Alaska Fly Fishing Trip

My dad hated the cold but he loved to fish.  As a boy growing up in Wyoming he learned the art of fly fishing.  He also learned to live through several frigid winters and decided he had had enough of the cold climate and settled in sunny California.  As a child we traveled with him to various locations for fishing adventures. We mostly traveled the West coast and down into Mexico where the climate is traditionally very temperate. We never took an Alaska fly fishing trip, much to my disappointment.
 
The Alaskan wilderness is vast, rugged and beautiful, with an abundance of wildlife and waters teeming with fish.  An Alaskan adventure has always been a dream of mine.  My brother-in-law, Sam, a fishing enthusiast, has a friend with a fishing yacht in Alaska (the best type of friend to have if you enjoy fishing and yachting!)  He has gotten to experience the thrill of catching a beautiful, large Alaskan King Salmon that is cleaned, cut into filets and then immediately frozen right onboard the yacht.  They have anchored or docked near small historical towns. This has fulfilled his dream of an Alaska fly fishing trip. 

An Alaska fly fishing trip is the extreme fishing experience. You have to constantly be on the lookout for our large bear friends.  It is after all, their territory and they have been fishing these waters long before anyone else.  I can just imagine the site of a large bear tromping through the water and thrusting one of his huge arms down into the water and it coming back up with a large salmon clutched in those massive claws.  Sam has returned with many a story of his adventurous Alaska fly fishing trip. On one such occasion an eagle swooped down from the blue Alaskan sky and snatched a just hooked salmon right off his line.  It would be disappointing to lose such a prize catch but the thrill of seeing these birds and other animals in the wild would be worth it all. 

Have I mentioned the moose?  When I think of moose I think of friendly old Bullwinkle. But the moose in the wild are not so friendly and quite large when seen up close and personal.  A cow with a calf is one to be avoided at all costs.  Take a picture at a distance… a long distance!  When traveling into an area that is a wildlife refuge or sanctuary it is vitally important to respect the wild animals living in these areas.  They are very protective of their cubs and their territory.

 It would be wise to plan your first Alaska fly fishing trip with an experienced guide.  They know the area and the animals.  They also know what equipment you will need and will provide most of it for you.  Look online, check with a friend or colleague and compare prices.