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Sunday, 4 September:  We arrived in the village of Unalakleet, on the Bering Sea some 125 miles southeast of Nome, at 3:00PM.  We were met by lodge owners, Sally & Jeff Appel.  We then learned we once again had a Kiwi guide but it wasn’t the “world famous Ben Hall” with whom we had fished last year.  Instead, we fished with Leon McCarthy, one of Ben’s co-guides at Poronui Ranch in New Zealand (also one of our favorites!).  We spent the afternoon getting settled in and then went to the main lodge to catch up on happenings (both fishing and non-fishing) since our last visit.

There was one new enhancement at the lodge that was amazing.  It now boasts a cable car (or “buggy”) to transport guests from the river cabins up to the main lodge.  Talk about impressive!!  (Unfortunately, we didn't take a photo!)

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Monday, 5 September:  Our first day on the river was great.  The weather was chilly but not as cold as we expected during the lodge’s final week of fishing.  We began our fishing with some small silver salmon (under 10 lbs.).  However, Ed got things off to a bang by getting a 33”x20” beauty (~16.5 lbs).  Lindy got into the act by successfully landing a 32”x22” (~19.5 lbs) before lunch. We had our first “double” – two fish on at once – after lunch.  Ed then successfully landed another  30"x22" while Lindy got a few more smaller salmon.  Then Ed finished the day with a 32”x22”, ~19.5lb fish.  We also got Leon to take a rod and he landed a 30”x20” that the guys estimated at 15 lbs.  So, a good day was had by all.

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Tuesday, 6 September:  This was one of the days that captures every angler.  We successfully landed 28 silvers!  Throughout the day, we had the fun of four doubles:  two being Lindy and Ed; one being Lindy and Leon; and the last being Ed and Leon.  The big threat of the day was Ed’s landing of a 33”x22” monster weighing 20 lbs.  Simply amazing and a wonderful thrill.  Needless to say, an outstanding day!

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Wednesday, 7 September:  We opted for a more relaxing fishing experience so we went up the North River to fish for grayling.  It’s sure nice to cast a 5 wt. rod after a couple of days of using an 8 wt. rod.  This fishing too was excellent!  We had lots of fun catching & releasing these beautiful fish.  The highlights of the day were Ed’s 20” grayling and Lindy’s 19” grayling.

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Thursday, 8 September:  Today we were once again rested and ready to do battle with those feisty silver salmon.  To our delight, we actually landed 30 silvers.  Ed didn’t manage another member of the “20 lb. Club” but he did get a couple of 32”x20” beauties.  Again, we had numerous doubles.  We returned to the lodge and had a send-off dinner and party for Margie, one of the lodge’s two chefs.  Margie too works at Poronui Ranch as one of the chefs.  We had a terrific time (and a long celebration) as our 2:30AM bedtime suggests.

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Friday, 9 September:  Despite the late evening, we were ready for more fishing on our final day at Unalakleet River Lodge.   We (Lindy, Ed & Leon) decided to shoot for a triple while doing some bank fishing.  We had so many doubles throughout the week that we thought it might be possible.  And….. we did it twice!!  What a thrill (and also a bit of chaos).  Ed was able to capture the three-rod hookup and successful release of the fish on video.  We also got some great stills.  In addition to this fun, Ed managed to land five silvers over 30”long, the biggest being 33”x21” weighing 18.2 lbs.  Lindy also caught a beautiful 32”x22” silver.  Leon too caught a beauty over 30” during one of our doubles.

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Saturday, 10 September:  We enjoyed a relaxing morning and leisurely packed our gear.  We then headed up to the lodge for coffee and conversation.  About 10:00AM we went with Leon for a walk on the tundra above Sally and Jeff’s cabin.  The scenery was beautiful but the nasty "White Sox" were out in force.  Unfortunately, our walk ended up being a short one as none of us had thought about bug repellent.  Big mistake in Alaska.  Oh well, we all survived albeit with numerous bites (we’ll know better next year).

We enjoyed a delicious brunch and then Jeff and Brian drove us back to Unalakleet in the boat.  We were also joined by Leon as he was returning back to Taupo, New Zealand (via Los Angeles and a side trip to Disney World) for a bit of relaxation before commencing his fly fishing season back home.

We were sad to leave. It was a wonderful week of fishing and camaraderie!  We did so without tears, however, as we’ll be back to Unalakleet River Lodge in 2006!

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