Dave LaCourse
September 7th, 2005, 06:40 PM
I arrived in Anchorage from Kamchatka at 0430 in the a.m. Dead tired,
dirty, and hungry, I checked into the Millennium Hotel on Lake Hood,
had a 'merican breakfast of fried eggs, homefries, bacon and toast in
my room, and collapsed into bed. It was Friday and I had to wait
until Sunday afternoon for my flight to The Sportsman's Lodge on the
Kvichak River just south of Lake Iliamna. I had two days to do
nothing, so I slept and ate, and drank lots of Alaskan brewed beer at
the bar.
We arrived at the lodge on Sunday afternoon to lots of rain and high
winds. After a nice dinner, I slept for nine hours. The trip to
Kamchatka really had an effect on me as far as exhaustion was
concerned. After breakfast we suited up and hopped in the DeHavilland
Beaver for a short flight to the output of Kukaklek Lake. Called the
Little Ku by the lodge personnel, it is actually the headwaters of the
very famous Alagnak River. We fished with egg patterns (actually
beads) in rain driven by a high wind. Fishing conditions were
horrible, but catching conditions were wonderful. Within minutes we
each had some nice rainbows. My largest that day was 28 inches. I
was amazed at how fat they were. We fished while the guides got the
two rafts ready to float.
The float was only about 5 miles, but we must have each taken 40 fish,
some small, but most in the 20 - 26 inch range and my 28 incher. We
stopped about half way for lunch and the guides managed to build a
fire with wood they had stashed on their last trip. It was good to
sit next to a fire in the rain and enjoy the warmth and smell, and sip
freshly brewed coffee while munching on a turkey sandwich. Better
than a Kamchatka lunch for sure! After lunch I lay down on the
tundra, pulled my SST hood over my face, and took a 30 minute
refreshing nap. The guides said I snore. .
Part of the joys and adventures of The Sportsman's Lodge are the daily
fly-outs in the Beaver. The sights from 2500 feet are incredible, and
when you fly low over rivers, you can see the salmon stacked up ready
to spawn. On Tuesday, we flew to The Kamishak. It is a river that
empties into Cook Inlet just to the north of Kodiak. We were after
Silvers and caught a few, but not as many as last year. The Silver or
Coho run was just about finished. I took the first fish, about 9 or
10 pounds, and the guide killed it. It would be our lunch, along with
home fried potatoes and a salad. Life is good.
After lunch we went up river for Dolly Vardens using 6 weights. With
almost a fish on every cast, it was a hoot landing these brightly
colored char. They measured in the high teens, mid 20s. Unlike
Rainbows and Silvers, Dollies don't jump, but they put up a hell of a
fight
dirty, and hungry, I checked into the Millennium Hotel on Lake Hood,
had a 'merican breakfast of fried eggs, homefries, bacon and toast in
my room, and collapsed into bed. It was Friday and I had to wait
until Sunday afternoon for my flight to The Sportsman's Lodge on the
Kvichak River just south of Lake Iliamna. I had two days to do
nothing, so I slept and ate, and drank lots of Alaskan brewed beer at
the bar.
We arrived at the lodge on Sunday afternoon to lots of rain and high
winds. After a nice dinner, I slept for nine hours. The trip to
Kamchatka really had an effect on me as far as exhaustion was
concerned. After breakfast we suited up and hopped in the DeHavilland
Beaver for a short flight to the output of Kukaklek Lake. Called the
Little Ku by the lodge personnel, it is actually the headwaters of the
very famous Alagnak River. We fished with egg patterns (actually
beads) in rain driven by a high wind. Fishing conditions were
horrible, but catching conditions were wonderful. Within minutes we
each had some nice rainbows. My largest that day was 28 inches. I
was amazed at how fat they were. We fished while the guides got the
two rafts ready to float.
The float was only about 5 miles, but we must have each taken 40 fish,
some small, but most in the 20 - 26 inch range and my 28 incher. We
stopped about half way for lunch and the guides managed to build a
fire with wood they had stashed on their last trip. It was good to
sit next to a fire in the rain and enjoy the warmth and smell, and sip
freshly brewed coffee while munching on a turkey sandwich. Better
than a Kamchatka lunch for sure! After lunch I lay down on the
tundra, pulled my SST hood over my face, and took a 30 minute
refreshing nap. The guides said I snore. .
Part of the joys and adventures of The Sportsman's Lodge are the daily
fly-outs in the Beaver. The sights from 2500 feet are incredible, and
when you fly low over rivers, you can see the salmon stacked up ready
to spawn. On Tuesday, we flew to The Kamishak. It is a river that
empties into Cook Inlet just to the north of Kodiak. We were after
Silvers and caught a few, but not as many as last year. The Silver or
Coho run was just about finished. I took the first fish, about 9 or
10 pounds, and the guide killed it. It would be our lunch, along with
home fried potatoes and a salad. Life is good.
After lunch we went up river for Dolly Vardens using 6 weights. With
almost a fish on every cast, it was a hoot landing these brightly
colored char. They measured in the high teens, mid 20s. Unlike
Rainbows and Silvers, Dollies don't jump, but they put up a hell of a
fight