by John Kumiski
"John, will you take me back out after supper? If I can get a chinook, I'll have a salmon slam! I want it, bad!" Twenty-three year old Tyler Nonn had been my angler that day. Using an eight-weight and a small selection of flies, he had caught the lodge's first two silver salmon of the season. He'd also gotten numerous chums, pinks, and a single sockeye. If he could just get that elusive king salmon, he'd have a rare salmon slam. So he wanted me to take him out fishing again
For me it had already been a long day. I sat there for a few moments, debating with myself whether or not I wanted to put my cold, wet raingear and waders back on and head back out into the weather.
Slam. It's a somewhat violent word used to signify an angling accomplishment, usually three or more species of desirable fish caught on a fly in one day. Some slams, like the sunfish slam (bluegill, redbelly, and stumpknocker where I live), are easy to get. Other slams, like the Florida Keys slam (tarpon, bonefish, and permit) or a billfish slam, are much more difficult.
One could argue that getting a Pacific salmon slam, especially for bright fish, is as difficult a feat as you'll find in angling. You must catch five different species of fish. One of them hardly ever takes a fly. Any attempt at a salmon slam usually involves considerable travel and expense. Even if a river supports runs of all five species, typically they make their runs at different times. There may be only one river on planet Earth where, if your timing is right, you have a reasonable chance of accomplishing this feat, catching five species of Pacific salmon, bright fish carrying lice, fresh from the sea, using a fly rod.
Background Information
Back in 1970 an explorer, pilot, and angler by the name of Ron Hyde used a float plane to explore the angling potential of over 20 rivers in southwestern Alaska. Ron's eventual goal was to open a fishing camp on the river he thought offered the best fishing. He spent four summers flying around, systematically exploring and fishing this remote, bear-infested wilderness. He spent significant time on the Kuskakwim, the Aniak, the Togiak, the Konectok, and the Indian Rivers, and numerous others. One can only imagine what this experience must have been like.
Ron's dream of starting the fish camp came to fruition in 1986 when he started a temporary camp on a large gravel bar along the Goodnews River. He called the operation called the Goodnews River Lodge. He used two large, inboard powered Duckworth aluminum boats, both to pick up his anglers at the dirt airstrip in the village of Goodnews and transport them back to camp, and to take them fishing. Typically there were five or six fishermen per boat. I imagine anyone wanting to fly fish back then would have had to wade.
In 1989 Ron moved the location of the camp downstream to a location at the edge of tidewater. Much of the fishing, especially for king salmon, happened there, and it was closer to Goodnews village besides. Moving the camp made for less travel time all the way around.
In 1989 a young man by the name of Mike Gorton started working for Ron as a guide. It was Mike's third season in Alaska, his first on the Goodnews. He returned the following year, and every year after that, becoming head guide in the process. In 1996 Ron sold the lodge to Mike, who still owns it. The camp feels more permanent now, built as it is on a large, rambling wooden deck. I worked there as a guide this past summer, and began to know the fishery fairly well. I interviewed Mike, asking questions about the Goodnews River and the chances of getting a salmon slam.
Mike said, "We usually see four or five salmon slams a season here. The fastest I've ever seen anyone get one was in one hour and 51 minutes, an angler by the name of John Payne. They were all bright fish, too.
"The reason the Goodnews is the best place to try for a slam relates to the run timing here. The tail end of the king run and the beginning of the silver run overlap enough that you can catch bright ones on the same day, frequently within just a few feet of each other. The pinks, chums, and sockeyes are all still coming into the river then, too. It's a unique situation. According to Ron Hyde, and also Bob Stearns, who has fished all over Alaska for a long time too, the Goodnews is the only river in the world where this can be done consistently.
"There are other rivers in Alaska where you can get slams, but you're always catching colored fish. As the fish move up the river they lose their silver color. Kings, silvers, and sockeyes change to various shades of red. The chums and pinks just get cheesy. None of them fight as well, and except for the sockeyes they don't take a fly as readily, either. Once they're in the river, every stroke they take with their tail is one less they have for me.
"If you want a slam the best time to come is the last week in July and the first week in August. The king run is falling off but they are still coming into the river then. The silvers are just starting to show up.
"The camp is right at the edge of tidewater. Goodnews Bay is only five miles downriver. We get the fish within a day or two of when they come into the river, when they're nice and bright, frequently covered with lice. They're beautiful, fresh fish, as aggressive as they'll ever be."
Gearing Up
This being Alaska fishing, the word "delicate" tends not to come to mind. For silvers, chums, and sockeyes an eight-weight rod with appropriate reel works well. Pinks run small and a five-weight is plenty, although you could certainly use the eight for them too. The kings frequently require more beef, though.
The biggest fly-caught king to come into my boat during the 2007 season weighed about 40 pounds, and the biggest one caught was pushing 50. Typically you fish for kings in deep, fast water. This requires a heavily weighted fly and a fast sinking line. For these reasons a ten-weight rod is considered standard. No one will fault you if you bring something heavier.
A multi-tip line for whatever rods you bring saves lots of time and headaches. Not getting down enough? Put on the fast-sinking head. Fishing in shallow water now? Put on the floating head. Alternatively, bring several outfits, each with a line with a different sink rate.
Leaders run about seven feet long (longer on calm, sunny days). Leaders for kings have a 15 or 20 pound test monofilament tippet. For the other species 12 or 15 pound test is plenty.
A size two cerise bunny strip fly with extra large lead eyes is the standard camp fly. Some of the guides like articulated bunny strip leeches, same color. Other colors work sometimes, but over 90 percent of all the fish caught at the Goodnews River come on cerise colored flies.
Silver salmon will absolutely slam pink poppers and gurglers. You'll get pinks and chums to take them sometimes, too.
Getting a bite from a sockeye is tough and I think it requires more than a little luck. All those I saw caught during the 2007 season were caught on the pink bunny fly, or a #8 Glo Bug
Dress For The Weather
It rains a lot on the Goodnews. Day after day, the temperature was in the low 50's and it was raining. You need layers of warm clothes that will stay warm when wet, and a quality rain jacket. You will appreciate the comfort offered by a wool hat and a good pair of gloves.
Waders form an essential part of your rain protection. You may spend quite a bit of time wading, too. The Goodnews offers delightful wade fishing for all salmon species except kings, although kings are sometimes caught by wading, too.
The water temperature at this time of the season ranges between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm socks and fleece pants are highly recommended.
Techniques
For silvers, chums, and pinks, the technique is real simple. Find the fish, and you can easily see them in the clear water, and get the fly to them. I fished the single worst fly caster I've ever seen in over 20 years of guiding this summer, and he wanted to come in early because he was tired of catching fish. It truly is fantasy fishing.
King salmon, the most difficult of the five species to catch, are an entirely another story. Kings tend to lie in deep, fast water. While they will roll on the surface sometimes, typically you cannot see them. You must get the fly down to them.
This requires a quartering downstream cast with a quick upstream mend. Throw some slack into the line so it has a chance to sink. After the line straightens downstream of you, reach up to the stripping guide and pull the line back towards the reel. Let it go and feed it back out. Repeat.
Keep doing this, and don't be in a rush to make another cast. Keep that fly in the water, working. Long-time Goodnews River guide Jeff Stuhan says, "Sometimes the kings will take the fly on the swing, but usually they just follow it. The false strip is what gets them to take it." Remember, these fish aren't eating. You need to excite their aggressive tendencies.
Jeff also says, "If you're not getting hung up you're not down deep enough." While losing flies is aggravating, you don't mind it nearly as much if you're catching fish.
While the river is full of sockeye salmon, they feed on algae and typically ignore your flies. You simply find a concentration of them and keep casting, hoping for a bite. Keep working it and eventually it will come.
I told Tyler that he was a pain in the neck as I pulled my wet waders back on. We hopped into my boat and headed downstream exactly one river bend. I beached the boat on a gravel bar and we got out.
"The fish lie along the far bank between the beaver lodge and the end of the grassy bank," I told him. Tyler had made less than a dozen casts when his line came tight. Ten minutes later I netted his king salmon, just starting to turn pink, a female fish that weighed over 20 pounds.
Tyler Nonn had been successful on his first pilgrimage to Alaska- in search of the salmon slam.
Getting There
No matter where you are, the Goodnews River is far away. Three hundred fifty miles from the nearest road, everything that comes into camp is either flown or floated in.
Most guests fly into Anchorage on Tuesday. On Wednesday a chartered DC-3 leaves Anchorage on the two hour flight to the village of Goodnews. Boats from the camp pick you up and transport you to the camp, where your quarters await. After lunch it's time to go fishing.
The following Wednesday the DC-3 brings you back to Anchorage, and you connect with your flight home.
It is possible, but significantly more expensive, to charter a plane to Goodnews and start your adventure on a day other than Wednesday. Only two parties did this during the 2007 season.
The website of the Goodnews River Lodge is www.epicfishing.com. Their phone number is 800.274.8371.
Bring everything you'll need. There aren't any stores there!
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This article was written by John Kumiski of John Kumiski Outdoors and Travel. Contact him at his website www.johnkumiski.com or via email at john@spottedtail.com. Copyright 2007 John Kumiski.
John Kumiski 's most recent fishing guidebooks are How and Where to Catch Redfish in the Indian River Lagoon System (Argonaut Publishing Company), and Fishing Florida's Space Coast (Argonaut Publishing Company).
John Kumiski's newest book is Redfish on the Fly- A Comprehensive Guide.
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