WHY ALASKA

We are deep into summer and it is still prime salmon season in Alaska.

Like us, you may have friends, colleagues, or even relatives who are fishing Alaska this year. Or maybe you are that lucky friend or colleague the rest of us envy. 

We spoke with some recent travelers and some repeat travelers in the Compleat family so that we can share insider knowledge...and maybe encourage you to start planning your next Alaskan adventure. Check out our travel partner's top Alaska picks, Mission Lodge and Dave Duncan & Sons Base Camp, or reach out to Evan to put Alaska on your calendar!

The fish

Naturally, we start here. The opportunities in Alaska to catch big, beautiful fish are plentiful and varied.  Like many, our anglers made their trips in pursuit of large silver salmon. They were not disappointed: they caught trophy fish every day and particularly enjoyed sight fishing the salmon on their journey upstream. Gorgeous, colorful Arctic char were also in the mix as they followed along to eat eggs laid by the salmon. 

The stunning rainbow trout made for a special and memorable challenge. While they are not easy to come by in the contiguous 48, one of our anglers noted that each day he was in Alaska, he had a chance to catch a 24-inch rainbow trout (and noted that mouse patterns in particular were very successful!). 

The other wildlife

Fish aside, our anglers all point to wildlife as a highlight of their trips to Alaska. Our anglers loved observing moose, bears, elk, and caribou in their natural environments. 

Some of our anglers watched a moose (pictured below) climb up out of the river. One remarked on the particular awe of watching herds of elk and caribou move across the land from above. Others cautiously moved out of range again and again as they fished alongside grizzly bears at Katmai National Park and the bears kept getting too close for comfort. Apparently the guides at Katmai put anglers through "Bear School" before letting them out on the river (safety first!). 

Man v. bear (bear track) at right

The remote wilderness

One of our anglers said that the biggest surprise of his recent trip was the scale of the mountains. Flying in over the Bering Mountain Range was akin to "flying over the Himalayas." Indeed many of our favorite Alaska destinations are fly-out lodges, where anglers are flown from the base lodge to different fishing spots each day. Flying across Wood-Tikchik State Park each day, for example, yielded incredible views of the rivers, mountains, glaciers, lakes, and animals - with no evidence of humans or civilization in sight. 

The remoteness and utter grandeur of the landscape moved all of our friends and colleagues who have fished Alaska. One of our anglers was even lucky enough to see the Northern Lights during his fall trip. The feeling of being out in the true wilderness is one that draws all of us to return to Alaska - whether to the same region or to a new one.

Click here to learn more about Alaska.

Click here to reach out to our team at Angler Adventures for help with fishing Alaska or any other travel needs.