The Water
You’ll be fishing three different rivers. What are the names of those rivers you ask?
Well, they’re secret. Sorry, but you’re not going to find that out until you go see them for yourself! What we will say is that one river boasts the largest steelhead run on the Peninsula. These rivers are highly coveted by local anglers and guides and we intend to keep them as pristine and special as possible.
Two of these rivers are walk and wade fisheries and the third which boasts the largest run of steelhead on the peninsula is much larger and fished from drift boats along with wading the many gravel bars and runs. This river which we can not say the name of in order to protect the fishery and keep it as pristine as possible can not blow out!
The fear of many steelhead anglers when planning a trip is the possibility of heavy rains and a river that blows out while on your trip of a lifetime. This does not happen here!
River #1
The smallest river of the three, this one can only be accessed via foot. Although this river is the most susceptible to the elements, the Fall season seems to bring relatively stable conditions offering easy wading and smaller, more manageable fishing rigs.
This river is truly a gem and we like to spend at least a couple days fishing this river. When conditions are right the fishing can be on fire!
- Travel time to River #1 from the lodge and cabins is only 15 minutes, which guests find very convenient.
- Most of the fishing on this river is done with small nymph rigs but if the water is right a switch rod can work well to swing a fly through the zone.
- Single hand rods can also work to swing a weighted fly on this river but the switch rods are a preferred method.
- Even though this river gets the smallest run of steelhead it will be unknown to you when you have a section of river all to yourself. The little angling pressure on this river allows you to target fish that haven’t been spooked by other anglers. You will love the intimacy and solitude that this small river offers.
- Depending upon arrival time we can offer two half days of fishing on the front and back end of your stay, this is the most conducive river for a half day trip.
- Expect to fish this river 2-3 days during your stay.
River #2
The second of the three main rivers is a bit larger, but offers similar fishing opportunities as the first. Anglers of all abilities tend to do very well on this river because of the large number of steelhead in the run.
Wading access is very limited on this river but the knowledge acquired by your guides from years of experience will get you into fish. During higher flows and tough wading conditions we have the ability to use inflatable kayaks instead of hiking and crossing the river. This is a fun and effective way to fish this river during high flows and cover the necessary water to get you into fish.
- Travel time is about 40 minutes from the lodge.
- If water flows are low then you will hike and wade to get to the productive sections.
- For serious numbers of fish to the net then nymph rigs are the preferred method.
- If you want the challenge this river offers many opportunities to get your fish on the swing.
- You can expect to fish this river 1-2 times during your stay.
River #3
The last of the rivers we fish is to many the most special and has the largest run of steelhead on the peninsula. Our outfitter is confident that there is not an angler on the planet that we cannot produce a steelhead for while fishing this river! Unlike the other two rivers, this river is not susceptible to the elements. This is one of the most important reasons to book your steelhead trip with us in Alaska. This river is glacial fed flowing naturally from a lake. The glacial silt gives it a beautiful turquoise color and most importantly, it will not blow out which is the most concerning of all issues when booking any steelhead trip.
Access to this river is via drift boat or power drifter. Some fishing will be done from the boat while drifting through runs using nymph rigs. Once we reach the many wade fishing locations you can choose to continue to nymph for steelhead or pick up the spey rod and swing what is believed by many to be one of the best rivers to swing a fly in the world. We use many different shooting heads and sink tip combinations depending on water level or the run you are swinging.
This river is wide but shallow in most places so usually light flies and tips are key. Most fish are hooked in 2-3 feet of water and even less than a foot as the season gets into late October. Since this river is so shallow, it offers the beginner two-handed spey fisherman an almost guaranteed opportunity to hook their first steelhead on the swing. The experienced spey fisherman will find this river to be almost unbelievable and find themselves coming back each year.
- Travel time to this river is only 15 minutes to the take out where you will meet your guide. You will then hop in with the guide to drive the dirt road upriver for approximately 15 more minutes to the put in.
- You can expect to fish this river for 3 days during your stay.
- If you find boat fishing is more comfortable and enjoyable than wading we can arrange for you to fish this river more.