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THE FISHING

Sunday, 22 August:  Today we headed to Unalakleet River Lodge (www.unalakleet.com) to begin five days of fishing for silver salmon.  We took a 14-seat plane flight from Anchorage to the Eskimo (Inupiat) village of Unalakleet, some 125 miles southeast of Nome at the mouth of the Unalakleet River.  Upon arrival we were met by lodge owner Sally Appel and several staff members.  While waiting for luggage, Sally asked us if we knew a fellow named Ben Hall from Poronui Ranch, New Zealand.  We said “absolutely” and Sally then said, “Great because Ben says he knows you and he’s going to be your guide this week.”  Talk about a small world among fly fishing anglers!  The icing on the cake was learning that Claire, Ben’s wife and the chef and newly appointed Assistant Manager of Poronui, was also at Unalakleet River Lodge too.  After everyone got baggage we were transferred to the lodge boat for a 20-minute ride up the river.  The weather was unseasonably warm, almost 80 degrees.  We arrived at the lodge and were greeted by Ben and Claire and the balance of the Unalakleet River Lodge staff.  We settled into our cabin and got rods ready for tomorrow’s fishing.  Then we went up a hill to the main lodge to socialize and enjoy the views and ambience.

Monday, 23 August:  Ben took us up the Unalakleet River for our first day of fishing.  At our initial stop after only a couple of casts, Ed hooked into a beauty.  It took about 30 minutes to land this 29”x20”, 14 lb. silver salmon.  Wow, what a way to start!  At the next spot, Lindy caught and released her first ever salmon, a 7 lb. silver.  Then, we found a “honey hole” where we fished most of the balance of the day.  It was an amazing spot!  The three of us took turns catching these great fighters.  We caught some 30-40 fish with Lindy landing two 27” silvers.  She also caught her first chum salmon, a 32”x17”, 12 lb. fighter.

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Tuesday, 24 August:  Today Ben suggested we try the North River.  It was an excellent choice.  As the birthday boy, Ed was first to cast and boy did he do great.  On that first cast, Ed hooked into a real beauty.  After this 30 minute fight, Ed successfully landed his biggest silver to date, a 30”x20”, 15 lb. monster.  Quite the accomplishment on an 8 wt. rod with 12 lb. tippet!  Anyway, we were all excited and it was the perfect birthday present.  We continued to fish the North River the balance of the day.  The highlight for Lindy was a 29”x18”, 12 lb. silver.  It too was her largest (remember, she caught her very first silver salmon yesterday).  Then Ben also caught a 12 lb., 28”x18” silver.  Again, these are just the highlights as we also caught some 25-30 silvers in the 6-9 lb. range.  They are all great fighters but the double-digit beauties are really a treat.  Speaking of treats, we also saw two grizzly bear cubs when we came boating around a corner.  They were curious and didn’t run immediately so we had some time to take them in.  This evening, Chef Tim prepared a delicious prime rib dinner and Claire made Ed a special birthday brownie.  All and all it was a terrific way for Ed to enjoy turning 65!

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Wednesday, 25 August:  Midweek, Jeff & Sally Appel host a shore lunch for guests and staff, a treat not to be missed.  So, we headed up the North River until our rendezvous for lunch.  We did okay catching 3-4 fish each but the silvers weren’t as turned on as they had been the prior day.  However, we all turned on for lunch.  Jeff did the salmon burgers and home-fries over an open fire.  Delicious!  After lunch we headed up the Unalakleet River.  We previously had coordinated for Claire to fish with us that afternoon.  Again, the fishing was slow compared to the previous days.  That being said, we all caught 3-4 fish each.  The highlight for everyone was a 12 lb. beauty caught by Claire.  Just check out the smiles of both Claire and her husband/guide, Ben!

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Thursday, 26 August:  Today the fish once again were on the fly.  We spent the day fishing four spots on the Unalakleet, boating some 30-40 fish.  Then, talk about some double-digit action.  Ed began with morning with another monster.  He again landed a 30”x20”, 15 lb. silver.  Hey, when you’re hot, you’re hot!  Lindy too got into the action by landing her own 30”x20”, 15 lb. silver.  Hey, her third new record catch (1^st silver ever; 12 lb. beauty and now a 15 lb. monster).  Wow!  Now today Ben didn’t catch any monsters (just those regular 7-8 lb. fighters) but he did catch a nice grayling and a pink salmon to add a bit of variety to the day.  Lastly, in the early morning we had the pleasure of hearing two wolves calling to one another.  A true treat of Alaska!

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Friday, 27 August:  Our last day of fishing was spent on the North River.  Again, the fish were on the fly so we landed 30-40 of these guys.  Ben took the biggest fish of the day, a beautiful 30”x18” silver.  During the day, Lindy caught her first pink salmon.  Then, Ed landed a nice (3-4 lb.) dolly varden.  We ended the day with a couple of doubles.  Ben acted as cameraman catching the last double on our video camera.  It was a terrific way to end an extraordinary week of fishing.

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Saturday, 28 August:  This morning we all woke up to a fog and smoke so thick you could only see a few feet away.  Those who had hoped for a few hours of fishing before departure were kept off the river for safety.  The fog was exacerbated by smoke from fires in the interior of the State.  As we had a late morning brunch the fog began to lift slightly.  So, all being optimistic, we headed to Unalakleet via boat to catch our 2:00PM flight to Anchorage.  Unfortunately, however, our flight was unable to land after three aborted attempts.  However, Sally came to the rescue.  She contacted an airfreight company with planes in the area and came up with an alternate plan.  We ended up chartering flights to Nome and then catching Alaska Air back into Anchorage.  Thanks to everyone’s efforts we made it to Anchorage about 11:00PM with an additional adventure to share.

THE SETTING

Unalakleet River Lodge is in a pristine setting overlooking the Unalakleet River.  The main building is set on top of a hill accessed by a boardwalk.  It has a large social area and dining area plus a bar.  It’s the perfect place to unwind at the end of a day’s fishing.  Angler accommodations are in separate cabins along the walkway.  These are very cozy, en suite accommodations with all the touches you expect at a luxury lodge.

The food was outstanding!  A really nice touch was having fresh-baked cookies available almost at all hours as well having a bowl of chocolates for those quick “pick me ups.”  Our farewell dinner was a wonderful feast of Alaskan King Crab.  Truly outstanding and a great way to end a week of fantastic fishing!  

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