During a visit to Ketchikan a few years ago, we heard rumors of orcas huddled in a nearby cove, so we hopped in our rental car for some exploring. After searching the area for a half hour, a most peculiar thing happened: the two-lane asphalt road stopped, ending as suddenly as the Sopranos finale. Ahead was a steep wall of forest thicket and rock. A U-turn was the only move.
Because of its uncompromising landscape, Alaska is not your traditional road trip destination, but from many of its charming, snow-globe towns, it’s just a float plane or ferry ride to world-renowned fishing for salmon, halibut, lingcod and rockfish.
1. Ketchikan
Yes, it’s a sleepy cruise port with the requisite jewelry and trinket shops, but you’re a quick trip to the rich salmon grounds of the Inside Passage. Our fishing lodge of choice is Waterfall Resort on the western edge of Prince of Wales Island, a 2,700-square-mile land mass of green conifers and dirty-blonde tundra. Nutrient-rich runoff feeds swirling ocean currents, making Waterfall a feeding ground and migratory crossroads for salmon. The resort has a fleet of rugged but comfy aluminum North River boats, made for the elements and speedy runs to various coves and points where kings and silvers become fish-box fodder.
Upon arrival, Waterfall guests spend their first evening at the Cape Fox Hotel. Check in, walk downhill into town for a meal at 108 Tap House and Burger Bar (try the 108 burger with an elk patty), then stop in for a spruce tip ale at Bawden Street Brewing Company.
2. Sitka
Southeast Alaska (a three-hour flight from Seattle) is a temperate rainforest that’s home to a rich and diverse biomass. Bear sightings are regular. Bald eagles are as common as seagulls in South Florida. And every summer, the salmon run inspires anglers to join a phenomenon unlike any other in nature.
“It’s like magic,” says Joshua Badder, co-owner of Wild Strawberry Lodge in Sitka. “Thousands and thousands of these fish run upstream. It draws in the birds, the bears and the people. Being in those streams in your waders, surrounded by these fish, there’s nothing like it in the world.”
Located in the heart of Sitka a short walk from the marina, Wild Strawberry offers expertly organized multi-day, immersive fishing charters. “Each client is leaving the Sitka airport with 50 to 100 pounds of fish,” says Badder. While king and silver salmon make up the bulk of the poundage, lingcod, halibut and rockfish are a regular part of the mix.
The lodge’s all-inclusive package covers airport transfer, tackle, rain gear, processing and shipping your catch, and an impressive daily menu that features two seafood entrees and a non-seafood option, plus a full-size refrigerator to accommodate guests’ snacks and drinks.
3. King Salmon
Each summer, like clockwork, a half dozen species of salmon return to the rivers around Bristol Bay, and Chip Ferguson from Alaska Rainbow Lodge is in the middle of the action. Here amongst picturesque tundra bordered by snow-capped mountains and drained with rocky creeks, swift rivers and shallow bays, fly anglers are shuttled daily to remote destinations aboard a float-equipped Beaver aircraft.
Ferguson’s voice gets excited when he describes the take. “They’ll miss the lure, and I have to throw it back in and entice them to bite,” says Ferguson. Once he hooks a silver, the fish pulls and runs erratically. “Just when I think I beat it, the fish takes another run,” he says.
To experience the salmon run in a more accessible area, one has to fish shoulder to shoulder with other anglers. But the hinterlands of Bristol Bay are inaccessible by land. “This is not for the weekend warrior,” Ferguson jokes. But the effort to reach the remote waters is worth it for incredible views and untouched fishing.
4. Homer
Luxurious cabins, remote splendor and excellent fishing are hallmarks of Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge, the upscale resort near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. Family-owned for three generations, it features beautiful ocean and mountain views from all of five cabins, each of which can accommodate 10 to 14 guests. The lodge is popular with celebrities; Meta-man Mark Zuckerberg visited a few years back.
If not traveling directly to the lodge by helicopter or floatplane, typical arrivals involve a flight or car trip from Anchorage. Guests are picked up at Homer Boat Harbor for the 30-minute run across Kachemak Bay.
The fleet includes a 17-foot Boston Whaler, two 21-foot Boston Whalers, and two 22-foot aluminum Hewescrafts. Fish from shore or by boat near the lodge and in Kachemak Bay. Target species include salmon, flounder, halibut and various rockfishes.
The lodge also offers guided excursions including brown bear viewing at Katmai National Park.
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What To Pack: Be prepared for a wide array of weather: fog, drizzle, wind, intense sun, rain, chill. You’ll likely go from bundled up under foul-weather gear in the morning to stripping down to a T-shirt and pants by afternoon. If you’re staying at a lodge, rain gear and boots are typically provided.
