Alaskan Odyssey ~ Trout Bum For A Week

[ccmtcanada]

I read this report this morning.

 

Was trying to think up of something to say that would match the quality of this trip and report.

 

Here it goes.

 

I'm speechless.

[Ramble]

Great report! The trip looked awesome. Places like that are addicting.

 

congrats on living a dream.

 

-R-

[Grimace]

That was wicked

[Forester]

nice pics, great report!

[StoneFly]

OMG,..Hands down the best report I have ever seen,.....now I know why it took so long,...Question is where do you go from here? How will you ever be satisfied fishing ON again?? EXCELLENT REPORT MIKE!!!

[douG]

All that I can come up with as a response to that amazing post, is Thanks Very Much, Mike.

Edited October 4, 2008 by douG

[Moosebunk]

Crazy wordy-descriptive Mike, especially that beginning. You put me in this report with you from the onset "magnum dood," and I could sense your level of inspiration throughout the whole thing.

 

I finally had full chance to take it all in this morning. Some stunning photos in there, and I'm jealous of all the meat you have for your freezer.

 

It's likely going to be a strange and difficult time for you now. If it truly was your "apex" I think I can relate. Now you'll be longing for the same thing, every day, every week.

 

Quite likely my favorite report of the year. I mean c'mon, you just took me to the Kenai for crying out loud.

[solopaddler]

Crazy wordy-descriptive Mike, especially that beginning. You put me in this report with you from the onset "magnum dood," and I could sense your level of inspiration throughout the whole thing.

 

I finally had full chance to take it all in this morning. Some stunning photos in there, and I'm jealous of all the meat you have for your freezer.

 

It's likely going to be a strange and difficult time for you now. If it truly was your "apex" I think I can relate. Now you'll be longing for the same thing, every day, every week.

 

Quite likely my favorite report of the year. I mean c'mon, you just took me to the Kenai for crying out loud.

 

Thanks bud glad you and everyone else enjoyed it.

You of all people know what a chore it is to put these things together LOL!

 

Cheers

[camillj]

Thanks Solo ... that was supreme ... wow .... and as if the pictures werent enough a little (alot) poetic imagery to add to the appeal.

 

Now I am in trouble for sure between the 'Bunk Tree river char last week and the Magnum trout this week I may never be able to focus on work again

[irishfield]

Steller Mike.. steller !

 

...oh and I'm still waiting for a May phone call as well bud! lol

[solopaddler]

Steller Mike.. steller !

 

...oh and I'm still waiting for a May phone call as well bud! lol

 

 

Sorry bro, LOL! You're quite right, my bad!

[Streamerguy]

Amazing report solo,beautiful fish but dammm them males sure have an ugly yap

 

 

 

Thank-you very much for sharing that trip of a lifetime with us

Cheers

Streamerguy

[gogu392]

A+++ Report

A+++ Picture

A+++ Story

 

For me looks like SoloPadler travel to Heaven and came back.

[Paulus]

This could be the best fishing article, post, or whatever i ever read.

 

May be the greatest gift to this community.

 

The choice of words and writing style are top notch.

Almost skipped the pictures to read the verbage.

 

The comment on the Alaskan ecosystem was almost an universal observation on all living systems.

 

Thanks for taking the time and effort for posting this.

ehg

 

I agree completely. It is a superbly written, masterfully edited, extremely well synthesized piece of angling literature. Never have I been as captivated by such a long account of a fishing trip, on any forum that I've visited. It was almost as good as seeing it on tv, except better: I got to see so many fish close up, and I got to gaze in rapture at the beautiful mountainous landscape, the curving rivers, the slender line as long as I wanted (hours). The voluptuous scenery and full-figured fish have tantalized me beyond my ability to describe. No smoky city bar ever held the attraction or could ever emanate the magnetic appeal of such a sultry account of outdoors enchantment!

 

Sorry... where was I? I hit my head on the wall so hard after reading this post... Solo invited me but I couldn't go. But after seeing all the gorgeous pics, I think I banged my head a few times too many.

 

Which forum is this anyway? Did Mats Sundin get his Stanley Cup ring delivered from last year? The Leafs won the Stanley Cup last year, right? right?

 

p.-

 

p.s. truly awesome post Solo

Edited October 5, 2008 by Paulus

[solopaddler]

I agree completely. It is a superbly written, masterfully edited, extremely well synthesized piece of angling literature. Never have I been as captivated by such a long account of a fishing trip, on any forum that I've visited. It was almost as good as seeing it on tv, except better: I got to see so many fish close up, and I got to gaze in rapture at the beautiful mountainous landscape, the curving rivers, the slender line as long as I wanted (hours). The voluptuous scenery and full-figured fish have tantalized me beyond my ability to describe. No smoky city bar ever held the attraction or could ever emanate the magnetic appeal of such a sultry account of outdoors enchantment!

 

Sorry... where was I? I hit my head on the wall so hard after reading this post... Solo invited me but I couldn't go. But after seeing all the gorgeous pics, I think I banged my head a few times too many.

 

Which forum is this anyway? Did Mats Sundin get his Stanley Cup ring delivered from last year? The Leafs won the Stanley Cup last year, right? right?

 

p.-

 

p.s. truly awesome post Solo

 

Coming from you that's heady praise buddy.

This spring will be next to impossible, but let's shoot for a Situk trip next year .

You need something to look forward to, keeps you going through the tough times...

[ChrisK]

Finally got the chance to read this one in its entirety.......I didin't want to read it until I could read it all and what a peice of work.....

You know the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" Well this post has got to be worth at least a million...Well done and thanx for taking us there......

[Paulus]

Coming from you that's heady praise buddy.

This spring will be next to impossible, but let's shoot for a Situk trip next year .

You need something to look forward to, keeps you going through the tough times...

 

promises promises lol!

 

I'm going to start saving my pennies right now

 

But now that you're back from Shangri-la, there's no reason to let your arms rust.... I feel the need for chrome (wink wink, nudge nudge).

 

p.-

[TennesseeGuy]

Congratulations for your great trip and equally great report.

[Pachone]

Ive looked at this thread at least 20 times already

[jwl]

wow, thanks for sharing a trip that many only dream of..great collection of pics from that one, i am sure it will be remembered forever

[DRIFTER_016]

Mike

It was great having you and Joe join me for a week of slammin' magnum chromers!!!!

I was debating wether to start my own post about this years trip to the promised land or just add to yours.

So if you don't mind I'll just piggy back on your post. LOL

 

As Mike said, I have been trying to get him to Alaska to fish with me for 5 years.

This years trip started out like the previous five trips. Leave Yellowknife at dawn and start the 3000km trip to South Central Alaska. My route heads south to the McKenzie HWY where I turn west onto the Laird HWY which is 700km of dirt!!!

 

Pulling into Fort Liard to gas up and had to deal with rush hour traffic!!

 

On the ALCAN in Northern BC heading into the Northern Rockies.

 

Once I'm on the Kenai Peninsula this is home

 

As Mike said the Sockeye returns were down 1/2 million fish so there was a lot less food in the water for the Upper Kenai bows and dollies. This is one of those fish that was malnourished.

 

Here's Eric (Alaska's Simms & Sage rep) with another skinny trout.

 

This day with Eric turned out to be one of my most exciting and memorable days ever. We had walked into this hole from the Highway. Not a long journey but a portion is through some bear infested bush. As we were heading out, just about step up onto the bank about 10 yards away a brown bear was coming our way just stepping over a downed tree. By the time she noticed us and stopped she was about 5 yards away!!!

So there we were 15 feet from the biggest bear I have ever seen!!! I had my fishing rod in my right hand and my left on the bear spray in it's holster. Luckily she was not agressive and I never even removed it from it's holster. It was very cool to be that close to a bear that was estimated at 10 feet and 100 pounds (by some of the local guides, I guessed it at 800 or so pounds but I didn't bring my scale )

I wish I was able to get a photo when she was standing in front of the log but didn't have a free hand at the time.

 

In 2003 I met alot of people who had never seen center pin gear and spent alot of time explaining it's use and extolling it's virtues for fishing rivers. One of the first I explained the gear to my a fellow named Paul. I met him on the Anchor River while steelhead fishing. He was fishing the top of a run and I asked if he minded if I dropped in below him. He said go ahead. I made a couple of drifts and he asked about my setup. I showed him how I could fish water that he couldn't using his fly gear. I flipped my float under some over hanging willows protecting the undercut bank across from me, the float moved down stream a bout 15 feet before dissapearing beneath the surface!!! Minutes later I had a 34" buck steelie at my feet. Little did I know what I had done to this poor fellow!!! I met him again the following year and he had a center pin!!!! This was the beginning of the corruption of the Alaskan fly fisher. I call Paul patient zero. LOL

Now 5 years later there are CP fishermen starting to show up here and there. Paul was a fly fishing guide and instructor and had fly fished for more than 30 years. He has now sold all his fly rods and replaced them with 13 and 15 foot float rods.

 

My first day of fishing on the Kenai in 2003 was with a guide named Guy Quinten. We went out a couple of times after that initial guided trip as he wanted to see this strange gear I told him I would use after our fly fishing trip. He was amazed at the super long drag free drifts. We reunited this year and I spent some time teaching him how to cast and handle the outfit. Hehehe.............another fly fisherman converted!!!!

 

Thankfully not all the upper river fish were as anorexic as those first couple.

 

Another of my Alaskan friends, this is Mike and his Golden Retriever Buddy.

 

While sitting in our pontoons taking a break we heard come branches snap behind us..........BEAR.....nah Moose.

 

Next day in the same spot

 

A little while later a family of otters came out of the same spot.

Another friend Tony spends the summers fly in guiding in south central and winters guiding heli skiers in Valdez.........rough life huh?

 

Tony and I had our own bear encounter. We were fishing on an island and this 500-600 pounder repeatedly tried to come and see us, but he finally got tired of us yelling at him and left.

 

Here's a couple of new friends Chuck from Anchorage who I had been in contact with on another board prior to this years trip.

 

And Ricky, a friend of Chuck's who has completed the Iditarod dog sled race 4 times. Both he and Chuck are transplanted Western Newyorkers. Go figure.....

 

The rest has been covered quite well by Mike.

 

See you at Christmas Mikey!!!!

[solopaddler]

Dave, wow man even more incredible photos! Your tale should really be a separate post, hopefully at least a few people get to see your pic's!

 

Cheers bro

Edited October 9, 2008 by solopaddler

[blaque]

Not much i can add to the replies here..........you guys know what you have experienced and in your case drifter, will continue to experience. You already know how unbelievably lucky you are.........the biggest inspiration is the two guys that transitioned from western new york, im from western new york.! I could be those guys someday!! LOL. Maybe, somehow?, someway?........Was funny to scroll down and see a buffalo bills logo appear! I DUNNO MAN, i just dont know how i would make a change like that in my life at 38, where do you get the nads to just do something like that?! Id settle for just going out for a week once a year, but i dont even see that happening with where the economy is headed. Its just tough to sit in front of a computer at work and watch people do this...........but so cool at the sametime. COngratulations to you guys, sincerely, for being DO'ERS!!

[DRIFTER_016]

Not much i can add to the replies here..........you guys know what you have experienced and in your case drifter, will continue to experience. You already know how unbelievably lucky you are.........the biggest inspiration is the two guys that transitioned from western new york, im from western new york.! I could be those guys someday!! LOL. Maybe, somehow?, someway?........Was funny to scroll down and see a buffalo bills logo appear! I DUNNO MAN, i just dont know how i would make a change like that in my life at 38, where do you get the nads to just do something like that?! Id settle for just going out for a week once a year, but i dont even see that happening with where the economy is headed. Its just tough to sit in front of a computer at work and watch people do this...........but so cool at the sametime. COngratulations to you guys, sincerely, for being DO'ERS!!

 

Blaque

 

I left Southern Ontario 3 Years ago for Yellowknife when I was 43. The decision was easy as I was about to go postal on all the loser driving in the Toronto area. There are way too many with me first attitudes there and I just got tired of it. Dude if you want to do it do it.

[blaque]

i hear you loud and clear drifter.....it may just come to that someday,...... (moving to a spectacular area out west, not going Postal) LOL Seriously though, I admire you for realizing your dreams and following your heart. Its not something enough of us do and tend to look back in regret. Im sure it wasnt an easy thing just pickin up and plantin down somewhere new and different, i bet it was alot of work, God bless ya man.