onto the foothills and plains. Keep in plain. This was still prime fishing water, trees, so we simply store our food, cooking
mind the old adage: Never leave fish to including that long run full of mouse- equipment and garbage at the far end of
find fish. The lower reaches of Alaskan gobbling rainbows. The next day, the gravel bar on which we are camping.
rivers, where they become deep slow though, we hit the braids. Almost every Meals are precooked, frozen, sealed, and
pools, may hold silver salmon, but the river has a similar stretch. In this maze, stored in a cooler. We are careful to minimize
best trout fishing is usually behind. On a it would have been impossible to know any food odors by keeping a scrupulously
river as long as this one, stretching from the our location without a global positioning clean camp. I have never had a camp
mountains to sea level, we concentrated our system (GPS). torn up by bears, but it is not an uncommon
fishing time on the center section. Cottonwoods lined the eroding banks, occurrence. An emergency supply of
Salmon may be found well upstream creating sweepers and snags, far more food in a bearproof canister is good
but, by the time they get that high, they dangerous than any rapids we might hit. insurance. There is no way to avoid
are colored up and no longer edible or There was still some good fishing, but it camping on bear trails, but peeing on the
capable of putting up the fight that they was often impossible to beach the boat. trail will at least alert a bear walking
are when they are still chrome-bright The oarsman had to be constantly alert. At downwind to your presence.
from the sea. Alaskans always laugh at this point Jim, whose previous experience In areas with a lot of pressure, the
those magazine photos of a grinning consisted of slow Nebraska rivers, bears are acclimated to people, and will
angler holding a hook-jawed, scarlet-colored persuaded Jack that it was time for him generally treat you as they treat other
sockeye. We limit our salmon fishing to to take the oars. Bob and I watched as bears. Subordinate bears will run from
the lower stretches of the river, where we their raft spun around in a back eddy you and dominant bears expect you to
can find those sleek, tough chromers. and jammed tight into a sweeper, which get out of their way. Problems on salmon
Silver salmon, which run in August, brings us to Rule No. 3: Always carry a streams usually come from surprising a
are the best of the five species on a fly patch kit. (Rule No. 2, if you are keeping bear in the willows, running into an
rod. They are tough and willing to hit a count, is never organize a wilderness adolescent bear, or keeping a dirty camp.
fly. Kings enter the rivers in early summer, river trip with someone who is learning Nothing alerts a bear to your presence
and are spawning by late July. Sockeyes, to play the harmonica.) better than the sound of a human voice,
which show up in late June, are reluctant I was maneuvering through one of so forget your inhibitions: talk or sing
to take a fly, but they provide the food those sweeper-choked channels when I loudly. “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic” is an
source for most trout streams. Silvers realized that I was staring at the shoulders always popular choice.
like slower water, so look in the sloughs of a monstrous grizzly, standing about 20
and eddies for rolling fish. Sockeyes feet away, his head down in the roots
Far More Bloodthirsty
tend to run close to the banks, while looking for salmon. I blurted out an
The bugs are far more bloodthirsty
kings prefer the main channels. obscenity appropriate to the occasion
than the bears. Blackflies and no-
Grayling are available in most rivers; and the bear, without looking up, simply
see-ums are more annoying than
they will readily take a dry fly. Some spun around and disappeared as quickly
mosquitoes, but there are plenty of all of
streams have pike. Take wire leaders and as if someone had flipped a switch. We
them. Take lots of bug dope, but keep it
some red-and-white streamers or deer made a lot more noise from then on.
off your fly lines. Mosquito coils will help
hair mice. Look for weedy sloughs—if Bears are a constant in Alaska. Some
in camp. If there are no gravel bars, and
there are no baby ducks, you will probably rivers have more than others. I usually
you have to camp on the tundra, you will
find pike. assume that we will run into two or
discover the meaning of the phrase
three, but on one adrenaline-soaked trip
“clouds of mosquitoes.”
Always Carry A Patch Kit
we saw 127 of them. Carrying a gun is a
Even the bugs weren’t a problem at
Below the waterfall, the river cut
matter of personal choice. If you are not
our last camp—an evening with a fresh
through a sheer-walled canyon. White
completely familiar with it, leave it at
coho for dinner and a brilliant sunset. It
streaks high on the walls marked raptor
home. I carry a shotgun and rifled slugs
was a great ending to a great trip. We
nests. At one point a large bull caribou,
for camp and, although I have never had
enjoyed reasonable weather, had a little
panicked by the sight of our raft, charged
to use it, there have been times when it
excitement, and caught a few fish. In the
back and forth across the river looking
was a comfort to me. I carry bear spray
course of it we had traveled more than
for a way to safety. We also began to hit
when fishing. We ship it air freight and
100 miles through country without a
some whitewater. There were no big
transport it in the pontoon of the float
road or permanent human settlement. I
hydraulics, but several rock gardens and
plane. If you do carry a gun, be considerate
am already checking my gear for the
ledges. Our biggest concern was getting
and do your target practice at home.
next trip.
the bottom of the raft hung up on a large
One evening we heard gunshots from
rock in water too deep or fast to wade.
another party and spent a fitful period
Thirty years ago, Wilson A. Rice packed
Jack, who spent years on a mountain
his worn Levis and beat-up fiberglass
wondering if they needed help or if we
spinning rod for a summer job in Alaska.
search-and-rescue team, brought a
were going to have a wounded bear He never left. Today Will, a recovering
throw rope and small pulley in case we
come charging into camp. The next day
attorney, comes home to Anchorage
ran into a serious problem.
we discovered that the idiots just had
when he is not wandering around the
One last set of rapids disgorged us
woods with a fly rod and camera.
the urge to touch off a few rounds.
from the foothills onto a flat tundra
Most campsites have no bearproof
66 FISH& FLY
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