MiddleRiver
Well-known member
When does fly season start? May, June,...?
Particularly interested of south-central AK - Denali down to Katmai.
Particularly interested of south-central AK - Denali down to Katmai.
Thanks ;-)This has been (and continues to be) a heavy snow year in Alaska, so some of my comments may be a bit delayed - things will take a lot longer to melt out this Spring. Normally in/around Anchorage we get the first big mosquito hatches in June. Once they die off as things dry out, the big black horse flies make their appearance, usually around late July through August. Both respond well to high deet repellents but be sure to wash the palms of your hands after using it. As a fly fisher I can confirm high levels of deet will damage the plastic coating on fly lines. I've heard it's bad on the rubber armor on binoculars, but so far my older armored bins haven't been affected.
But bottom line: Expect hungry mosquitoes after the initial melt-off as the temps get warm (50s to 60s), then flies as the summer progresses. It's not that the mosquitoes disappear, the flies are more noticeable.
Thanks again! Yes re rentals ;-) and Yes, I'll have a Tenkara rod with meGood luck on your trip! I know the Denali Highway has opened as early as late April during some years, but May is more likely, and this year will be hard to predict. We've had a little more snow than last year, so if we don't get much more the opening should be around the same time as last year (I'm not sure when it opened last year; the kids and I drove it mid-July last year to coincide with the best Grayling fishing). If we get a bunch more yet, then it will be later.
Edit: You probably already know this, but some rental agencies don't allow their vehicles to drive the Denali due to the lengthy unpaved sections.
haha that is awesome ;-)You sound well-prepared for the trip - the travel rod is a great idea, though it might be a bit early when you are on the Denali for the best fishing. I'll post two pictures that have little to do with birding except I had a pair of 8x20s on while fishing with the family on Tangle River, near the Tangle Lakes campground (a bit over 20 miles in from the Paxon side). In one, the family is using the committee process to release a fish. Eventually the fish just tossed the hook and swam off on its own. In the other I was letting my daughter use my fly rod after she got a cast from her rod snagged above a good hole. She got a nice Grayling and then we retrieved her fly. It's a picture worth more to me than I can say. The pictures are from late July - it's a pity the best birding and fishing don't coincide. I'm sure you have A Birder's Guide to Alaska by George C. West. I have the 2002 edition but I know it's been updated. I found it very helpful in tracking down Smith's Longspur on the Denali Highway 20 years ago. Arctic Warblers should not be difficult in that area if the road is open.
Thanks. I'm also a big fan of permethrin (as long as not wading in streams...).I use a garden sprayer to treat all our pants, shirts, hats, neck gaiters, and socks with a diluted solution of permethrin. Costs 10 cents per garment and last through more than 6 washings. The permethin is safe for human contact and is great at repelling a wide range of insects including mosquitoes, chiggers, and ticks.
On exposed skin we use a 15-20 percent picaridin solution to repel bugs and it will not damage plastics and synthetic clothing the way that DEET does.