We had the pleasure of working with Alaska Sportsman's Lodge on this short film. The rainbow trout of the Iliamna drainage are the hottest trout on planet Earth. Even avid steelheaders admit that these fish are on par with their chrome pursuits. The immediate chaos that these larger rainbows cause in the boat is pure comedy, and sometimes tragedy (as many anglers lose the largest trout of their lives here). Any guide who has worked in the region will never forget the first time they witnessed the "Trout of Steel" at full force.
For Leighan Falley, Alaska is more than home — it’s a calling. Leighan spent years as a ski guide and climber on the Alaskan range, focusing much of her energy on Denali. But after becoming a mother, she found herself unwilling to pursue guiding (and the dangers that come with it), instead taking to the skies as mountain pilot. Follow Leighan on the Alaskan adventures that enrich her life and legacy in Denali’s Raven.
We had the opportunity to spend a week with Talaheim Lodge in the summer of 2016. Everyday offered incredible sight fishing for trout, char, and silver salmon. Our last day we had the opportunity to throw poppers to voracious Dolly Varden Char and Rainbow Trout. As the saying goes, "Once You Pop, You Can't Stop"!
See what it's like to adventure in one of our planet's last great wildernesses - the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A visit to the Alaskan Arctic is unlike any other - abundant wildlife, twenty-four hour sun, towering mountains, and a 14 million acre playground of solitude. Matt and Emily Thoft are Alaska bush pilots that spend every summer showing people this magnificent region of the world. Their lodge base and plane-access gives them ultimate freedom in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But, it's their passion and sense of wonder in this place that is so inspiring.
Iliamna Lake in Southwest Alaska is the beginning and end for millions of sockeye salmon each year, providing resources for developing juvenile salmon and miles of suitable spawning habitat for returning adults. This video highlights the end of the sockeye salmon migration in the streams of Iliamna Lake, and celebrates the amazing life cycle of sockeye salmon that is critical to this pristine wilderness and the many people who depend on this great resource.
Each year as I assist with field research for the Alaska Salmon Program in Bristol Bay's watersheds, I carry around video equipment to capture footage that I hope will inspire people to appreciate wild landscapes like Iliamna Lake and our sustainable natural resources like it's native sockeye salmon.
As always, many thanks to my coworkers and friends who help make these videos possible.
'The power of imagination makes us infinite' - John Muir. A visual nature essay from the costal wilderness of Southern Alaska; water, mist, mountains, glaciers, icebergs, whales, fjords, forests and bears. Wild Alaska was filmed during an expedition in July 2015.
From the Filmmakers: A group of friends go Tenkara fishing in Alaska for salmon and hungry rainbow trout. Will the tenkara rods hold up against the fish of the last frontier?
Alaska is filled full of amazing experiences. It was wonderful to see these bears fishing, wrestling, teaching their cubs how to survive, and just existing in a way that was completely natural for them. It was challenging to film along the river beds because we were using the same paths bears were to get to the river. We had to keep checking behind us to make sure we were not being joined by a much bigger, fuzzier, companion. Enjoy!