Dream salmon fishing trip

[Kevin Burton]

I'm a big bass and trout fisherman but I've never caught any salmon. They're amazingly delicious though.

So I'd like to plan a backpacking trip where there are plenty of salmon to catch.

I'd also *ideally* like to cover a lot of mileage. Something like > 10 miles per day.

I'm not sure if this is possible though. So if anyone has any advice I'd be all ears!

[David Thomas]

Hope, Alaska to Seward, Alaska is about 75 miles along the Resurrection Trail. Cooper Landing is in the middle and is the only other access point. So you have (from memory, 38 miles, then potential resupply in Cooper Landing, then 36 miles onto Seward.

There are USFS cabins along the way, but you need to plan ahead and reserve them just as they come available (6 months out?) . Lots of options for camping out, though. Essentially unlimited.

The confluence of the Kenai and Russian Rivers in Cooper Landing is world famous for Sockeye Salmon in late July. The trail then follows the Russian-River watershed south of Cooper Landing so potentially there is salmon fishing the next day as well.

Once you're in Seward (search "Exit Glacier" for the terminus of the trail), there's snagging allowed on the salt-water beaches (an ugly way to catch a fish, IMO) and silver salmon in Resurrection Bay.

One problem with anything more than a pink salmon (which is still a 4-6 pounds fish dressing out to 2-3 pounds of fillets) is what to do with a 8 to 11-pound fish while backpacking in bear country. I'm about the least-worried human about grizzlies despite (because?) I live among them, but I wouldn't tote dead fish around with me and "wanton waste" is against state law.

The silvers were running in the stream draining Lake Betty on Adak when I was there last September. And lots of Dolly Varden (they're in most of the lakes and streams year round) and it was one of the few times I experienced the "bite on the first cast" kind of fishing you always hear about. Pretty cool place to stomp around – a grassy volcanic island in a northern ocean. Tasty caribou, too. Kind of like Iceland without the Vikings, sheep or hot springs. Don't bring your wood-burning stove, because like Barrow, AK, "There's a beautiful woman behind every tree!".

[Kevin Burton]

Nice. Thanks for the info… I have some research to do:

> One problem with anything more than a pink salmon (which is still a 4-6 pounds fish dressing out to 2-3 pounds of fillets) is what to do with a 8 to 11-pound fish while backpacking in bear country.

Maybe the solution to that is to have 3-5 people in your party. But, I agree. Travel with fish seems like it would be asking for trouble.

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