No See Um '14

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We enjoyed yet another great visit at No See Um Lodge! The fishing was excellent, the fly-outs amazing and we love the Alaskan wilderness – it’s so beautiful! Below is a summary of our daily activities along with some photographs (of course!)

Monday, 1 September: We flew to King Salmon via a TransNorthern charter flight (great way to travel in a DC3 tail-wheeler). Once there, we were met by John Holman, pilot/principal of No See Um Lodge, as well as Chris Anderson, a pilot/guide and number one man at the lodge. After gathering up luggage and spending a short time at Eddie’s (enjoying freshly brewed coffee), our group was transferred to the lodge via No See Um's three Beaver float planes. Everyone quickly settled into their accommodations and we enjoyed a wonderful Reuben sandwich prepared by Chef Gerald, assisted by his team of Katrina and Saoirse. Afterwards we enjoyed a couple of hours of fishing on the Kvichak River. Dave served as our guide and we were accompanied by fellow anglers, John & John. We had a bouncy ride to/from the braids, but we all enjoyed catching a few rainbows (most between 16-18 inches in length). The day was a bit overcast but still very warm for September. It was a great way to warm up for the week of fishing.

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	The Great Non-Guide Team (right to left: Chef Gerald, Melissa, Katrina & Saoirsi)
	Ready for anglers & guides in the main dining area (this is just one of three tables)

Tuesday, 2 September: Today with fished the Lower American with Caleb. We used a boat stationed there to work our way into various areas of the river. It was a pretty amazing day! We must have caught about 100 fish each – albeit many small ones. We each landed some really nice fish – including Ed having a 24 inch male char in full spawning coloration. Unfortunately, no photo of the big one as we weren’t quick enough before it was released by Caleb. Oh well, we all enjoyed seeing such a beautiful char! We returned back to the lodge near 5:00PM and then we enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails and sharing stories of the day with our fellow anglers. Afterwards we enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by Chef Gerald. Before retiring for bed for the evening, we sipped a nice glass of red wine thanks to the staff pre-placing a beautiful carafe and two wine glasses in our honeymoon cabin (Thanks, Melissa, Katrina & Saoirsi!). Then, it was time for some well-deserved rest.

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	Ed standing by NSU's collection of antlers as we head to the dock to board one of the float planes
	A beautiful char with its colorful markings
	This bear is enjoying a fresh fish snack
	A really nice char and you can see the beautiful setting of the Lower American River
	This is one huge bear
	Caleb parking "the limo" now that we're done fishing for the day

[T O P]

Wednesday, 3 September: This morning were we up very early and we left the dock just as the sun was rising. Our quest was to fish Tularik Creek, a spot that is worshiped in fishing legends and a place we had not fished in our prior ten years at the lodge. It was still a bit dark when we left so Chris used all his “IFR” (I Follow Rivers) skills so that we flew and landed safely and then had the spot to ourselves.

And, yes, the legend lived up to its name. We had an amazing day! We fished the Creek as well as its outlet to Lake Iliamna. The results were unbelievable! Of course, we each had a few rainbows near 20 inches in length. But, then came the big beauties! Ed actually had an amazing “stack” of these rainbow trout. That is, he landed and released a 24 inch trout, several 25 inch trout, a 26 inch trout, several 27 inch trout and, the icing on the cake – a 28.5 inch trout. This is fishing nirvana! Lindy too enjoyed some amazing fishing - catching and releasing several 25 - 27 inch trout. Wow, what a great day; one that we will never forget!

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	Tularik Creek - it's known for great fishing - not natural beauty
	Another view of the Creek with Lake Iliamna on its right side
	Chris & Lindy enjoying the early morning sun together
	Ed and Chris with a 25 inch rainbow; what a beauty!
	Before picking up this next fish, the guys take a quick measurement
	We have a 26 inch rainbow; job well done!
	Lindy and Chris with Lindy's own 26 inch rainbow
	Chris and Ed on the hunt for monster rainbow
	Taping the biggest trout of our day....
	Look at that beautiful 28.5 inch rainbow; wow, this is an amazing Alaskan trout!
	Chris is landing the Beaver of Lake Iliamna to pick up our group so that we have sufficient "runway" to take off
	Another snap of this beautiful float plane as it arrives at our pick-up point to return to No See Um Lodge

We also had a great treat that evening. After enjoying happy hour with our fellow anglers, we then had a great pasta dinner followed by…. Surprise, Baked Alaska! It was a delicious and wonderful surprise to enjoy this very elegant dessert in the Alaskan wilderness!

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Thursday, 4 September: Unlike the mild, balmy days we enjoyed thus far, today it was rainy, windy & cold. We had intended to fish the Becharof Wilderness area but weather en route prevented us from going there. Instead, we fished the renowned Brooks River. Our guide was once again Dave and he did a great job. Despite the nasty conditions, Dave positioned us such that we could use the wind to our advantage to try for some feisty rainbow trout. Of course, we had to yield quite frequently to the bears – our fellow anglers. That being said, we had great success on both the Lower Brooks and Upper Brooks. It was an excellent day of fishing!

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	The official arrival sign at Lake Brooks
	Lindy holding a nice trout in non- professional guide position (i.e., hiding its tail & holding it sideways); oh well, gotta try it occasionally
	A nice snack for this bear during one of the day's many rain showers
	Ed fighting a nice trout
	Success! Dave & Ed with Ed's 24 inch rainbow!
	A bear strolling along the Upper Brooks River
	Lindy with a nice rainbow

[T O P]

Friday, 5 September: Today we went out with John Holman – acting as both our pilot and our guide – to one of our favorite rivers, The Morraine. John arranged for us to have a mild hike to/from the river (Thanks, John!). The weather was a bit overcast with misty rain; nothing that wasn’t manageable. Once on the river, we were on to fish immediately. The water was not too high (unlike in the prior year) so we were able to fish many different pockets of fish in the area. Of course, there was lots of bear activity but these guys were simply fishing too! We took a break for a warm beverage just before noon. Shortly after that time, we were joined by John & John and Guide Dave, as fishing on another stretch of the river was not as active. Unfortunately, one of the fellows had waded into water that went above his waders, so he was wet. Not good on any day, no less on a September day. John Holman, being the wonderful guy he is, hiked back to the plane to get another set of waders and dry clothes for our cold angler to switch in. Talk about customer service!

While John was gone we enjoyed our lunch and then returned to fishing. After John returned he too had lunch and then rejoined us on the water. We continued to enjoy a great day of fishing. The highlights included Lindy’s 25 inch rainbow as well as Ed’s final fish before we had to hike out to the plane – a 24 inch beauty. It was the perfect ending to the day’s fishing.

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	The boys begin the morning with a nice 22 inch rainbow
	One of the many other anglers on The Morraine this morning
	Lindy gets started with a 21 inch rainbow
	Ed and John with another really nice, fat rainbow trout
	Another guy guy on the water in search of salmon
	John holding Lindy's 25 inch rainbow; what a beauty!
	On his final cast, Ed hooks and lands this beautifully colored 24 inch rainbow; great way to end our day!

[T O P]

Saturday, 6 September: Today we had enjoyed a float trip on the lovely Gibraltar River. It was our first time to fish with Jason, the newest No See Um Lodge guide. We found him to be a terrific individual and a great guide. On the upper river, we both enjoyed some great fishing. Ed hooked and released six beautiful rainbows. Unfortunately, however, Ed for no known reason had his back go out. Never fun especially when one is out on a float trip. While Lindy continued to fish, Ed was relegated to trying to relax in the inflatable raft. At the end of the day, we were picked up at the mouth of the Gibraltar by John Holman. After we returned to the lodge, Ed enjoyed a stiff cocktail (great for pain relief) and then Katrina gave us a “corn heating pad” (a cloth sack filled with corn that she heated in a microwave oven). It truly helped ease Ed’s muscle pain.

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	The float begins with Jason ready to man the oars
	A view of Lindy fishing in this lovely setting on a beautiful day

[T O P]

Sunday, 7 September: On this our last day of fishing this year at No See Um Lodge, we had asked John the previous night for an easy day without wading. John came through by suggesting that we fish the Kvichak River braids using a boat for access to/from the area so that we could control how long we wanted to be on the river. Thankfully, it was a beautiful calm day so the ride was quite nice unlike the 1 Sept bumpy ride. In summary, we enjoyed a great half-day of fishing. Despite his back pain, Ed landed a 26 inch beauty as well as a 23 inch rainbow. These trout were in addition to numerous smaller rainbows and graylings that we both caught. Once back at the lodge, we relaxed until the rest of the anglers returned.

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	Sunrise over the Kvichak (this photo is not retouched or enhanced in any way); Wow!
	Caleb holding Ed's 23 inch rainbow; nice trout!
	This 26 inch rainbow - a real Kvichak beauty - was the way to finish our week of No See Um Lodge fishing!

[T O P]

Then, everyone enjoyed a great happy hour (and Ed savored Katrina’s corn heating pad) followed by Chef Gerald’s perfectly prepared prime rib. It was an excellent meal to end an excellent week of fishing!

Monday, 8 September: This morning everyone enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast (compared to our earlier 5:30AM get-togethers for early departures). After savoring the last of our wonderful “made-to-order” breakfasts, we left No See Um (it’s truly amazing that Chef Gerald is a short-order cook in the morning and a gourmet chef in the evening). Afterwards, Ed in particular enjoyed a very special Beaver flight back to King Salmon (Thank you, Chris!). At approximately 11:00AM, it was time for us to catch the TransNorthern charter back to Anchorage as the incoming guests began their week-long adventure.

	The Baked Alaska as presented at the table
	A side view of this delectable, delicious dessert