With all the river closures and emergency orders limiting king salmon fishing, did anyone get some king salmon for their freezer yet? Even the rainbow fishing was reported slow on the Kenai. All that winter snow had to go somewhere and down the rivers it went, increasing flow and turbidity and reducing the number of fish wanting to head to their spawning areas. We all hope the second run will produce more sport fish and reopen the rivers. George and I tried fly fishing the Gulkana a few weeks ago, but the fly had to placed within 4" of a king's nose for him to see it; hence none were caught on the drift. A few days after we left, the river cleared up and the catch rate increased. At least I got casting practice in, which is always a good thing. The Naknek rainbow opener was a better fishing trip for us, though not the same number of fish as two years ago.

We also fished for grayling at Meyers Lake and in the Gulkana along the road system around Paxson. Our Meyers Lake days were fun as we used chironomids and nymphs to lure hungry grayling to our lines. Even dry flies worked when the breeze subsided.

Maybe one or two club members attending the Tangle Lakes and River solstice trip for grayling fishing will give a report on the annual trip at the July membership meeting. The weather is usually wet and blustery on this trip, but there were a few warm days this year.

Join us Monday night, July 9th at the Millennium for our monthly meeting when state representative Les Gara talks about HB 144 Stream Access and shows us some of his fishing photos. Also, George Krumm will present a program on chironomid fishing. With the salmon being uncooperative in the rivers, lake fishing may be the best thing this year!

Our next few meetings will not be at the Millennium, so come to the July 9th meeting to learn more about what the Alaska Fly Fishers has planned. Our newsletter will also have info on our upcoming meetings: August picnic at Mirror Lake, September Kenai River Clean-Up, and October hatchery tour.

Meanwhile, enjoy getting out there and fish!

George Krumm started fly tying and fly fishing at the age of seven, and began to fly fish lakes in Washington State in the early '80s. In the early part of his Stillwater obsession, he fished lakes such as Lenore, Lenice, Dry Falls and Nunnally, where he began to learn the intricacies of Stillwater fly fishing, including the seasonal variations in trout behavior as well as insect availability and importance. In pursuit of better fishing, he moved to Alaska in 1994 and began exploring lakes in the Anchorage bowl and the Mat-Su valley. In addition to Stillwater fly fishing, George fly fishes streams and is particularly fond of Skagit casting.

George presents annually at the Great Alaska Sportsman's Show, writes a monthly column on Stillwater fly fishing for Fish Alaska Magazine, and occasionally writes feature articles such as Chironomid Chronicles, which was published in the April 2012 issue of Fish Alaska. He was first published in 2003 and now works full-time at Fish Alaska magazine. His presentation in our July meeting will be on chironomid fishing in Alaska lakes. He'll talk about chironomid entomology and imitations to use, when to use chironomids in Southcentral Alaska, two specific techniques to employ and the gear he uses to fish chironomid hatches. George has caught rainbows within an hour of Anchorage up to 28 inches long using these techniques.

Our August meeting on Monday August 6th will be held at the Mirror Lake Picnic Grounds. Come early at 3 PM and enjoy some fishing and casting practice. The BBQ will be after 5 PM and fishing, casting and telling fish stories will continue until 9 PM if you wish. Members are encouraged to bring the whole family including children so they can enjoy catching fish. The lake has been stocked. Club members are encouraged to bring extra fishing equipment including rods, reels, canoes, kayaks, flies, etc. to share with beginners. This is an opportunity for everyone to learn a little more about casting and fishing on a lake. If you plan to go on the lake, bring along a "personal floatation device".

Hamburgers, hotdogs, brats, ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, plates and eating utensils will be furnished. Members are requested to bring their own beverages (but no alcoholic beverages) and a side dish to share. The following list is recommended:

Members with last names A through M - bring a salad, chips or side dish and serving utensils

Members with last names N through Z - bring a dessert with serving utensil if needed.

Directions to Mirror Lake: From the intersection of Muldoon and the Glenn Highway, drive 20 miles north on the Glenn Highway; exit at the sign that identifies Mirror Lake and the Old Glenn, and turn right on the Old Glenn (south). The picnic area is less than a quarter-mile on the left side of the road. Our covered picnic area is next to the lake.

Please RSVP by Sunday August 5th to janiceinak@gmail.com and include the number of individuals in your group. Thanks. Looking forward to seeing you at the picnic!