alaska trip for silver slamon rainbow trout dolly varden lingcod halibut on the kenai river ketchican quartz creek by jay cassell

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Chuck and Jim with a double...

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Part of our morning take - silver salmon and snappers.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Another boat fished Meares Pass with us.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

The next morning, heading through Meares Passage toward the Pacific, we came upon this humpback whale. Humpbacks were all over the place, but we were able to get pretty close to this one without making him sound.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

A wonderful day was capped off with a sumptuous dinner of local oysters for appetizers, grilled salmon and steaks, salads, potatoes, vegetables, corn, and desert.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

The fleet returns to dock after the first afternoon of fishing. Waterfall has 27 Almar cruisers.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Katherine grabbed a baitcasting rod and started right in trying for her first-ever Pacific salmon.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

We were on the water within an hour of landing at the dock. We headed out in a 25-foot Almar cabin cruiser, equipped with a Volvo Penta diesel engine. Onboard with us were long-time friend Chuck Baird, from Santa Barbara, California; his buddy, Jim Merriman, from the Nashville, Tennessee area; and guide Dennis Luckenbach, who lives near Seattle in the off-season.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

The guest cabins used to house the cannery workers. Completely modernized, they now house most Waterfall guests. Total capacity of the lodge is 92 anglers at a time. Most guests stay for three nights and four days.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400

After 45 minutes, we were greeted with the sight of Waterfall Resort. The place used to be the largest salmon packing plant in Southeast Alaska, producing a record 310,000 cases of salmon in 1936. The cannery closed in 1970, then was completely renovated and opened as a resort in 1983.