Denali Highway late August looking for some tips

[AkCrimson]

Hi all,

My boyfriend and I will be doing a 3 day trip across the Denali Highway late August. I'm born and raised Alaskan living in Maine so I've fished the Denali 3/4 times before. I know a couple cool spots to fish but I'm looking for some new places. I don't need a secret honey hole of course just looking for some tips. For example I've never had much luck on the Brushkana is there maybe a different spot or technique I could try on that water? We only have so much time to explore so any advice helps.

For flies I'm fishing some pretty standard nymphs and same for dries (pmd, elk hair caddis, Adams). Anyone fish a dropper? I usually fished a so glad dry or nymph but I'm trying with the idea of a trailer or dropper rig.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks guys

H

 

[alaskabliss]

Green wooley bugger is the ticket in that area, at least in my experiance. I would fish every stream or moving water you see. I have also done good with a purple egg sucking leach but not sure why. Heck, I even troll with one on the lakes and do good. For spinning I do good with a white and black meps, casting where the slow water meets swift.

 

[mbrenna]

Why fish streamers for grayling up there? Dry flies are too much fun to pass up. Yes ESL's and olive woolies take a lot of fish but good dry fly fishing usually yields better results. Brushkana is an excellent stream. Don't pass it up. Head down the 4 wheeler trail all the way to the river and it is good holding water. Also Rock Creek is super fun! Head upstream. Lastly don't ignore the paxson area North and south. Let's just say all the BIG grayling can be found there. Get your google earth on and find some streams that flow into big lakes. Gunn Creek for example should be fishing very well by then. Denali highway fish are fun and plentiful, but if you want to get BIG grayling get onto the Richardson. Oh also...the Renegade is by far the best grayling fly...period! Blue Duns work well to up there. Delta Clear Water is an hour from paxson and is worth the trip too. I make an annual grayling trip to all these places.

 

[icb12]

Take some mice/mouse/rodent patterns. Stupid fun.

 

[AkCrimson]

Mouse patterns really?? I wouldn't have guessed that