Alaska’s Egegik River is one of the clearest flowing in the state, and we’re fortunate to be able to fish it all summer long. At it’s headwaters, you’ll see the bottom of the Egegik River, everywhere you look. If we take you to the mouth of Becharof Lake, where the Egegik River is born, it’s nothing to count quarter-sized rocks 60-feet deep. Of course, you’ll see salmon everywhere you look, which makes it all the more exciting.
Catching fish in low, clear water situations is not easy. This is because the fish are forced to hold in skinny situations, ones that are less protective than what they rely on lower in the river system. Not only can low, clear water make it difficult getting your terminal gear down to where the fish are, but the fish can also be very edgy.
Some of the best places to search for fish in low water situations are in the deepest part of whatever hole you’re fishing. Fish also move into deeper holes on the sides of streams or main currents, more like what you’d expect to find trout and Dollys holding in. All the fish are looking for is a little depth, some steady current flow and a place where surface riffles might breakup the penetration of sunlight. A steady current flow is a priority too, as it carries scents fish rely on for navigation. This is good information for bait and hardware anglers.
One of the biggest mistakes we see anglers making when fishing with us is feeling like they have to wade a long ways out into the river. Most of the silver salmon we catch on the Egegik River are fairly close to shore, often in knee-deep or less of water. Be sure and fish the waters closest to shore before wading into the river.
One of the best ways to find fish in low water settings is by actually spotting them with polarized glasses. You’ll might scare some fish along the way, but that’s part of the learning curve. Salmon are spooky, by nature. If you spook a fish from an area for good, when you return to the same spot, under the same conditions, you know where they’ll likely be, as once fish occupy a spot they’ll continue to do so as long as the conditions remain constant.
Because fish can be so edgy in clear water, it’s important to make a subtle presentation that won’t spook them. That’s not easily done from the bank, where long casts and heavy weights are often required to reach where the fish are. But that’s the beautyof fishing the Egegik River with us at Becharof Lodge; the water is shallow and clear, yes, but there are so many silver salmon, so close to shore, you don’t have to use big, flashy fishing gear and heavy sinkers to find success. Lightweight setups will catch you all the Alaska coho salmon you want.
A favorite approach by many anglers on the Egegik River is floating a low-profile bobber with bait or a jig. Salmon fishing with cured eggs allows scent to be carried downstream, well ahead of the bait itself, and gets the nose of fish working. Every afternoon when we’re done fishing, we’ll cure up fresh batches of silver salmon eggs, so there’s never a shortage of this great bait.
Casting lightweight lures is also effective when it comes to catching silver salmon on the Egegik River. Pink and silver and chartreuse and silver spinners work best. Coho spinners with a pink squid skirt on them are hard to beat, like the Fish Flash.
If drift fishing bait, be sure to make the presentations smaller in size than what you normally would, so as not to spook the salmon. A more subtle approach that works well in soft, clear water like the Egegik River, is free-drifting terminal gear. Using no weight other than eggs, simply cast into a swirl or soft current and let the natural flow of the water carry the bait to where the fish are. It’s important to get the proper starting position on the bank with this approach, so the bait can be carried into the target water without spooking fish.
When wading through the water, move slowly and quietly. Figure out where you want to go, and get there with stealth. You might only get a few casts at a school of fish in clear water before they spook, so approach with caution and fish smart. Then again, when there are a lot of salmon in the river, the action can be non-stop for hours.
With so much water to explore on Alaska’s Egegik River, there’s a reason some clients have been coming back to salmon fish with us at Becharof Lodge for over a decade. Here, beginning anglers can often catch over 25 salmon a day; seasoned veterans can land over 100 a day. The Egegik River is a great place to fish, no matter what your level of expertise.
