Alaska, I salute you.

Many writers have opined about the greatness the Alaskan outdoors has to offer the individual looking for mountains, rivers, lakes, wild life, fish, and more fish… well, everything. So I’m going to spare you the long prose and give a big thanks to some of the finest fly shops on the planet - definitely the finest outside the lower 48: Mt. View Sports (see Brian behind the counter); Mossy’s Fly Shop (Mike is a big guy, but don’t be afraid); 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle (they got what you need); and even though they had just closed for the season Kenai Cache. The side trip north through Wasilla to visit my cousin’s family was a treat as well.

After the work was done (like talking about fishing and fishing gear to other fishing nuts is work) I spent two days living out of the back of my rental car traveling up and down the Kenai Peninsula as a fully committed fishing bum. By the end of the week I smelled so bad I bought baby-wipes to clean up a little bit.

The temperatures never got above 39 degrees and at nights I slept in all of my layers and a cold weather sleeping bag to ward off the 20 degree and below nights. Upside to that is I never had to worry about my food going bad as I had a built-in freezer / refrigerator. Below are some shots of the first section I fished – side note: I don’t take a lot of fish photos unless they are somehow different from the ba-zillion other fish I have caught (yeah, I said ba-zillion).

The second and third day I spent fishing an area that I shall not divulge, even under extreme duress, to any one who does not offer large sums of money. This area was by far the best in all respects. It was more remote with a lengthy hike into it. The landscape was full of awe and beauty, and the fish were much, much bigger.

Day two in this beautiful spot.

Usually by this time of year there is snow. I really don’t like snow and was grateful it hadn’t arrived yet. I hope you enjoy the photo essay of my trip (click on the photo for more info):