Why would a hard core bass angler want to go to Alaska?
After all, while a single misplaced largemouth was caught there in 2018, it was likely either a hoax or an anomaly. Either way, the state authorities made it clear that they didn’t want them around.
Nevertheless, if you can get over the lack of your favorite gamefish, Alaska is the ultimate sportsman’s paradise. Moreover, it is truly wilder than any other place in the United States, more than twice as big as Texas, with much more uninhabited space. While cosmopolitan conveniences abound, and the internet has truly shrunk the world, there’s still a frontier mentality that no longer exists throughout much of the formerly wild west. Furthermore, if you go during the summer you can escape some brutal heat and enjoy days that never seem to get dark.
If you’re a western angler, it’s also remarkably accessible with direct and comparatively inexpensive flights to western and midwestern cities on major airlines including Delta, American, United and Alaska Air, whose service I found to be exemplary. If you’re reluctant to leave the country for any reason, this is the closest you can come to fishing “abroad” without leaving American soil.
Bassmaster pro Keith Combs and I escaped the summer heat at the end of July into the beginning of August (in between Elite Series tournaments) to test some tackle, add some species to our lists, and take a break from the grind. We combined a saltwater excursion with a trip to the Bristol Bay region, an area that one bass media friend (who shall remain nameless because he said he’d gladly give up bass if he could fish for Alaskan trout every day) called “the Falcon Lake of trout fishing.”
Here’s what we did, and why we did it:
Capt. Chris Hanna, Outer Coast Adventures (Seward, AK) – www.outercoastalaska.com
There are plenty of charters for halibut and other species out of towns including Seward, Homer, Whittier and Valdez. We chose Seward because it was only two hours from Anchorage, had access to big fish, and other attractions in case weather knocked us out of commission. As it turned out, we got calm seas which meant that Captain Chris got to put his long-distance plan into action.
That’s part of the reason we chose him. While many charters cram 6 to 12 anglers onboard and then run to their little fish spots to grab limits and speed back, Chris understood that we cared more about the experience than fillets. He built an overnight charter that not only took us 80 miles away, but put us around halibut that consistently weighed 40-100 pounds, plus lingcod and various kinds of rockfish. He set up an overnight trip to ensure that we’d have plenty of time, cooked us rockfish tacos for dinner and burritos for breakfast, and had top-flight gear to get the job done. It was all about catching big fish, and multiple species, and it was hands-on in every respect.
For a little over twice the cost of a “chicken hole” run, we got the whole boat to ourselves, much more than twice the time, and still ended up with as many fillets as we wanted. When you’re too tired to reel in another halibut at 3:30am, you’re truly spoiled.
Bear Trail Lodge (King Salmon, AK) – www.beartraillodge.com
Bear Trail Lodge owner Nanci Morris Lyon holds numerous IGFA records and has guided in Alaska for three decades. Her attention to detail is impeccable, and the food (think king crab legs, local berries, Alaskan Amber beer on tap) is incredible. What really makes her operation special is the access to approximately 50 different waters, and all five Pacific salmon species, plus rainbow trout, grayling and Dolly Vardens.
In three and a half days of fishing, we had four distinct experiences with five different guides, each of whom was a master of the craft and put us on fish. We fished around bears at the famous Brooks Falls, we flew into another small stream where it almost seemed possible to walk from bank to bank on the backs of fish. Furthermore, we caught big king salmon and silver salmon almost directly in front of the lodge. They took two avid anglers, albeit two with minimal experience on their home court, and made us look like heroes.
If you’ve never caught a rainbow trout on a 6 weight fly rod in heavy current, forgot your preconceptions – tied tail-to-tail with a smallmouth of equal weight they’ll kick the crap out of old brownie.
Other Options
A lodge or a charter aren’t within budget or preferences of some of you, but there are still plenty of opportunities for exceptional Alaskan fishing in other ways. There are several books on “roadside” fishing opportunities, some within a long cast of the major cities, that would be considered world class elsewhere. Just about any creek or river you pass over has a run of something at some point, just make sure that you’re aware of restrictions and seasons. There’s also “combat fishing” on the beaches in major tourist locations, where quality salmon storm the banks annually and become easy pickings. Ask any local tackle store and they’ll direct you properly.
While lodges and charters can be costly, there are bargains to be had. Do your research, and make sure that a discount price doesn’t mean a subpar product – it doesn’t have to! Nevertheless, we recognize that we never could have found or accessed the halibut grounds on our own, nor would we have had the 16 and 24 ounce jigs to catch them, without the guidance of our Captain. Similarly, by going to Bear Trail, it meant that we didn’t need to invest in expensive gear we might never use again. They had the appropriate fly rods for different scenarios, specialized spinning and trolling gear, and waders in our sizes. If we’d had to spend on all of that stuff it might’ve cost as much as a couple of days at the lodge.
In the course of six full days and two partial days we saw only a small sliver of Alaska. In two trips (the prior one was 24 years ago, and lasted almost four weeks), I’ve yet to make it west of Bristol Bay, north of Fairbanks, or to the southeastern portion at all. Whether it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip or a once-a-year habit, it’s tough to see large portions of the state, but even with just a week you can get a lot of diversity. Try to catch as many species as you can, as many ways as you can, and you’ll almost certainly forget that there’s not a bass anywhere nearby.
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