by Darren Dorris

I met Arne Johnson owner of Bear Creek Outfitters  at his shop early the next morning. The shop was adjacent to the Juneau airport. It seemed odd at first with the juxtaposition of a flyfishing guide shop overlooking the tarmac of an airport rather than a river, but Bear Creek Outfitters specializes in fly-out, flyfishing adventures—so, really, it makes perfect sense.

I was lucky enough to secure a spot on their morning trip, accompanying the Blake family (Jackie, Gary, and Jordan) and Peter Voss—all of whom were cruise ship passengers out for a day of flyfishing. We stepped into our waders, then were whisked off to the float plane docks.

The floatplane is the best option for reaching the inaccessible wilderness of the Tongass, and these docks were busier than the main airport. We all climbed into the DeHaviland Beaver and taxied for takeoff. A 20-minute plane trip, and we were so far out in the wild that our guide Matt Boline unloaded a bucket from the plane full of supplies…just in case the plane could not get back and we need to spend the night. We were that far in the wilderness. He also unloaded a 12-gauge shotgun and explained about bears and what to do if we see one and what to do if one approaches.