Article by Geoge Roof in latest Outlook

[joeym]

Received my "Outlook" today...George has a very well written and interesting article on hunting in Alaska on a budget.  Good article George!!!

[David Patton]

George,
I will have to go back and read it again, but I am sure you talked about everything but the grayling gear and how to pack it in. I love to hunt and enjoyed the details on the calibers, but what did ya' use for the fishing?

[George Roof]

Since hunting was the reason for being there, I didn't want to spend a lot on fishing equipment and I'm not much into transporting imported split bamboo rods or the high dollar equipment.  Instead I took a cheap Wal-Mart fly reel, a Daiwa light spinning reel and a collapsible Cabela's combination rod.  It all folded up into a nice 18 inch rod pouch and each reel was in a canvas bag of it's own.  For the fly line, I had an 8 pound tippet and I used 14 pound Fireline (right off my shop sewing thread spool) for the spinner.  I carried a small plastic cassette with about a dozen different flys from midge to bumblebee size and a dozen gold and silver spinner baits of various size.  I gave up on all the rest when the grayling started hammering the 1/8 ounce gold spinner with a white bucktail.

Afterwards, I started thinking about "next time" and possibly using monofilament line to keep the fish from sighting it in the crystal clear water, but I'm not sure.  The lake is a glacier pool filled with rocks and the mono could have gotten lodged.  With the Fireline, I could horse the lure out and considering that the closest store would have been at Fred Meyers in Fairbanks, a good 200 miles away, I was smart to protect the only lure like that I had carried in the small plastic case.

[Creepy-Crusty]

When the bite is on for grayling, they'll hit virtually anything shiny that moves, including a bare hook. They rate right up there on the rocket scientist level with caribou, ptarmigan, and Cecil.hahahhahaha Just kidding Cecil......   I was floating the Kobuk River 2 years ago and the wife was casting a spoon for sheefish. The spoon was about 1/2 the size of the grayling and they'd hook up every other cast. Last year on the Ivashak River on the North Slope, anything small and shiny worked. If there's salmon spawning, anything resembling an egg is your best bet. Most dry flies will work. Small "roostertail" type spinners are good. Pretty easy to catch. Delicious fresh. Don't waste your time putting one in the freezer to eat later. They turn to mush. World record is only in the 5LB range, so light gear is the most fun.

[John C]

I have never fished for Grayling on this side of the Earth, but on the east side Grayling seemed to hit anything all the time, even #5 gold Vibrax by Blue Fox. Big big lure for the small1/2lb grayling but they did fight well and long.

I have caught some large grayling that weighed 6 lb and up, I do wonder how different the species are in the Europeon Grayling we very healthy and lived in very turbid to glacial water.

[David Patton]

Thanks George. That information will comein handy on our trip next year. We were discussing the trip when your article arrived. Perfect timing! I will print this thread and staple it to the article for future reference.

Thanks Tom for the added info on grayling. I was wondering about the grayling for dinner.

[Wolfwoman]

George,
WHEN were you here and WHY didn't you come visit me?  Just kidding, I'm sure you had a much better time hunting that coming to see 'forum people' ... lol!!

Wolfie

[George Roof]

Wolfie, it's a sad fact of life, but some of the people I end up hunting with are not the type of people I'd feel comfortable with in a social setting, if you know what I mean.  We had a third guy actually with us and who claimed to have been to this spot 17 times before (he was there again this year), but he was about as a rotten stump.  He refused to use our portable toilet as he "preferred his own way".  He brought only the clothes on his back and while allowing Nature to call one evening, slipped on the river bank, crapped in his pants and got soaking wet.  WE lent him dry clothes (that's why the comment about how difficult it is to dry clothes there).  He thought investing in an irridium phone was a waste of money and he saw no sense in having a big bore pistol with you at any time you weren't carrying a rifle.  He told us we wouldn't need hip boots or waders and laughed when we shipped MRE's, yet ended up eating ours when the sensing line on his camp stove broke loose.  I figure his IQ to be a few steps away from that of a box of rocks.  I wouldn't have been seen with him at a muktuk chewing contest, much less with people I "knew".

[Wolfwoman]

Well I gotta tell ya George, he'da been right at home here in Chickaloon...LOL!! Just kidding, but I DO know a few people like that myself here, so no worries. Remember, I run the General Store here, I've seen it ALL and then some. 

[Kim Owens]

George- that had to have been a VERY interesting trip- 2 people that know everything- together on the 'inside'!  LOL!  I did enjoy the article.  I would have liked to enjoyed John's also, but I guess my eyesight has gone to hell in a handbasket- I for the life of me could not read it.  The combination of the font and the coloring made it difficult for me to see.  I was excited to see the pictures of Leon Pray's work as I was there when John 'unveiled' them.  What a sight to behold.

[joeym]

Kim:

I thought that it was only my magazine that was affected....I could not read that article either...maybe it could be posted on the forum

[George Roof]

No one was any more upset about John's article than Cindy.  The contact sheet she'd gotten showed up quite well but the final print just fell to pieces.  Her intention was to have the article jump right out at you but instead, it ran away from old eyes.  She was sick about it but what can you do after the print is done. 

Not to worry, however, John will have a continuing series of articles pertaining to our industry's history. Also joining John will be Ms. Lola Haynes who'll tell us about the good old bad days in the early NTA.

Kim, I'm SHOCKED that you'd say that.  You know people who think they know everything are particularly annoying to people like me who actually do know everything.  LMAO

[David Patton]

I currently have an interpretor ciphering the Janelli article out. We only were able to borrow the Rosetta Stone for a couple days. As soon as we get it transcribed perhaps we will post it for all.

All Kidding aside, thanks to everyone's hard work that makes the Outlook magazine available for the membership!

[Steve Rotramel (Witchbane)]

Way to go George.  I hope you took your waders anyway.  I showed up with custom made knee high leather boots and bout got laughed off the peninsula.

New habit to this day, always wear waders.

Also, never take one of any lure.  The heartbreak of losing it when it's the only one they're hitting is too much to take.  I was tempted at times to just throw the whole tackle box in at the beginning of a fishing trip just to get it over with.

A shame there is no way to really get to know someone BEFORE you go on a fly in trip.