Rainbow connection

WILLOW CREEK — As far as Anchorage angler Tim Almberg is concerned, Willow Creek is the place to be for fall fishing.

“This is kind of a well-kept secret up here,” Almberg said Sunday after spending the day stalking — and locating — some of creek’s many world-class rainbow trout.

Fishing with his brother, Mike, Almberg pulled a 30-inch rainbow from the creek Sunday, only yards away from where he’d parked his motor home at the Willow Creek Lodge.

“I caught it right in front of the campground,” he said.

Alaska boasts many top-flight rainbow streams, but few are as accessible and easy to fish as Willow Creek. Located only 90 minutes from Anchorage, the creek can be accessed at a number of points and is shallow enough to wade along the banks.

This time of year, when coho, chum and pink salmon are spawning and dying by the thousands, rainbow fishing doesn’t get much better. Almberg said he caught his big rainbow on a pink bead he was fishing in behind spawning salmon.

“You’re looking for salmon to spawn, and the rainbows are just sucking out the eggs,” he said.

When the big fish hit, he said he actually figured he’d snagged one of the spawning silvers.

“I thought I’d hooked a salmon when I first got him,” he said.

After a lengthy battle on his 8 1/2 foot fly rod, Almberg managed to land the fish. A passing guide watching the action offered to help land the fish, but Almberg had another idea.

“I said, ‘forget the net, grab a camera,’” he recalled.

The guide obliged, snapping a quick photo before Almberg released the fish back into the creek.

Tim’s catch wasn’t the only one of the day. His brother Mike, visiting Alaska from Phoenix, also hooked into a nice 25-inch rainbow.

“I’d never caught one that big,” Mike said.

Tim Almberg said he’s an avid fishermen who used to spend his weekends stalking the more famous Kenai River rainbows. But as that fishery has grown in popularity, he said he prefers the relative solitude of the Parks Highway stream.

“I quit going to the Kenai because every time I went out you’d get into a fight with somebody,” he said.

The Almbergs said spending Labor Day at the Willow Creek Lodge was a perfect way to get away from the crowds while enjoying great fishing and beautiful scenery.

“This is God’s country,” Mike Almberg said.

Willow Creek isn’t the only Parks Highway stream with big rainbows. The fish can be found in any of the many Parks Highway streams that also harbor a salmon population. The best way to locate rainbows is to simply watch for where salmon are spawning, then toss a bead, flesh fly or streamer fly in behind the salmon. It’s a good bet a rainbow is lurking nearby.

“They’re real hungry,” Tim Almberg said.

While rainbow fishing is hot right now, reports from Willow Creek indicate there are still some silver salmon to catch as the run heads toward its conclusion.

Willow Creek Lodge owner Theresa Dean said anglers have reported finding silvers in many of the side sloughs that connect with the creek.

“They’re out there,” Dean said.

Parks Highway streams are pretty much the only game in town in the Valley. As of 12:01 this morning, all Knik Arm Management Area streams (including Jim Creek, the Little Susitna River, Wasilla Creek and Cottonwood Creek) are closed to the retention of cohos by order of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The decision was prompted by a poor return of fish to the Northern Cook Inlet. The Eklutna Tailrace and Fish Creek are exempt from the order.

Theresa Dean said the Willow Creek Lodge, located at Mile 71.5 of the Parks Highway, offers accommodations for both recreational vehicles and tent camping, as well as laundry facilities and a store.

It also features a wall full of monster fish pictures pulled from the nearby creek — to which Tim Almberg will soon be proudly adding one more.

“It’s been a good summer,” he said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com