Local guide at home on the river

June 29, 2007

Name: Mike Couglin

Age: 38

Guide business: Susitna Valley River Guides

Q: How long have you lived in Mat-Su Valley?

A: &#8220Eleven years in the Valley. My wife grew up in the Valley. She's my partner (with Susitna Valley River Guides).”

Q: Have a most memorable Valley fish story?

A: &#8220I caught a 32-inch rainbow on the lower Willow.” Coughlin used a flesh fly, and caught the fish in late September.

Q: How about the one that got away?

A: &#8220Lost giant fish in log jam in upper Willow. It was big. Don't know how big it was, but it was big.”

Q: What's your preference - trout or salmon?

&#8220Trout”

Q: Flyfishing or spin

casting?

&#8220Fly fishing”

Q: Parks Highway streams or the Kenai Peninsula?

&#8220Parks without a doubt.”

Q: Catch and release or keep the fish?

&#8220We let everything go.”

Q: What's your rod and reel of choice?

&#8220G Loomis GLX, 10-foot, six weight rod.”

Q: Other than the rod and reel, what piece of gear do you have to have?

&#8220The right fly.”

Q: What's the first advice you give to a novice fly fisherman?

&#8220In alaska, fish on the bottom.”

Q: Do you have a few fishing holes you hit, or do you

like a variety?

&#8220I have a variety. I have favorites, but the fish do move.”

A: Are you secretive about your fishing holes?

&#8220Ya, I am. About everything.”

Q: Describe a favorite.

&#8220Cottonwood lying over the river. About a 12-foot hole. The fish stack up in there.”

Q: Where would you send someone who is eager to land a nice sized trout?

Fish Creek. Where Deception Creek comes into Willow Creek. Montana Creek.”

To contact Coughlin, e-mail info@susitnavalley.com, or see his Web site, www.susitnavalley.com.

- Compiled by

Jeremiah Bartz