OCTOBER

OCTOBER FISHING IN BRISTOL BAY

We are thankful to have one of the longest seasons in our area, but it comes to an end in October.

Fishing the waters of Bristol Bay in October is not for the faint of heart. It can be windy, rainy, cold and miserable, but the fish are huge, and angler pressure begins to wane at some of the more popular destinations, like the Brooks River. The weather isn’t always bad though, and we often have sunny conditions, with cold mornings and warm afternoons. As long as you dress accordingly, we feel confident the fish will make you forget your hands are a little cold.

We fish a handful of locations in October, as most of the small stream fishing has slowed down by now. Waters like the Kulik River, Kvichak River, Naknek River, Brooks River and Ugashik are on our weekly schedule, though there are others that fish in October as well. On the Naknek and Kvichak, we spend our time swinging flies with single hand and spey rods for trophy rainbow trout. In each of these destinations, anglers have a legitimate shot at a fish of a lifetime. The other streams will still have spawning sockeye, and therefore hungry fish downstream of them feasting on eggs. As the egg numbers begin to thin out, we switch from egg patterns to flesh flies and other streamers. And just like September, October is when we see the huge lake-run arctic char.