With the hard rains that visited South Central Alaska during the last week of July coming to a halt, August at Redoubt Mountain Lodge was full of sunshine and very enjoyable temperatures. As suspected, the Sockeye (Red) Salmon run of 2009 was record breaking! With fresh limits still being found into the second week of August, guests were able to leave RML with the best Alaskan souvenir: vacuum-packed fillets of Wild Alaskan Salmon.

Bear Viewing at RML is well underway by August 1st. The “Lake Clark National Park Bear Viewing Tour” offered thru Rust’s Flying Service begins. Guests arrive from all over the world to enjoy a fully guided day of bear and wildlife viewing. The vibrant red-bodied Sockeyes are picture perfect stacked up in the glacial-blue waters of Crescent Lake. As the majority of Sockeye Salmon spawn in shallow pools, the bears have an easy “full course” meal.

Fly-fishing at RML in August was excellent. The fish are very aggressive with an abundance of food in the water from the spawning Salmon; the Dolly Varden, Arctic Char & Lake Trout are on “hyper-bite”. Our Char and Varden averaged 17″ 3-4lbs with many caught in the 25-28″ range. Many guests visit to practice their talent, while others pick up a fly rod for the 1st time. It’s always enjoyable introducing guests to this art & watching them catch their first fish on the fly.

August was an active month at RML with the summer sun keeping guests energized & ready for adventure. Some of the highlights include:

• Hike to the Glacier- Andrew guided brothers, Aaron & Kevin, to the hanging glacier at RML. The 6-hour journey was a true bonding experience & test of will. To date, only six guests have completed this challenge.
• Trek to the North Fork of the Crescent River- Andrew and Ryan made the first trek to the North Fork of the Crescent which is 5 miles directly behind RML. An antler shed from a very large bull moose was found.
• 8/18- Silvers arrive in upper Crescent River. Right on schedule. Lots of 10-12lb bright, beautiful Coho Salmon.
• King on the Fly- Ryan had the pleasure of guiding two avid fly fishermen for four days. A few 7-8lb Varden & Char and one epic battle with a 25lb Chinook Salmon on a 5 weight accentuated the trip. Species caught over the 4 days included: Dolly Varden, Arctic Char, Sockeye Salmon, Pink Salmon and Chinook Salmon.
• Oncorhynchus Nerka- Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game biologists spent a few days at RML collecting Sockeye Salmon for genetic sampling. Their days were spent on the water gathering new data and determining the health of the run. Evenings were spent around the bonfire discussing intimate details of Salmon with the RML guides.
• Silvers on “Snoopy” Rods- Special thanks to Clark Company for their annual trip. Lots of laughter and plenty of fish. We were glad to see every person surviving “Snoopy Rod Derby 2009”.

Landscape is popping with yellow, orange & red hues; an indication fall has arrived. Looking forward to a fantastic September!