Angler's Alibi Day 1 (Alagnak River, Alaska) 8/6/07

We had the early flight out of Anchorage so had to be at the airport around 6am. When went went to the Avis desk to turn in our rental car, there was no one at the desk. All of the other car rental companies had people working but the one we needed. Apparently, no one showed up for work. We were lucky...since we were just returning our car, we could use a drop box they had set up. Others who were picking up their car were not so lucky. There were about 5 or 6 people who had been waiting since midnight and were completely stranded. Yikes!

We flew into the small town of King Salmon, population 400 (in the summer). The area was desolate and the airport was super tiny. They don't even have a metal detector, you just walk right onto your plane! A van was there to pick us up and take us to Branch River Air's seaplane base. There were no roads to get to our lodge, so we had to take a float plane in. At the dock, we met Minott and Minott, a father and son from Montana who would be guests at the lodge the same week as us. So, the four of us hopped into the plane and with the pilot as the fifth person, the plane was full. We flew over a flat landscape with tundra, winding rivers, several small lakes and spruce trees for about 30 minutes until we landed on the Alagnak River. The entire staff was there to meet us at the dock and carry our bags to our tents. We unpacked, got a quick tour of camp and were fishing by 11:00.

We took one of the camp's boats to a gravel bar about 10 minutes away. Scott picked up flycasting a lot quicker than I did, but it didn't seem to matter. The fishing was UNBELIEVABLE despite the fact that I couldn't cast that far at first. We fished until 5:30 and had 22 doubles! They were mostly beautiful spawning Chum Salmon that fight like crazy. We also landed some Coho Salmon, but most were females so we had to release them. The males were taken back to camp to be cleaned and put in our cooler. The Chum Salmon do not have the tasty meat like the Coho, so we let all of the Chums go. It was a picture perfect first day, the sun was shining, fish were jumping EVERYWHERE and I had very sore arms from fighting the acrobatic Chums. The final count was about 140 fish on the first day. Jim (our guide) was very patient and helpful with teaching me how to flycast.

Back at camp, we cleaned up and had dinner in the dinner tent with the other guests, guides, and owner. On the menu was baked salmon (of course). As we sat on the deck looking out at the river, we watched a bear fishing on a sandbar. It was a perfect ending to a spectacular day. We went to sleep with full stomachs and sore arms. Tomorrow, we would be flying out to Contact Creek and couldn't wait to see what was in store for us there.

*Travel Tips: If you fly into King Salmon, go to the King Salmon visitor's center right next to the airport. They have great pamphlets and brochures on the region. Sit on the right side of the plane on the way in for a great view of Mt. McKinley.

*Up Next: Fly-out to Contact Creek for a day of trout, char, and grayling fishing and bear viewing that you will not believe.

Lake Ontario Salmon (Sorry to Interupt Alaska)

Sorry to interupt the report about Alaska (because it is about to get real good), but we had a great two hours on the lake this morning. We had seven mature kings by 7:45. The fish were all over the place and we did most of our damage in about 80 feet of water. Enjoy the pictures

Fishing on the Kenai Peninsula, 8/5/07

We woke up at 7am...finally adjusting to the time difference. Scott once again headed straight for the water and hooked some more nice sockeyes. There seemed to be another run this morning as everyone around us was hooking up. We made the difficult decision to leave the cabin (and the fish that were running) to start the drive back toward Anchorage. We would have to spend the night there in order to catch our early flight to King Salmon the next morning. So, we started to head North, looking for fishing opportunities along the way.

Our first stop was the Russian River Ferry where the Russian River meets the Kenai River. We had stopped there the night before to watch and thought we'd try our luck. This is literally one of the best fishing spots in the world and it's no secret. Because it's accessible by the road, there were fishermen lined up shoulder-to-shoulder all up and down the riverbank. There is actually a ferry that will take you to the other side for $8 a person. We decided to keep driving.

Our next stop was Quartz Creek. We heard that there were spawning sockeye there and that was an understatement. As soon as we pulled up to the bridge, we saw red salmon everywhere. We got our rods ready and decided to fish here for a while. The "trail" was rediculously scary because it was basically a moose and bear footpath along the stream with 6 foot grass on either side. We talked loudly to each other about nothing and thankfully didn't spook any bears. When we got to a fishing spot, there were literally hundreds of paired-up salmon as far as you could see. As we crossed the creek, the salmon would scatter and sometimes even swam right towards your legs. We landed a few fish and got some really nice pictures. The scenery was beautiful and there were bear prints right by where we were fishing.

Back on Route 1, the drive through the mountains was totally breathtaking once again. Besides the road and the cars, there is no other sign of civilization for hundreds of miles. It's just mountain after mountain, we didn't know what to take a picture of. That was, until we got to Bird Creek.

We knew this was our shot to catch a pink salmon. Once again, the tide was low as we drove by exposing about 50 feet of tidal mud flats that you had to cross to get to the water. We watched fishermen stumble, slip, and slide in the mud for a while before giving it a try ourselves. We found a spot by the bay and started casting. It wasn't long at all before we each had a couple of pinks and even a chum thrown in. The only problem was the mud! We were covered, the equipment was covered, even the camera was muddy. We trudged back through the mud and toward the car with no idea about how to get clean. After careful consideration, we decided to go to a car wash in Anchorage and hose each other down. It must have been quite a site, but it was probably the best $3 we spent!

We kept on going north through Anchorage to our bed and breakfast. We fell asleep dreaming of flying to King Salmon and the Alagnak River...

*Next Up: We arrive at Angler's Alibi for an unbelievable first day.

*Travel Tips: If you want to catch Pink Salmon, Bird Creek is a great location even on an odd-numbered year. In the Bristol Bay area, Pink Salmon usually only run on even-numbered years. Why? Some say it is due to the eruption of Mt. Katmai back in the early 1900's. 3 feet of ash covered the area from Bristol Bay to Kodiak Island, killing all salmon fry in the brood. Since Pink Salmon only have a life span of 2 years, only the 1 year olds that had already migrated out to sea survived. They return to the rivers to spawn on even-numbered years. Bird Creek was far enough away from Mt. Katmai to not be totally affected by the volcano, and it still sees sizeable Pink runs every year. Cool!

Seward, Alaska 8/4

We heard that there would be a solid run of sockeye salmon going right by our cabin early in the morning because the commercial fishermen had to take their nets down at midnight. We woke up at 3:30 am to the sound of pouring rain and went back to sleep until 6:30. Scott went down to the river to fish then. By the time I joined him, he had already caught a beautiful 8 pound sockeye.

We left for Seward at 9:00am in hopes that the fog would lift and we could go on a glacier cruise to the Kenai Fjords. Unfortunately, it stayed cloudy and foggy so we decided not to do the tour, but still had a great day in Seward. First, we drove down a coastal dirt "road" along Resurrection Bay that felt like we were going to fall into the bay with every twist and turn. We saw dolphins surfacing and salmon jumping everywhere! We even stopped at a waterfall and watched people fish in the bay. We made our way to the Alaska Sea Life Center, not knowing exactly what to expect. Once inside, it was amazing! There was an entire wing devoted to Pacific Salmon and their importance to Alaska. We learned so much about these magnificent fish. We got to pet starfish and see sealions and seals. I took a ton of pictures of the salmon exhibits to use in my classroom.

Next, we took a walk into downtown. It is a very cute coastal town with huge mountains in the background and a busy harbor with lots of boats. We found "Chinooks", a restaurant on the harbor and had to have lunch there. Scott had the fresh halibut and a I had a delicious bowl of clam chowder (yum!). We left there and stopped into Scott's new favorite store called "The Fish House". Need I say more? We went back to the Sea Life Center to buy a beautiful jade necklace that caught my eye.

On the way back to Soldotna, we stopped off at the Russian River in the Chugach National Forest and watched fishermen catch sockeyes. I learned at the Sea Life Center that archeologists have discovered evidence proving that man has fished at the confluence of the Russian River and the Kenai River dating back over 10,000 years ago! We decided to take a hike back to the Russian River falls. This hike was SCARY right in the middle of bear country, but the trail was easy to follow and we heard from others that salmon were jumping up the falls, so we decided to hike the 4.6 miles. We did not see any bears (we saw many signs), but there were lots of salmon jumping up the falls and even more resting in the small pools. After about 30 minutes of trying, we finally got a picture of a jumping salmon in mid-air! The hike itself was breathtaking and the views and smells were just indescribable.

So, we headed back to the cabin exhausted after our hike. Scott (who is never too tired to fish), fished down at the dock for a while and then went to bed.

*Next Up: Fishing on the Kenai Peninsula

*Travel Tips: If you have the time, definitely take the hike back to the Russian River Falls. It takes a few hours, but is worth your while. Visit the Alaskan Sea Life Center in Soldotna. Your admission is good all day, so take your time and read the exhibits. We learned some very interesting facts!

Anchorage, Route 1, and Soldotna 8-3-07

Day Two:

After a great night's sleep, we awoke at 5:30 am and despite our efforts, could not fall back asleep. We spent time talking to the owners and getting our game plan ready for the day. We learned that they subsistence fished and on their last trip, they netted 45 fish in 5 hours of fishing and had 170 pounds of salmon. Residents of Alaska are allowed to use dipnets to fill their freezers once a year. The head of the household is allowed 25 fish, then 10 additional fish for everyone else in the famliy. At 8:30, we were treated to one of the best breakfasts we hav ever had; fruit, yogurt, crabmeat quiche, reindeer kielbasa and some fruity mixed juice.

With full stomachs, we stopped at Fred Meyers and got our fishing licenses. Our next stop was the Elmendorf Fish Hatchery in downtown Anchorage. We stopped here to learn more about Alaskan salmon. We were lucky for 2 reasons. One, there were lots of spawning king salmon at the falls. Two, we were able to view hatchery workers take salmon eggs and milt. This is done to create future generations of salmon and keep the fishery healthy in Ship Creek. All in all, it was an educational experience, but a gruesome process. Before leaving, we were able to help feed the baby rainbow trout that would later be stocked.

We arrived at Ship Creek (a river that flows through Anchorage) and watched people fish and saw thousands of salmon just above the "no fishing" zone. We continued on towards downtown Anchorage. While there, we saw "Wild Salmon on Parade" statues, visited gift shops and native artisans galleries. We continued on to Earthquake Park to look for wildlife. The park is on the fault line from an earthquake in 1964 that measured 9.2 on the Richter Scale. It was the largest earthquake in US history, destroyed downtown Anchorage, and shook the ground for 4 minutes.

We drove south towards Soldotna on the Seward Highway (aka Route 1). This scenic byway is probably the most beautiful road on Earth. I can't put into words the beauty of this drive. The road winds through valleys surrounded by the Kenai Mountains and Chugach National Forest. These mountains tower over the road and seem to rise thousands of feet instantly. The three hour dirve took us over 5 because of all of the stops we made. As we drove, here are some of the places we stopped; Turnagain Arm (Captain Cook explored this area and had to turn around some many times that he named it "Turnagain Arm"), Beluga Point (jagged rocks in the water looking out onto an area frequented by beluga whales), rocky ledges that extend upward thousands of feet and are home to Dahl Sheep, mountains capped with ice that melts and forms small streams and waterfalls, lakes and streams with bright turquoise water, Portage Glacier, Bird Creek (a great fishing access point where we saw fishermen falling in the mud and 4 bald eagles circling overhead), Kenai River (WOW! The mecca for king salmon fisherman and home of the world record 97 pound king).

We finally arrived in Soldotna and were starving since we had not eaten since breakfast. We first stopped at the Chamber of Commerce on the shore of the Kenai River where we saw a replica of the 97 pound king salmon. Dinner...finally! The Cub's Den for burgers. Scott ordered the Grizzly Burger since it sounded big and we were really hungry. We were not expecting to see a burger with a 9 inch diameter that needed it's own special roll. He ate it for 3 days.

We soon arrived at Fish Alaska/Log Cabin Lodge and checked into our very cute log cabin on the Kenai River. We unpacked quickly and headed down to the dock. Down there we met the people who were staying at the other cabin. Believe it or not, they were also from the Rochester area. We watched them land a few sockeye salmon then relaxed by the campfire for a while. We then went to bed and were asleep as soon as we hit the pillow. What a long and eventful first full day in Alaska!

Travel Tips: Take time to drive along route 1 and look out for camera signs for great photo opportunities, If low tide go to Bird Creek, Stop at all the tackle shops along the way, Go to Fred Meyers for all your shopping needs, Eat at the Cub's Den or Buckets Sports Bar in Soldotna.