To find a new fishery in the United States

just a new lodge, or remote camp on a known watershed, but literally a river that has had no previous sport fishing history – is unheard of. Even in Alaska, that massive canvas of solitary, largely roadless wilderness to the north, we have come to believe that every truly remarkable stream has been tapped, that there are no more true “discoveries” to be made. Well, guess what – we were wrong!

We just finished a week of meetings with the owner of a brand-new lodge, located on the banks of a hyper-remote little river in the middle of nowhere, Alaska. He is the first sport operation to ever access these pristine pools, and here is what we know for sure:

1) The river is small, crystal clear and easily waded, and, thanks in large part to its flowing out of a deep, rocky and clear lake upriver, it virtually never blows out.

2) There are many miles of jet boat access, and even more that can be effectively accessed via optional single or multi-day floats, beginning at the lake outlet.

3) The early season king salmon run is absolutely phenomenal, with runs and pools that are custom-tailored for fly fishing. These fish are chrome-bright, fresh from the ocean, many with sea lice still attached, and average 20 pounds, with a big fish in the low 40’s. The most amazing thing, though, are the sheer numbers…

4) Ditto on the silver salmon run, with legions of cohos in the 10-15 pound range ascending the river each fall. For anglers who can never get enough of these aggressive-to-the-fly torpedos, this is the place for you.

5) Perhaps the most provocative facet of this stream is the steelhead potential. Of the handful of anglers on the river all last season, only two fly fishermen attempted to target steelies, for a total of only a day and a half on the water, and they hooked a dozen fish, and saw quite a few more as they floated downriver! And this in the third week of September, which would normally be just the “tip of the iceberg” of what is typically an October run of fish.

6) An average annual run of a quarter of a million sockeye salmon which, while not of primary interest to all anglers, is a tremendous indicator – the canary in the coal mine – of a healthy watershed.

7) A strong chum salmon run. While not the most sought-after species, when nickel-plated out of the sea, these bulls have the proportions and power of small Chinooks, and the aggressiveness to flies of a Coho.

8) While they were never targeted last season, many guests landed rainbow trout in the 15”-22” range incidentally, while fishing for salmon. As well, the river seems to sustain a healthy run of sea run Dolly Varden.

If these statistics don’t make your heartbeat quicken, better check for a pulse! This is one of those opportunities that comes around only once in a great while, and here at The Fly Shop, we are chomping at the bit to get up and try this place for ourselves. The owner has shown us photos from last season that make our mouth’s water, and has been very upfront about what he does NOT know about this stream, which is probably as much as he does. And that is part of what makes it all so exciting! He has also let us know the duck hunting – over decoys and with dogs – is pretty unbelievable in September and October, for those who may be interested. The lodge is located right in the middle of the Pacific Flyway, and among other species (teal, mallards, widgeon, harlequin and surf scooter ducks stage in the tidal flats of this river), the area plays temporary host to virtually the entire continent’s population of black brant. Avid waterfowlers can stay pretty busy for a day or two during their stay, if they choose.

From Rod the owner an avid water-fowler: The hottest time, typical with most waterfowl seasons, is the beginning when the birds have not yet been hunted. Other than that the hunting is fairly consistent, although depending on the time of the season the species that are hunted vary some. All in all, the puddle ducks are always a good bet at Hoodoo and the Brant get better and better as the season progresses. If you get clients that are more interested in the Brant and Canada’s they might want to spend a day or two at the Cold Bay lodge on either end of the fishing trip unless they are willing to give up some of their fishing days for waterfowl days. In mid to late October the Mallards stack in the Lagoon in huge flocks and the hunting can be excellent. The lagoon is easily accessed by jet-boat from Hoodoo Lodge. If you have clients that are really interested in both the hunting as much as the fishing your best bet is to send them early or late.

During the process of doing due diligence, we have spoken with the few people who actually have first-hand knowledge of this river. Len Schwarz, the Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands said that, “Frankly, I’m surprised sport fishing has not already been developed there.” This remark is based on several personal observations, not the least of which is the weir counts that Alaska Fish and Game has been performing here since the early 60’s.

At just a glance:
King Salmon – Fish and Game counters at the weir believe that approximately 50% of the river’s run never even reaches the weir, as they spawn downriver, both in the main channel and in the major spawning tributary. So it is probably safe to double the average annual weir count of about 2,000-4,000 fish, a remarkable number for such a small river. Consider that 2004 saw over 6,000 kings, counted!

Steelhead – Because the weir is operated to help Fish and Game manage commercial sockeye salmon fishing, they don’t count steelhead. One of the weir counters we spoke with did tell us that he used to see tons of outgoing steelhead in the spring, though, stacked like cordwood upstream of the weir, apparently as they didn’t like going downstream through it.

Silver salmon – Cohos are also not counted, as they are not particularly important in the commercial salmon harvest picture. The lodge owner assures us, though, and has a bunch of pictures to back him up, that this run is quite heavy. And again, the weir counters confirmed this, and Alaska Fish and Game’s official comment is even that the river sustains “a healthy run” of coho salmon.

Sockeye Salmon – The real reason the weir exists. Weir employees have counted over a quarter of a million sockeyes annually, on average, fish destined to temporarily reside and spawn in the lake upriver. Heavy run years approach half a million salmon! This run mirrors the king run, and provides tremendous sport and a welcome daily option for anglers wanting to take a temporary break from battling the monsters, and hook some red-hot, dime-bright fish in the 6-10 pound range.

Guests stay at a very comfortable wood lodge, two people to a room with good beds and down comforters. There are three separate indoor showers and bathrooms with vanities, a large gathering room, and a dining area; outside, there are wooden walkways between all the buildings, and down to the boats, making getting around clean and easy. Food is outstanding, with the standard fare of prime rib, chicken, king crab, pork loin, etc., prepared by a trained chef. The jet boats are custom-fabricated, large and comfortable with padded seats and backrests, with 90-horse motors. This lodge is tight – well-run and with great equipment…the latter particularly surprising, given its remote location and the inherent challenging operating logistics.

The Fly Shop currently has access to the most prime space available during the known king salmon (July) and silver salmon (August/September) runs, and all of the weeks (late September through late October) of the steelhead season. Admittedly, the steelhead package is still very exploratory in nature, but this is one of the things that makes it most attractive – we know there will be fish, but the anticipation of just how many we’ll find is exhilarating! King salmon slots are based on a 6 night/5 day stay, and cost $4,450/person. Silver salmon slots are also 6 night/5 day, and are priced at a very reasonable $3,450/person. Steelhead weeks are 7 nights and 6 days, and cost $4,450/person. *Space is very limited – while the lodge has capacity for a dozen guests, they will only accommodate 8, 9, and 6 people a week, respectively, for the king, silver and steelhead seasons. This place has the potential to be the best salmon and steelhead fly fishery of its size in Alaska – we can’t explain just how excited we are about it. Several of us will be hosting specific weeks in 2008, and we are booking all of the other dates individually, as well.

If this sounds like something you’d like to be on the ground floor of, if the thought of fishing an absolutely untouched river with massive runs of fish appeals to you, with the relatively effortless travel logistics of Alaska, give us a call at (800) 669-3474, or contact by email at mercer@theflyshop.com or ryan@theflyshop.com or pat@theflyshop.com, and we’ll walk you through everything we know, and plan for this new destination!