The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I know a lot of folks have headed up north the past few years, so I would like some advice please.

My Mom (73) wants to take me to Alaska. She wants to see me fish, because her father was so into it, and I got the bug from him.

But, she really can't be trudging through the tundra, so I need some beautiful spots with lots of amenities and ease of access. Fortunately, cost is really not an issue for my Mom, so all suggestions appreciated.

She would like to do a small cruise ship to the glaciers for part of the trip. The other she asked me to recommend. I am interested in targeting rainbows and grayling, on smaller creeks and rivers. Happy to aviod small planes, helicopters, and boats if at all possible.

So please - WHEN and WHERE would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
RB

If cost is no object, Kulik Lodge (fly-in lodge)is the place to go. Incredible food, open bar, great cabins w/ indoor plumbing, scenery, lotsa bears to view, and freekin fantastic fly out fishing (should you decide to do that!!). If cost is an object, go to the Kenai Peninsula and stay at the Kenai Princess Lodge at Coopers Landing. Mom would love either place and you can get your fishing joneses in at either also!

What time of year, RB?

It's almost exclusively coho, but the access is easy & a group, no matter the size (2-6 persons)gets its own cabin and guide. I went a few years ago with a group of primarily retired people (ranging from 68 - 84 years), and they repeatedly visit this lodge due the prolific numbers of fish and easy wading. We also had the guide take us upstream one day to target steelhead (Trinity size), but didn't hook too many due to the hordes of Dolly Varden taking the fly first.

I know they have at least one cabin that's only one level. I believe all the others have the bedrooms located upstairs. You have to fly into Cordova, and then fly a DeHavilland to the makeshift air strip at the lodge.

And to add to Bob's comments-

Add some site seeing experience to the trip. Seward is about 45 minutes away from Cooper Landing. From there you could do a day long boat ride out to a number of glaciers- Holgate and Northwestern both come to mind. Northwestern is the more dramatic of the two. Dress warmly, including hats and gloves as it does get cooler closer to the glaciers. Take the smaller boat operation if you can. I think the larger concession, Kenai Fjords Tours, bought out Mariah Tours, the smaller boat company. When you call to make reservations tell them that you are interested in the smaller single decked boat for the tour, if they still have it. The boat ride affords a good selection of wildlife opportunities and glacier viewing along the way. If your mother is ambulatory and good hiking condition, you could walk up to the Exit Glacier, located just outside the city limits of Seward or at least the turn off is. The road use to be a gravel wash board mess, but I recall that it is paved all the way out to the Glacier viewing parking lot the last time we there. It is under the National Park Service, but there is no longer an entrance fee to get in. The walk in is a little over a mile on level asphalt until it turns into gravel closer to the base of the glacier. This glacier has been in retreat for some time. All of the glaciers mentioned originate from or are arms of the Harding Icefield.

If you are not fishing every day, run up to Denali and stay outside the park entrance in any of the cabins that have sprouted up. Expect the drive to be around 6 hours from Seward or Cooper Landing. Be sure to buy any food stuffs and drinks in Anchorage as there becomes a scarcity issue past Wasilla. There is no sales tax in Anchorage either. Once at the park, you soon discover that the Visitor Center is about it as far as walk up information or anything else for that matter. Consider the park primitive at best compared to any other National Park in the lower 48. But there is a bus ride into the park that offers a variety of wildlife viewing opportunities as well as transitioning landscape. You can prebuy your bus tickets (maybe over the internet) into the park for Wonder Lake round trip unless you wish to camp there at a walkin campground with spectacular views of Mt. McKinley (about 30-35 miles away), Muldrow Glacier which originates on Mt McKinley and swings back cross the valley between the campground along with most of the Alaska Range. The last bus leaves Wonder Lake around 4 PM. The campground is bowl shaped and provides unobstructed views of Mt. McKinley. We had a number of moose feeding just below us in the kettle ponds in the evenings while we were there. If I recall correctly, the road is about a 100 miles into the park. I would heartedly endorse this as part of your trip, if you have never been there before for both you and your mother. Get an early morning reservation for the bus as the prime time fills up prior to the day of the trip- meaning that you might have to wait a couple of hours or more prior to boarding.

If you need more information, you can contact me. Planning for this trip should begin in ernest before February at least with the reservations, airline, etc. Even sooner if you plan on camping at Wonder Lake.

Hope this helps

Arizona Bruce wrote:
What time of year, RB?

Any time I don't have to PEG BEADS!!!

Actually, that is one of my questions. My Mom wants to go in May, I think thats a little early. I have heard best rainbow fishing in smaller streams is September. But I also have to take into account weather and insects.

My Mom has to have a pleasant experience (think of Maurice Minnifield's description "the new Alaskan Riviera" on Northern Exposure) as she is from Provence.

All great advice...one thing to add. Make sure you look into the "bug" situation when deciding on your location or time of year. The mosquitoes and black flies can be pretty nasty certain times of year. They can make the non-fisherman pretty misearable. I've seen them ruin a trip for certain folks. I prefer the early spring or fall because they still get a frost every now and then and it keeps the bugs at bay. You might not have great weather, but I would rather wear a rain jacket on occasion than tons of bug repellant.

Tight Lines