Kings and Calm on the Aniak

Comprised largely of one gravel bar after another, the Aniak runs at a class I and class II during normal river conditions. The total length is about 110 miles from Aniak Lake to the town of Aniak, where it conveniently runs next to and occasionally into the village itself. Here’s where you’ll be glad you brought a small motor (4 to 5hp range) as the last 15 miles of the river are basically a moving lake. In fact, most guides arrange for a jet boat or small floatplane pickup on the lower river near Buckstock or Doestock creeks.

The rafts we use are NRS and Aire 14-foot catarafts. The catarafts offer the boater an extremely stable fishing platform, as well as breaking down enough to fit in a plane, where you’re already looking at an 800-pound maximum capacity for your gear. These versatile rafts are extremely maneuverable and can carry huge loads, which is a lot of the reason they have stormed onto the market over the last few years, virtually replacing the drift boat in Alaska. Another is their affordability, as they can be rented for around $90 per day. Limeres, however, cautions taking the cataraft route. “The inflatable drift boat, with its lower profile and better containment, is an intelligent and much safer option for a river like the Aniak, with its swift, deep waters and abundant sweepers,” he explained.

The best times to float the river range from mid-July to mid-September, though a generous dose of luck in regards to the weather is the real key. For specie variety, though, you can’t beat July. A trip the last week in July can offer the remote possibility of encountering and catching all five species of Alaska’s salmon, the rare Alaska Grand Slam.”

Fishing the Aniak
This certainly isn’t an easy river to fish and determining a successful strategy for angling success can be quite consuming. The Aniak differs from all the other rivers downstream on the Kuskokwim in that it is more an Interior river than a coastal river according to guides like Limeres. It comes swiftly off the north side of the Kuskokwim Mountains into dense timber and an extensive floodplain that makes for a maze of braids and logjams, much like rivers farther in the Interior. Consequently, it fishes much differently.

With its speed, depth, and numerous snags, the Aniak is best fished by anglers who use heavy gear and bring ample terminal tackle. Sinkers, lures, and flies must be brought in abundance if you’re planning a float. Holes on the Aniak can run from 6 to 15 feet deep, and you can literally break off hundreds of times during a trip from the headwaters.

Though fishing gear and methods are as diverse as the people floating the river itself, I like to think of myself as a purest. I purely use what works. I use 10 and 12-weight fly rods made from 9-foot IM-6 blanks that I have built for me in Fairbanks. I have a double handle installed to give me an extra grip for leverage, as well as an oversized reel seat and fighting butt to accommodate my large reel.

When you are fighting 30 to 40 kings a day, most fly reels take a beating. During my best day on the Aniak last year I hooked and landed 49 Chinook salmon. My body and equipment are simply torn up after a day like that.

I use an unconventional fishing system for the large kings of the Aniak. Most angling aficionados will disagree with my system, but it works. I fish a monofilament system. This allows controlled depth fishing and keeps the fly deep. Regular mono works, but on fly reels water soaked monofilament is not good. Mono expands and will either warp or break a fly reel spool. To combat this I have resorted to using a mooch reel. The mooching reel, which is used in Canada extensively, is a larger diameter reel with enough spool space to combat any monofilament expansion. My leaders are short and can be tied in tapers (keep them simple with 20-pound tippet).

My fly selection for the Aniak varies. Chartreuses, reds, and pink combo flies do the trick. Although well decorated flies catch fish, having patterns that are easy to tie makes for less downtime. Although favored by guides and less among “educated fly fishers,” yarn is a proven Chinook catcher. I keep a well-supplied vest with assorted colors. I can easily construct a fly with a snelled hook and fish my yarn in a variety of colors. This snelled system allows me flexibility to change colors to suit the conditions within a moment’s notice.

Like in other rivers, seeing the fish is half the battle, and a good pair of polarized sunglasses can really aid the well-prepared angler. Most of the streams of Southwest run crystal clear, including the Aniak during good weather, and 40-pound kings stick out like a fire hydrant on an ice rink. No glasses mean fewer fish.

After doing it all right and seeing that chrome streak of a fish swim away, I’m always left with a sense of awe. There is nothing like fishing in Alaska, and there are few rivers like the Aniak. Even a guide with the experience of Limeres can’t contain the excitement optimal conditions mean for fishing on this Southwest river. “Fish are everywhere, especially char in late summer. There are some great spots where the water braids off the main channel into some spawning sloughs, and you can literally line up the clients and have them drop a bead down into the riffles and wham, they have a fish on instantly. As they play it into the shallows, another drops his bead into the slot for some instant action. It’s a real dream come true for the guide and lots of fun all the way around!”

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