That, of course, would mean I’d have to stock up on airline miles or, better yet, move to some island along the Inside Passage and tie the bulk of my flies in purple and pink. So, silly as it sounds … I might, indeed, choose the Dolly if I ever had to make that choice. And damn, they’ll hit a fly, be it a smolt imitation in the estuary or an Egg-sucking Leech five miles from the salt beneath the spruce and hemlock canopy. Odds are, you’ll time your date with Dolly perfectly - she’s rarely a no-show.Īnd then there’s the wallpaper - the rainforest backdrop of the Tongass is primal, just like the Dolly Varden that moves through the piscine environment, harassing salmon from the cradle to the grave. You can try to time the silver run or the king run, and maybe you’ll get lucky and hit it just right. Salmon come and salmon go in the rivers and streams of the Tongass National Forest - Dollies are almost always there, and they’re almost always hungry. Lower fins are white or creamy on the leading edge with a single thin black and thin red line behind. Spots are usually smaller than the pupil of the eye. Back and sides are marked with yellow, orange or red spots (distinguishing characteristic). That said, my friend, TU employee and Juneau fishing guide Mark Hieronymus, aptly declares the Dolly Varden to be “ the people’s fish.” That’s not to say that Mark is the Che Guevera of Southeast Alaskan fishing guides, but he’s spot-on about the Dolly. Description Body elongate and trout-like (Length: 30-60cm). Dolly Varden are a delicate fish that are usually referred to as trout, but are actually in the char family. Odds are, you’ll time your date with Dolly perfectly - she’s rarely a no-show. Unlike bull trout and Dolly Varden, the eastern brook trout’s red spots are surrounded by blue halos. To say I’d pick Dollies over, say, the cutthroats I can reach just a few minutes from home … well, that was foolish. Bull trout and Dolly Varden vs brook trout. I’m a pretty solid plane flight away from the nearest readily available Dolly Varden stream, and I might get to spend a week or so every couple of summers chasing them as they move into fresh water as the days start to get longer in pursuit of salmon smolts and, later, salmon eggs and then decaying salmon flesh. It was kind of silly declaration, honestly - one meant to simply show my deep appreciation for the sea-run char of the Northwest. Overlooked, under-appreciated and wide open, the trout in shallow lakes cruise, wake and tail like 7-pound bonefish. I made an off-hand comment on a friend’s Facebook post this morning - he uploaded a great photo of a Dolly Varden in Southeast Alaska and I quickly opined that, should some higher power ever dictate to me that I could only catch one salmonid for the rest of my life, it very well might be a Dolly Varden. Sign Up for Auto-Renewal & Sustainer Giving.
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