Since I didn't do it yesterday, I followed through this morning by cooking up a pound of bacon and making us some eggs for breakfast.
I repeated yesterday's warmer wardrobe and put on my waders. I launched the Sea Eagle and started paddling upriver here on the Delta Clearwater. Though there are no rapids of any kind, the current in this clear, spring-fed river is much faster than it looks.
I was able to paddle a little ways, before the current was just too swift. I got out and fished a little in a couple of different places, but the fish weren't rising to feed like they were yesterday afternoon. I fished next to a guide and his two guests, but they weren't catching anything either. So, I decided to continue upstream as far as a I could, either paddling or towing the kayak behind me as I walked in the fast, shallow sections.
I didn't get very far, but it was still serene and beautiful. I tied up the kayak for a few photos.
When it was too exhausting to paddle or tow, I just turned around and let the current take me back down toward the campground.
I had talked to some folks on our arrival day that have a motorboat, and they hinted they might take us and our boat up near the headwaters so we could float back down, but that never panned out, and I didn't pester them about it.
After two gorgeous days, today was overcast and a little cooler.
I kept looking for fish, but they still weren't rising yet. I decided to pull over in the same spot where I had some luck yesterday. After a while, the fish started feeding, one or two here and there at first.
I targeted one with the Adam's Parachute the fellow gave me yesterday, and sure enough I caught my first one of the day - a nice Arctic Grayling. You can see the size compared to my boot.
But like yesterday, it was one caught fish per fly. Slowly more fish started rising, and then it became a mayfly parade. Mayflies were floating by at a high rate and the fish weren't letting many get by. They had so much to eat, they got picky and ignored every fly I tried.
I paid close attention to the look of the mayflies, and noted how they floated with their wings sticking up. I dug through my flies again and found two in different colors that had that similar wings-up look. I wish I knew what they were called.
Yep, that did the trick. Second cast with one of those flies.
What a great fish, and he put up a nice fight.
Then, I carelessly snagged that fly in a tree and lost it. So, I put on the other fly that was the same except for the color. Sure enough, I caught another good-sized one.
I only caught the three today, but they were all bigger. The average Arctic Grayling is 10 - 16 inches, and a trophy one is considered to be 18 inches or more by some and over 20 inches by others. I didn't have a tape, but I think all of them today were at the upper end of the average scale and the first two may have been approaching trophy size.
At any rate, it was a successful day on the river, and I got what I came for here at Clearwater State Recreation Site.
Back at the rig, Linda was half way through her rug, and she ran the generator enough to keep our chest freezer full of fish in single digit temperatures. It was at 14 degrees this morning when we got up. Not bad.
She fixed a salad and cut up some avocado, while I threw some Sockeye fillets on the Blackstone.
After dinner, we deflated, cleaned, and packed up the kayak. And we loaded all our chairs and got ready for departure.
Though we had considered staying here through Labor Day, we've decided to move on. It seems kind of fitting that we'll spend the last day of August in Alaska, and then move into Canada tomorrow on September 1.
So, other than our drive tomorrow, we're saying farewell to Alaska as we wrap up August. We've been in the state almost four months, and it has been an epic adventure as we hoped it would be. We'll be leaving with memories that will last the rest of our lifetimes.
But, our adventure isn't over in our minds until we leave Canada, and we're going to take three weeks, give or take a couple days, to do that.
We'll be coming to your from the Yukon Territory tomorrow.
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