Baranof Float Trips: Seasons

The Baranof Floats take place during the months of July and August.

For those wanting great early season mouse and streamer fishing for the river’s infamous leopard rainbow trout, lots of sea-run dollies and grayling, and even a shot at some king salmon and chums, July is ideal timing. Once August comes around, the early season salmon (kings, chums and sockeyes) are on their spawning beds, and most of the other gamefish in the river are stacked in behind them in shallow water, eating their eggs. This time of year the trout, dolly and grayling fishing is phenomenally productive, primarily dead-drifting single egg patterns, nymph-style. As later August approaches, fishing white streamers that resemble chunks of drifting, decomposing salmon flesh also become quite effective, as do the mouse flies again; this late season is probably the single best time to target the largest trout in the river. As well, August marks the best silver salmon fishing, a guest favorite for their aggressiveness to a fly, and acrobatic fighting tactics.