The Fly Out team had the opportunity stay a few days with Crystal Creek Lodge on the Naknek River in Bristol Bay, Alaska this past summer. As expected, Katie and I arrived to a well oiled staff and guide crew, with everyone being incredibly friendly, making us feel like part of the gang. We fished and filmed for two days in early July with Dan Michels and his crew of pro guides - Alex Oberholtzer and Aaron Rogers-Richter. The first day, we flew all the way down to the Alaska Peninsula past Ugashik Bay to fish a little-known river for King Salmon. The authentic Bristol Bay snot was in full force, so the skies were a bit gray for the cameras. However, we did find plenty of hot King Salmon and Chum Salmon that were very accessible with the fly rod. You can see scenes from that day in our short film - Long Live the King (showing at the Fly Fishing Film Tour).
The following day, we took a quick trip to a very small wadable creek in Katmai National Park. Alex flew the plane, walked us across the tundra, and put us on 5 species of fish in a matter of 4 hours. See the short video above for a quick summary of that day.
I can confidently say that Crystal Creek Lodge is the nicest lodge facility I have ever been to in Alaska. In addition to their incredible accommodations, the dining program is top tier. But besides all of that, the genuinity of the staff, the welcomed feeling and the atmosphere is what makes CCL special. If you want the authentic Alaska experience, you can find it here.
The world’s longest ongoing salmon research reveals the astounding complexity of wild ecosystems.
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Scientist Daniel Schindler and his daughter, Luna, watch the "red wave" of sockeye salmon navigate up Sam Creek, home to one of the earliest-spawning populations in Alaska's Bristol Bay ecosystem. by Jonny Armstrong
Don't take our word for it - Read the article on the world's longest ongoing salmon research from Daniel Schindler and why Bristol Bay deserves our attention and protection. Read the article.
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on Wednesday, 08 January 2014.
Posted in Article, News
A fantastic audio interview from Ashley Ahearn of EarthFix with Jim Lichatowich, the author of the new book, "Salmon, People, and Place". Lichatowich is a biologist who has worked as a researcher, manager, and scientific advisor for more than 40 years. In this audio piece, he gives a glimpse of his book which explores the problems wild salmon face in our complex world. Particularly, he speaks on the philosophical shift on the use of hatcheries.
From the interview:
"The fish factory and the machine metaphor are a perfect match. The mechanistic worldview reduced salmon-sustaining ecosystems to an industrial process and rivers to simple conduits whose only function was to carry artificially-propagated salmon to the sea. The mechanistic worldview still has a powerful grip on salmon management and restoration programs in spite of a growing scientific understanding that the picture of ecosystems created by the machine metaphor was seriously flawed."
A very interesting article when thinking about salmon conservation in the state of Alaska, and the direction we are going. See the full article at EarthFix
Every year, when the Alaska fishing season winds down, we host a trip to one or two of our favorite international destinations. We just got back from a great trip to Costa De Cocos in Xcalak, Mexico with a group from the Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Club. Although most members of the group are seasoned anglers, all but a couple had any saltwater flats fishing experience. So, we all knew that the first few days would be a crash course on technique, fish recognition, objectives, etc. We were primarily targeting bonefish, tarpon, permit, and barracuda. The bonefish in this part of the Caribbean can get as big as 6 pounds, with most of them averaging between 2-4 pounds. All of the anglers in the group quickly realized what the chatter about bonefish was all about. Very few 20-inch fish in Alaska will rip you to your backing in the first run. Pound for pound, these little monsters are some of the strongest sport fish in the world.
Part of the appeal of fly fishing to me is that it is challenging. Flats fishing for bonefish, tarpon, and permit can be challenging! I don't like "tough" fishing anymore than the next angler, but I can say that I gain much satisfaction during the learning process of a new sport, process, technique, etc - even when I am struggling. I believe all 8 anglers felt the satisfaction of putting everything together this week - seeing the fish, making a great cast, strip set, and landing the fish. That's what it's all about.
For the months of July through November, Costa De Cocos offers a 2 for 1 discount for an all-inclusive package at $2,050 Per Peson (6-Day/7-Night Package). Although this is the tail-end of the rainy season in Mexico, believe me, you will be hard pressed to find this type of value anywhere else. Contact us with questions.
From the Gallery:
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We asked specialty knife maker, Gary Bolduc, to design and manufacture a special edition Fly Out knife that is extremely tough and multi-functional, and engraved with our signature bush plane logo. It is a fantastic utility, hunting, backpacking, and all purpose knife that is a tough little monster! It has a stone wash finish 3.5" blade, para cord wrap 4" handle built out of S35VN stainless steel with a kydex sheath. The knife is super slim, yet tough as nails, extremely light weight, with 2 lanyard holes for pole lashing or handle pull & spine gimping for finger control. Holes in kydex sheath allow you to tie it anywhere you want or use the belt loop to carry.
Bolduc Knives is synonymous with quality when it comes to the knife industry for sportsmen. Many of his hunting and fishing knives are inspired by Alaska, and we're proud to have one of his products bear the Fly Out brand. You can purchase a Fly Out knife by emailing us at [email protected]. These knives start at $150 + shipping. Different knife handles are available upon request.
About Gary:
Raised as a young man in Vermont attracted my interest to the views of the rolling hills, country back roads and flowing streams. Around eight or nine years of age, I started exploring the geography within a 2 or 3 mile radius of my home in the countryside. I would collect stones, odd pieces of wood, or whatever I thought was interesting. I always wondered what was over the next hill, usually climbing a tree for a better vision if I dared not to venture any further. As I grew older, I lost this fear and traveled as far as I could in one day, of course, coming home exhausted. Once I turned sixteen and obtained a driver's license, I was allowed to explore vast areas via back country roads. I would stop at interesting streams, apple orchards gone wild and maple tree stands of forest for a new exploration, all of the time watching for deer, woodchucks, partridge, hawks, squirrels and whatever else I would happen upon or would cross my path.
Featuring Tikchik Narrows Lodge Pilot Steve Larsen
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The Catch Magazine issue is live. Check out the 2nd essay from Tikchik Narrows Lodge pilot Steve Larsen on Bristol Bay. Steve has been a pilot in Southwest Alaska for over 30 years, and his cameras have always come along with him. Check out this wonderful essay by subscribing to Catch Mag at catchmagazine.net.
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on Wednesday, 07 August 2013.
Posted in Photo, Article
Steve Larsen grew up in Seattle and departed for Alaska in the early 80's to pursue a seaplane flying career on Kodiak Island. After flying for 12 years on Kodiak he started looking at the lodge flying business. A perfect fit for Steve awaited at Tikchik Narrows Lodge - a new adventure and more time for photography.
Steve has accumulated over 19,000 hours and 30 years of flying in SW Alaska, The Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay. This will be his 20th season at Tikchik Narrows Lodge. 95% of his flying is in a Dehaviland Beaver - a great platform for aerial photography.
A fantastic audio interview from Ashley Ahearn of EarthFix with Jim Lichatowich, the author of the new book, "Salmon, People, and Place". Lichatowich is a biologist who has worked as a researcher, manager, and scientific advisor for more than 40 years. In this audio piece, he gives a glimpse of his book which explores the problems wild salmon face in our complex world. Particularly, he speaks on the philosophical shift on the use of hatcheries.
About Gary:
