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

That's Katherine fighting a dolly varden on Quartz Creek. When we were planning our trip, she was worried she wouldn't be able to get a pair of waders that would fit her. At 4' 11" and 92 pounds, she can be a challenge, but the Simms custom shop got her a pair of stocking foot waders that were the perfect fit. Good thing, as we were wading in some areas where the water was up to our armpits.

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

Here's the view of the Kenai River, from the deck. Not a bad view, eh? We arrived too late to catch the hour-long flight across Cook Inlet to Great Alaska's famed bear camp. Guests told us the next day that they had seen so many brown bears feeding on salmon that they lost count. Great Alaska keeps a large tent-camp facility over near Katmai National Park, and we were sad we couldn't get there.

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

We spent the night in Anchorage with friends, then we were off to the airport for the 20-minute flight to the Kenai. This is the main lodge at Great Alaska Fish Camp, on the Kenai. It's one of the oldest and best-known lodges in the state, and has been run by Laurence John since 1982. They can accommodate up to 50 guests at a time.

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

The flight back to Ketchikan was as pretty as the trip in. Below us, that's a rock filled with harbor seals.

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

This was a dumpster out by the fish cleaning area. It looked kind of cool, so I took this shot. Dumpster art.

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

Time passed, and then we had to get on up to the Kenai Peninsula for the second half of our trip. Here, Waterfall staffers pack up our salmon for the various outgoing flights. Our plan was to store the fish in the huge freeze at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, fly to the Kenai Peninsula, then pick up the fish on our way back through Anchorage for the flight home.

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

After a quick lunch break, we headed back out toward Baker Island. On the way, we came upon a small pod of killer whales.

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

Back at the dock, Chuck's monster halibut towered over him.

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

The world-record Halibut was taken near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in 1996, and weighed 459 pounds! This one, taken by Chuck, went 157 pounds and took 45 minutes to haul up from the bottom. Just make sure you dispatch them before you bring them into the boat. Stories of live halibut wrecking boats and tackle abound.

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

A rocky uplifting called Pirates Cove was worth exploring.