren’t even seeing any splashing around in the eddies and seams. Could it be over? Not sure but we persisted and then suddenly on the afternoon of the 25th we really got into some nice sockeye and watched as schools of fish cruised upstream not far from the banks. Mysterious creatures and persistence is definitely the name of the game when it comes to salmon fishing. They’re never in one spot until there dead so just stay at it and I think you’ll get some for a bit longer.

Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden fishing however has been really good with eager biters on all forms of flies and tackle. We have been fly fishing fro them but the guys with spin rods look like they’re having success as well. Hanging a small brown nymph a couple feet below an indicator has been best for my groups but a close second place is my custom brown bug streamer. They grab those and run! I haven’t had the opportunity but the rising water conditions present some good chance to swing some mouse patterns of the grassy banks and around the log jams. Beads looks like they’re working and probably some small flesh flies as well but most of my attempts have been made on traditional nymphs, dry fly and streamer patterns.

This coming week should see some of the salmon crowds lightening up and you just might find yourself out there all alone and right in the middle of some great fishing! Hope to see you out there!

June 19-22, 2025 fishing report

The last few day shave been hit or miss for sockeye salmon. Rising river levels have often brought fish up the river in a hurry but Sunday June 22nd did not see that happening. Saturday was hot and heavy and Sunday was quite slow with most guide boats floating in with 2-3 fish for the day. Locals that have made a million casts and can pick up on the nuances in the more unique holes can have more success. Learning the tricks of flossing is not easy and definitely a weird concept to grasp when there aren’t many fish present. Fish near the Russian River or in the deep holes.

Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden have continued to be active and have been taking a wide variety of flies. Beads, nymphs and streamers and I have noticed increased activity with surface feeders but I have not had a chance to fish any dry flies, but I certainly would. Flesh flies and beads around the salmon fishing holes will produce some chunky rainbows.

Current volume measured at the Kenai Lake bridge is 7,190 cos and downstream of the Russian River its most likely bit over 8,000 cfs. There have been many trees being dislodged from the banks, keep a close eye out for underwater debris as well. Water temperatures in the mid to high 40’s are ideal for salmon migration and trout feeding. Expect these to remain steady.

First week fishing report. June 11-18, 2025, Upper Kenai River

The first week on the Upper Kenai River has flown by for myself as I have been out every day but one. All trips so far have been in pursuit of the famous Russian River reds. Access to these fish by a guide typically requires a trip downstream of the Russian River Ferry at Sportsman’s Landing. I have been launching there most days and pulling the boat out at Jim’s Landing. Fishing has been fair at best for sockeye salmon and decent to good for rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. As of June 17th 4,114 have passed the weir above Russian River falls. This number is quite low and significantly lower than last year count of 8,562 at this same time. I considered last year run a small run with not so great fishing. I am keeping my fingers crossed that things will improve. Second run sockeye salmon can be impacted by many factors making their timing very unpredictable on the Upper Kenai River but the first run reds are generally a very punctual bunch of fish and move through with determination. They have one thing on their mind and nothing is going to stop them from reaching Upper Russian Lake and ultimately Goat Creek where they will spawn. Find a spot and hang on to it, persistence is the key and being prepared with good gear will pay off.

Rainbows and Dollies have been pretty eager to bite most flies we have been trying. Dry flies, beadhead nymphs, streamers and beads/egg imitations have all been producing. Clear water and a lack of salmon disrupting their peace may be contributing to the good bite. It’s not uncommon for a bunch of salmon to swim into the river and push the trout around for a bit but that’s not been the case so far. Surprisingly I found some great bites during the brightest hottest part of a couple afternoons and some slower fishing during overcast periods. For trout that’s not usually the case but who am I to tell a fish when to feed?!

Crowds have been so so with more folks on the weekends. Often if people aren’t catching they move through fairly quickly and the river can clear out after a while. Either way there has been some good people watching and it’s been nice to see some of my river friends out and about again. Some of my best friends have came from that river and while I’m not looking to meet everyone in my fishing hole I sure do appreciate the connections made along the banks of the Upper Kenai River. See you out there soon!

June 12th, 2025 Fishing Report

Another bluebird day on the Upper Kenai River! Temperatures by afternoon in the 70’s with an upstream breeze made wading enjoyable and falling in not quite so bad. I didn’t take the dip but saw a doozy of a dive by an excited angler. Water conditions remained clear and in the mid to low 40’s and running fairly low for this time of year. Caddis flies were again hatching and attempting to get back beneath the rivers surface with their upstream bombardments of the river bank currents. I didn’t see a whole lot of surface feeding but trout anglers were reporting plenty of action on various nymphs and emergers. We spent the day swinging for salmon again and saw a decrease in action but not by a lot. It’s a little early historically so I thought fishing was just as I was expecting. Small pushes of fish every hour or so. Our group of seven put 6 sockeye in the cooler but as noted by the anglers, we easily hooked our limits. I think I’m going to make hats and banners for the boat that say “Let it run!” I get it, it’s easy to forget the process of fighting a fish on a fly rod, but after being told a half dozen or more times to “let it run” I’m beginning to think the problem is with me by not investing in anti-reverse fly reels. Hook em up and crank to your hearts content. Either way the crew was in good spirits and just happy to be wading and hooking fish. Headed back out tomorrow with the same group in pursuit of some more of those bright red Sockeye salmon fillets! See you around the bend!

2025 Opening Day Fishing Report

June 11th, 2025 got off to a fantastic start. Bright sunny skies, calm winds in the morning and temperatures in the mid 60’s had everyone smiling and feeling lucky. River conditions were great. Crystal clear water in the mid to low 40’s and lower than usual water levels made fish spotting easy. Rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and more than expected sockeye salmon were in most of the holes and as the day progressed I noticed more salmon moving upstream. Not typical for salmon to get active in clear water with sunny skies overhead but they persisted and kept coming. Maybe a sign of good things to come! My group of seven bank anglers all caught one or two a piece and one fellow limited in about 30 minutes once he figured out the Kenai twitch. We didn’t trout fish much but did get a couple on streamers in the morning. I noticed plenty of trout biting for other folks all morning and afternoon. Caddis flies became very active throughout the day. This favorite trout food does well in the Kenai when the skies are hot and sunny and the wind blowing upstream . Several days of similar weather are forecasted and we might see a prolific caddis hatch in the next few days. If this happens get your dry fly rod out and hang on! Size 12 -16 caddis or the classic parachute Adams should do the trick. We’ll be going after sockeye salmon again tomorrow and I’m feeling like this first run of reds might be a good one. However it shakes out a repeat of the conditions and great company on board is going to make for a classic Upper Kenai River spring trip! Hope to see you out there!

The real live current conditions

Ok so here’s so live current conditions from Tuesday, June 3rd 2025, one week before the Upper Kenai River opens for fishing.

Discharge measured at the Kenai Lake bridge is 3,710 cubic feet per second. About the same as last year but not really on what I would consider a steady rise in gauge height. 2024 had a significant snowpack that fed the drainage for a good part of the summer while a considerable portion of the snowpack from this past winter is already melted or just plain didn’t build up. I am expecting it to remain low for the opener, not my favorite but oh well!

Water temperature has been ranging from 42 to 44 degrees for the last week. Great temps for trout spawning and salmon migrations. The size of the Upper Kenai River will regulate the water temperature and prevents rapid rises or drops in temperature barring any large scale natural event like a glacial outburst. I’m sure all fish species appreciate the steady temps. I have seen the Upper Kenai near 60 degrees on several occasions and that is not a good thing. Trout become sluggish and concentrated and salmon will not move much or at all beyond the cold depths of Skilak Lake. It’s not going to change much this week so current conditions are just right.

Weather pattern has been a good mix of sunny days and some cloudy days with today being quite rainy and winds 15-20 mph. I’ll take the cloudy and rainy but the wind adds a degree of difficulty I could live without. The wind can have its advantages and I’d rather have that than bluebird skies to be honest. There’s a chance of sun coming later this week but who knows, take it as it comes and show up prepared for all conditions. Last years opener was a downstream gale with rain and a laughable day at best. I don’t do a ton of boat fishing so it didn’t really affect my trip but the bank spots were at a premium and folks were holding tight. I got a lot of spots but have had to get a little choosy of these wild days on account of all the beetle kill spruce along the river. There has been extensive die off and on the really windy days you can hear the trees snapping like toothpicks! Don’t get caught under those on a day like today!

Keeping it short I will predict low and very clear river conditions, decent salmon migration early and late in the day and an ok trout bite. Should be some active fish out in some faster current and I will personally be avoiding slower shallow side braids that will most likely be holding the spawning rainbows. Sure don’t like seeing those beds get trampled and the already tired trout getting worked over. They are hardy and have already been spwaning for a month and half at least but they could use a little more time to guard those eggs and recover from the strain of constant housekeeping and avoiding the eagles. Hopefully we will have some Dolly Varden in the river for the opener but their spring patterns are unpredictable at best. Whatever the conditions present is fine by me and I can’t wait to get started! Hope to see you out there but mostly at the boat ramp!

Stay tuned for more in season updates!

Current Conditions

I know what you’re thinking. Fishing guide website advertising current conditions has got to be about water temperature and clarity or how many we’re catching this week. Considering the Upper Kenai River in Cooper Landing won’t open for fishing there aren’t that many current conditions to report on that will particularly guide a prospective client to booking this week or stock up on a certain fly. The trout are spawning peacefully and the eagles are taking their swipes at them just as they have for thousands of years. They’ll play this game year after year. I can recall once during the annual Memorial Day weekend softball tournament in Cooper Landing watching as a bald eagle gracefully swooped off the river and right over the ballfied clutching a fresh caught rainbow. This fish was a trout of a lifetime for many but for this eagle it was perhaps more than it could handle. The bird did its own version of catch and release by dropping its quarry in the gravel parking lot amidst a chorus of groans from the many diehard anglers that make Cooper Landing their home. As an avid hiker I’ve found salmon and trout scattered all across the most unlikely of places throughout the Kenai River valley. These nutrients are no doubt one the reasons the area is a fertile wonder of nature. Acts such as these having been taking place in noticeable and subtle ways for as long as the first moments the glaciers receded from the land.

As mentioned some of these acts are anticipated annual events. Just as the eagle waits for the fish to return to the shallows we wait all winter for breakup and the opportunity to stretch our legs and cure whatever symptoms of cabin fever we’ve been diagnosed with. Some folks are excellent historians and record all types of events taking place every day and will cross reference them with previous years and confirm that the planet is not in fact wobbling out of control and the sun hit the yard the first day of February this year just as it has for a dozen or for however long they’ve been paying attention. Sometimes however things take place that everyone notices as just a little but unusual. Conditions will change. Most that have lived in Cooper Landing and for that matter most of southcentral Alaska would say that the winter and spring of 2025 have indeed been one of those years. I’m not one to really talk about the weather much. Its just the kind of small talk that says “i’m not really interested in what you’re up to nor am I willing to share my thoughts” but someone feels like they gotta fill empty space with noise so they bring it up. The other person replys with a yep or a nod and that’s considered a conversation. All that being said the weather has actually been interesting for a change and a decent topic of discussion. For a while Florida had a more snow than the Kenai Peninsula! Surely this won’t last, and it didn’t, but winter never really got going at the lower altitudes at any point over the next several months. It wasn’t long before the kids gave up hope and started making plans for the summer. By mid January the local sledding hills were empty and grass still standing upright. Strange but not the first time I've seen conditions like that.

Nothing ever really changed and eventually by early February I had given up hope as well and had headed into the mountains on foot rather than snow machine. It was time to get out do the first of my foraging in search of moose antlers. Moose are fairly habitual creatures. Subsisting on not much more than willow sticks all winter they can be somewhat predictable in their overwintering. Once they find a good willow patch they will stomp it to pieces. Stripping every branch within ten feet of the ground and leaving obvious clues to their lingering, moose nuggets! Heading out to the usual and likely spots it didn’t take long to notice that things were different. No snow on the frozen earth made for easy walking and covering lots of ground was a breeze. No snow also meant that the long legged moose, perfectly adapted for standing in snow three to four feet deep, were not going to be very comfortable bedding down on frozen puddles and root covered hummocks. No snow also meant the precipitation came in the form of rain. Moose have thick air filled hairs that form a barrier between the harsh elements and their thick hide but eventually even the rain will get through and soak them to the bone. A death sentence for any creature trying to stay warm and maintain fat on a diet of sticks and bark. I don’t think it took the moose long to notice things were going to be different and they headed for the hills. The lowlands were devoid of any signs of life in all regards. Observing the obvious I followed suit and headed for higher elevations and soon found more and more signs. Its not hard to spot a moose trail with some practice and following these into the hills was proof that they wee all behaving the same way. Seeking out the cold dry air and resuming business as usual. Living in an area for quite a few years helps a person notice the anomalies and taking into account the other driving forces you can piece together a puzzle. I eventually found as many antlers as I could carry on some days and will note these locations and guard them for their sake and my antler hoarding hobby. Talking with other shed hunters most were experiencing the same trends all across south central Alaska.

As spring progressed other things started happening that got me wondering. Are all these forces of nature communicating somehow? The web of nature is somewhat understood by modern people but I have no doubt the vast majority of it is a mystery that few will ever even begin to understand. I think the next thing I noticed was the earliest arrival of morel mushrooms I’ve seen on the Kenai Peninsula.Walking my dog on the evening of April 28th I took a wishful look at one of the early producing spots and to my surprise it was full of fresh mushrooms! Typically Memorial Day weekend is a dependable time to find them but here we were a month early and I was filling my ball cap. Keeping this secret I beat trail to my spots, not all are secrets, and found these areas responding in similar fashion. Most were holding mushrooms that were less than a week old, above ground anyways, and all were untouched to my delight. Fungus is absolutely a wonder of nature and they were responding to stimuli en masse. I picked for three weeks in secrecy before I heard of anyone else finding some and the seasoned pickers I dared mentioned it to expressed surprise and appreciation for the mysterious early bloom as well. Soon enough the secret was out but a prolonged and in a couple spots what I would call a profuse sprouting has continued. Why so many? What undetectable marker has triggered them to carry on? Are they anticipating an event? Do they sense the need to distribute a mass of spores in an attempt to save themselves? How can even relate my hypotheses to what’s actually going on with them? Stopping over in the forest and getting up close with nature will give a person plenty of time to think about it and most likely overthink it. Whatever the case may be something is going on and it hasn’t stopped with the mushrooms.

Next on my list of unusual appearances or lack thereof was the late arrival of the green tree swallows. These chattery acrobats are not hard to miss and in my yard a very welcome sight. Mosquitos are their favorite source of food and not surprising the mosquitos were right on time. Considering they are likely one of the older insects and most successful creatures on they planet they did not hesitate to prove those points. I spend a lot of time in my yard and for me the swallows impact is noticeable immediately. Dipping and fluttering all around your head and eating who knows how many mosquitoes and hour, they can knock the numbers down quickly. Every time I encountered a swarm in the bushes I’d find myself looking up and hoping for some assistance. Eventually it was another notable anomaly so I used some technology and searched my keywords in my text messages. April 24, 2024 “the swallows are back!” was sent and received with a little red heart. They are sure easy to love. Days grew into weeks and still no sign. About the 10th of May I heard the the chatter and looked up and saw two! Relief for several reasons settled in and I even announced as I had the previous year, “the Swallows are back!”, except they weren’t actually. This pair was not to be seen again and it wasn’t until about April 17th that I had seen enough to feel confident that they had officially returned. Staking claim to the houses scattered about the property and fighting their little bird wars was a welcome sign. I suppose a lot of things can delay their arrival or prevent it altogether. An bad fall storm as they migrated out the previous summer, a late spring snow storm blocking their path and taking its toll on their exhausted little bodies or maybe in the best case scenario an abundance of food in their overwintering grounds holding them back. The latter seems most unlikely as these little birds, just as the former animal and fungus mentioned, have a timing that is necessary for the survival of the species. As I peck away at the keyboard sitting outside they’re doing their thing all around me but to me the numbers seem a little down. Hopefully the new birdhouses serve them well and they get their broods fattened up on time and they can safely return to their winter homes.

Current conditions are just that. A report of what’s going on in that moment. In fishing I suppose they are somewhat useful but in my particular river things can change fast and I don’t put too much stock into them. If a client asks weeks ahead of their trip I generally give a broader combination of conditions. It doesn’t really matter if you’re out for one day of the season because we’re going anyways and we’re going to make the best of them. Guiding throughout the summer those conditions can stack up and make your days hell or in the best case everything has been great and every fly seems to work. I often get asked on the boat, which is a little late to be asking, “what’s the best day to be here?” My answer is always the same, today! Today is always great day to fish and especially if it’s your only day to fish. Current or past conditions matter for sure but a good guide will hopefully have a few tricks to offset any less than ideal conditions and pull off a good trip regardless.

Humans have it easy. We’ve adapted our conditions in most aspects of our lives to make every day optimal for our survival. Spending days and weeks and years outside in one of the continents harshest environments you certainly will understand that we’re alone in that regard. The will to survive and thrive is an amazing trait of all the rest of the planets creatures, even the annoying mosquito. Thriving is even harder. Rooting for the animal easy to do. Rooting for your brothers and sisters seems to be a lost art. If we had to endure for even a fraction of the time like they do I think it would do us a world of good. Clearly there a populations that by whatever metric you use, don’t have it as well as others but something that I've noticed is their ability to make the best of their less than ideal conditions and still thrive and find joy in their daily life and live it day to day. I’ve seen moose calves and swallows playing in the rain. I’m not convinced mushrooms feel happiness but they can certainly thrive in their current conditions. I suppose the only one I can really help is myself and those nearest me and even if it doesn’t always appear so, I’m just trying to deal with my own current conditions and hoping for the best. Maybe we can continue to find effective ways to communicate our current conditions and once again thrive, all of us.

Fish GPT

Are fishing guides doomed? While listening to a recent podcast on Artificial Intelligence Ethicology I couldn’t help but include myself and chosen profession in the discussion. The gist of the cast was a deep dive into whether or not AI could replicate and remain in control of an applied field of study or profession without eventually crashing out. As the host, Allie Ward, and guest Dr. Abeba Brihane discussed the various attributes and pitfalls to AI, the similarities to what I ‘ve seen happening in my profession seemed to match what was happening everywhere else. I wouldn’t say it made me nervous but I am wondering if those chuckles I let out at the idea of the possibility of being replaced were nervous laughter or seasoned confidence. Surely there’s no way.

How on Earth could a computer out fish me? How could a person simply ask a screen and get a complete answer containing the 20+ years of experience I’ve had in relatively confined space? The only way to find out was to go and ask for myself. I’m not one for signing up for all the latest and greatest advancements in technology but I’m also not one for getting left too far behind either. I am after all a father of a 14 year old boy who, just as I was doing in the 80’s by helping my parents program the VCR, is running at twice the speed I ever did with all the current tech trends. If I want to communicate I’ve gotta get on board.

Signing up was easy by design. Just link and open with some other account and before you know it you’ve clicked on a box and signed the terms of agreement. That was too easy. Just like that a crusty guide was jacked into the Matrix! ChatGPT was my AI generator of choice. I anticipated a half dozen tutorial screens to hold my hand and walk me through it but I think there was only one and even that prompt seemed basic enough that I just clicked before finishing the instructions. Nothing to do now but learn to fish! As a Kenai River guide, the two absolute fundamental parts of fishing and guiding this river is where I started. Teach me how to flip for red salmon and ChatGPT teach me how to catch trout on a bead. Oh crap! In less than a minute and probably more like 30 seconds I was reading, almost as if I were saying it to my clients, exactly how to do it.

The format started just about as I would. First, you’ve gotta understand sockeye salmon behavior and then approach the water. Before we even get our boots wet that’s where I start. They’re not here to eat, they’re only traveling and typically fairly close to the bank and all you’re trying to do is run into them. Collision fishing. Step two, look at your rod, this is what we’re going to use. 8 or 9 wt fly rod, strong reel and floating high visibility line. Dangling off this line is a unique set up, three feet of heavy line, a bunch of weight to get it to the bottom then about another four feet of tippet and of course a big hook. Ok, thats about all I tell them also, pretty standard set up, no need to get fancy with it. ChatGPT’s third step; stand in one foot of water, cast 10 feet upstream and out, let it sink and drift down stream, it might accidentally mouth it-set the hook with hard downstream tug. Yep that’s pretty good and actually better than how I’ve heard it relayed by some humans. Uh oh. Step four, fight the fish with rod low and don’t force them, they are powerful fish. If its hooked in the mouth we can keep it, anywhere else and we gotta let it go. Finally bring a net and a stringer. ChatGPT Pro Tip--watch the people who are catching and do what they do. Well, if a guy were taking notes in shorthand from me during my instruction period and comparing them to ChatGPT they would be darn near identical. This is not looking good.

Could AI really be doing this to us?! How in the world did it figure that out?! I won’t get into the workings of how AI sources this info, mostly because my knowledge is rudimentary at best, but the answer is pretty simple. We told it how to do it. We gave away all our secrets and pro tips to the world wide web and now it’s telling anyone who asks. Maybe we deserve to be replaced. Probably not all of us but certainly there are a few despised blabbermouths who are actively selling every smidgen of info they’ve ever learned or heard to the web. All for a few more sales and hits to their website. I won’t go off on that tangent because there’s enough there to fill an entire website of why you shouldn’t do that. In any event it’s simply repeating what its gathered from the web. That’s not dissimilar to what an actual human in waders is doing though.

There is a spectrum of guides and anyone who’s taken enough guided trips knows that. A good guide will put you on the fish and it’s usually not too difficult to do that. They’ll get in the boat and press play and go through the standard set of instructions they tell everyone. 10 and 2, mend and lift. I got the same spiel from ChatGPT but I wasn’t expecting it in thirty seconds and I certainly wasn’t expecting the added on pro tip. If the guide likes you he’s probably going to throw in a pro tip or two as well but it might take all day and all your cookies to get it out of him. Good guides, show up, put you on the fish and politely get out of there with your tip money and that’s that. Nothing wrong with that and I will admit, I appreciated the quick and accurate info I got from the AI.

I’m not going to delete my ChatGPT account after this blog because it really was good and I might even recommend it to a friend who is stumped with a particular problem that needs to be solved, I’m not ashamed of that. I did however mention that there is a spectrum of guides. When I logged on to AI I expected good info and got it. When a person travels and does their research on a guide, makes bunch of calls and finally sends off their hard earned money, they’re not looking for just the good guide, they’re hoping for the GREAT guide. That is where things change. That is what cannot be replicated. The greatness of a legendary guide. A real live human guide that lives and breathes for their work and will probably live and die by there piece of water.

The good guide and AI are certainly going to put you on some fish but are you really learning from them? There was something missing from the AI intstructions. The nuance and finer points were nowhere to be found. Pro tips and finer points are not the same. Ai pro tips are to keep your rod low. Good advice but why? The great guide who’s not part of the matrix will tell you a few reasons, some finer points. I would personally say that for starters the fastest part of the river is on the top, don’t bring the fish ups there, he’ll gain a few more pounds and be gone faster than you can realize your knuckles are bleeding. I’d probably also say everyone can see your rod bent and before you know it they’ll be standing in your spot when you return from stringing your fish. I’d definitely say that if you lift that rod you’re going to point it right at your face and when that snagged fish turns and throws your gear after you brought him up to the top your going to eat that lead and look like you came to Alaska for hockey camp rather than going to the fish camp. How many times has AI dodged a zinging bullet or actually caught one in the chest? A good guide and ChatGPT both know to stand shallow but your great guide knows that you better go stand on that white rock, not a step further, and will harp on you and possibly even pull you from the spot if you’re not following the real live instructions. How do I know? Because I’ve been here everyday, I actually put that rock there!

Your AI guide has given good advice on gear recommendations, 8-9 wt fly rods are the standard and fill most guides quivers of rods but it didn’t tell you that rather than just a couple split shots to get your fly to the bottom you’re most likely going to be flipping a half ounce wrecking ball all day and that a couple sizes up on the rod are going soak up that extra work you’re putting on that old tennis elbow. Your expert human guide also knows that you’ve been hoisting crappies up from the boat slip all summer and the instant you hook onto one of the pound for pound baddest fish in fresh water and reach up past the handle on that rod it’s going to explode in your hand, the rod butt is going to slam into your hands and that for about two seconds you’re going to catch a 2,000 rpm cheese grater right across the knuckles! When was the last time ChatGPT ever bled red and spent the day shaking out their hand? Hopefully you won’t after your great guide scolds you, as politely as possible, on why you’re not going to do that again. Nonetheless those are the human touches that can’t be related or learned by software. AI recommended a net, excellent advice, but there was no mention of how big of a net or how to use it. What could be worse than finally, after all the work and doing it just as ChatGPT instructed, than seeing your buddy lose his man card flailing on the net and almost every time popping it right off, right at the bank?! I’ll admit that after catching the 500th red salmon of the season I’m fairly tired of it but watching the theatrics of a newbie on the net is one of personal favorite pastimes. Your great guide will have that red scooped up from underneath or snagged out of midair before you even register that the fish made a move. Or better yet using that net like a hockey stick and flinging your red ten yards into the bushes after you were told to just drag it up on the rocks. Maybe you did sign up for a little bit of hockey camp!

All the stolen secrets and divulged info some guy swore he’d never tell then went straight home and posted them to social media or probably worse, added to his website, can be easily stolen from the World Wide Web but just as the name implies, it’s artificial intelligence. I should write more things down on paper in leather bound journals just as my elders did but even then the nuance is not going to make print. Some secrets will absolutely die with your great guide.

I’m not sure where AI will take its knowledge but part of the podcast was about will it crash out. I’m on the fence about it. I’m sure I’ll tap into ChatGPT for real life advice and maybe some quick fix-it tips or who knows what. I also know that if it does indeed crash out and take itself down that I won’t mind one bit. For now, guides are simultaneously on the verge of unnecessary and as equally indispensable but something I can guarantee is that your great human guide’s knowledge is far from artificial intelligence.

(Boat) Ramping Up for 2025!

Thank goodness it’s almost time! May in Alaska is a busy month on just about every level. Snow is melting, water levels are rising, mass animal migrations are taking place every day, ground cover and trees are once again filling out, days are getting longer while nights are disappearing and in similar fashion chores and time to complete them are being added to the list and hopefully getting crossed off. There are so many things we’ve been waiting months and months to do but even for the best of planners and list makers time charges ahead and waits for no man. I’m often guilty of watching it go by on the best of days. In springtime I am like a lizard, I need a certain amount of time sitting motionless on a warm flat rock recharging my long depleted solar batteries, then at all at once I’m off and running. Springtime for a fishing guide and lodge owner in Alaska is without a doubt the most hectic time of year. Those cabin renovations that were put off on account of weather, the vehicle and boat maintenance, the gear revamping, the last minute vacation planners calling at 10 am Eastern time but 6 am Alaska time, and of course the dreaded paperwork of getting licensed and mostly legal. All of it seems to needed to have been done yesterday! Somehow the pieces fall into place one by one. Most fishing guides have been carpenters, so the cabin work is kind of fun. Most fishing guides have beat up vehicles and experienced catastrophic trailer explosions on the way to the ramp so we’re also pretty good mechanics or at least know enough tricks to get things rolling again. The gear inventory is probably one of my favorite preseason rituals. If a guide is a true angler they’ve already got some rods rigged and know who needs a little love to make it one more season and who needs to be retired. Some gear will not make the cut out of respect for duties fulfilled, fear of breaking their trusty partner or like I often say “that one is mine now”, even though they’re all already mine. If you’ve done any guiding or let your kids use your rod, you understand that last part. The phone calls are fine and necessary. I’ve talked for a couple hours many times about some guys trip of a lifetime and never heard back from him. All good, I’m sure in those conversations I’ve gleaned a few tips from their bag of tricks. I mean you never know when I’m going to be in South Carolina need to know how to rig a live sunfish on a 3/0 circle hook. Either way I don’t take most of the people I talk to about fishing on paid fishing trips so the tire kicking calls are part of it. Last but not the least, and its always the last task completed for me, the paperwork. There’s a big reason why Im a fishing guide and not a white collar anything! I’m actually pretty fast at pecking away at this keyboard but i’m only using three fingers and probably sitting in such a posture that would cripple me if I had to do it day in and day out. The forms are redundant, the insurance a scam, the act of converting actual pieces of paper to pdf’s maddening and getting them all sent to the gal the office will get done but let me tell you, that small part of the job is solid chunk of the reason I chose to be a fishing guide. All of these tasks are necessary and chipping away at them and actually getting it done is a small ego boost. Maybe I’m not just a bum sitting in a boat all summer! Whatever it takes to put it all together off the river probably taps into that part of us that can do whatever it takes to get at least one damn fish for this guy so we can go in and put a rough day to rest. Rough days don’t happen very often and thankfully neither does paperwork. In any event the the time has nearly come! The vitamin D boost, the ego boost, the refilling of the freezer. All the best things about Alaska summers are just around the bend. Kind of like that one last spot we better go check out before we go in. I know its gonna be good!