Chinook enter the Nushagak river in good numbers starting in june and fishing for them holds through July. Although the Nushagak has some outstanding fishing it also has its problems. The high commercial harvest in Bristol Bay is one such problem. A proposed mining operation in the headwaters may soon present another. Fishing for chum, sockeye and coho salmon off gravel bars or shore can also be fantastic. Try bobber and jigs, casting spinners or fly fishing. These fish really have a liking for pink or orange. I’ve had time that we caught over a hundred of these fish by lunch. The Nushagak is in a remote area, making access a little difficult. Most people who fish here fly in from a lodge or stay right on the river in a tent camp. Expect to see plenty of moose and eagles and occasionally caribou and brown bears.

Outline By David Johnson
Professional Fishing Guide

General run timing	April	May	June	July	Au	Sept	Oct
Chinook
Pink Salmon
Sockeye Salmon
Chum Salmon
Coho Salmon
Trout
Dolley Varden-Arctic Char
Arctic Grayling
Indicates Peak Time

FLY FISHING: Fly fishing the Nushagak river is best done in the upper reach's, tributary's and side channels due to its large size. For kings an 11 or 12 weight rod will be required to land these fish in the heavy current of the main river. Anglers searching for silvers and large rainbows here should bring at least an 8 weight rod and a high quality wrist brace. Egg patterns, beads, leeches, flashy streamers and large wooly buggers will fish well at times in relation to feed present in the river. Like most alaskan rivers fish gorge on rotting flesh from the salmon spawning runs. For this reason you want to bring slightly weighted white or ginger leeches that are known here as flesh fly's. Flesh fly's are fished late in the season from late July through September. Silvers here will also take a dry when fish are found rolling in flats and smooth water areas.

CONSERVATION CONTRIBUTIONS : All eyes in the sport fishing world are currently focused on the pebble mine issue. The list of groups and company's contributing to the defeat of the proposal is mind boggling to say the least. The good news is that the word is out! Allowing this sort of thing to happen only opens the door to more and more and much like terrorism it will not end until it is snuffed out completely. The thought or ideal that any reason or amount of money is worth allowing mans destructive greed to continue into such pristine places as this makes me cringe. The problem is that mining is already there and growing, that is what opened the door the first time. I have seen what this sort of environmental damage does to rivers in the lower 48....................................................! Matthew Clark-Small Stream Salmon Fishing