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Our family has a fishing problem. One of us is a fly fisherman, who loves to match wits with his aquatic quarry. It’s all about the chase for him. Another is a sport fisherman who thinks the day is wasted if he doesn’t come home with the big one. Still another will fish for anything as long as it’s with a spinning rod. Me, I’m a nature lover, happy to sit outside in a beautiful place and cheer the rest of them on, whatever they’re fishing for and however they’re doing it.
After kicking around a lot of ideas and talking to almost everyone we know, we decided on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. After flying into Anchorage, we found the Kenai an easy 2.5-hour drive from Anchorage, due south along the stunning Alaska Highway framed by snow-capped volcanoes. Avoid the crowds at Cooper Landing and head further west to the sleepy town of Sterling.
Here, Alaska Drift Away Fishing operates from the Silver Tip Lodge. We had corresponded heavily beforehand with owners and guides, Jeremy, Nick, and Nigel, to tailor our trip. After careful consideration of all our needs, they designed our adventure and outfitted us with the necessary gear. The Silver Tip Lodge offers comfortable, self-care cabins, built by hand from native timber, and was our base of operations during our stay.
Our guides wasted no time. On our first day, we fly-fished on the mighty Kenai, arguably Alaska’s most famous river. Sockeye (Red) Salmon arrive by the million from mid-June to mid-July. King Salmon and Silver (Coho) Salmon arrive at staggered intervals, from July through August. You will see more incredible scenery as you cast from drift boats, but don’t miss the chance to wade in. Standing waist-deep in that fast-running glacial water gives even the most experienced angler respect for the power of nature in this vast place.
Our sport fisherman tested his skills against pacific halibut, which feed in the deep, cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Cook Inlet at the western edge of the Kenai. With tides raging up to 27 feet, a good guide with a tough boat is everything when going after these game fish, which can exceed 200 pounds.
For a laid-back day of spin casting, we hopped a sea-plane to one of the many glacial lakes that pockmark the majestic Alaska Range due north of the Kenai. Flying over miles of mountain top glaciers to land in what looks like a sea-green puddle from above is the experience of a lifetime. Here, far away from development of any kind, plentiful fish attract hungry wildlife. Brown bears and eagles competed with us for their own salmon feast. None of us will ever forget the pair of siblings swimming and wrestling while salmon leaped around them.
For a land-based break, we drove to Homer, a small town an hour and a half away from Sterling. Not only is Homer full of charming boutiques and galleries, it is also the home port for the famous Time Bandit of the Discovery Channel’s series Deadliest Catch. After lunch at the Little Mermaid, we jumped into a water taxi bound for the opposite shore and picked up the Grewingk Glacier Trail, which winds through dense flora and fauna to a surreal mountain top lake. With giant, bright blue icebergs floating in milky green water and the enormous Grewingk glacier rumbling in the distance, you will definitely know you aren’t in Maryland anymore.
Instead of driving straight back to Anchorage at the end of our stay, we took a quick detour to Seward at the southern edge of the Kenai. After breakfast at the Sunrise Inn (best pancakes ever!), we boarded a small cruising boat for a day trip through the renowned Kenai Fjords National Park, filled with whales, sea otters, puffins, sea lions, and enormous, calving glaciers. Even our captain was at a loss for words when a humpback whale swam under our boat and flashed its fluke so close, we felt like we could touch it. Be sure to book this well ahead, as the boats are small.
We expected our trip to be all about fishing. The 52 pounds of salmon and halibut we flash froze and shipped home testifies to the quality and quantity of that. But our time in the Kenai was so much more. Our entire family is in awe of the vastness in Alaska and the way in which the wilderness touches every moment of your time there. I can’t recommend a trip to the Kenai highly enough. You will certainly return to Maryland with some stories of your own.
Elizabeth Davis traveled recently to Alaska with her husband Bruce and their two sons, Tyler and Thompson. Davis is the Director of Advertising and Business Development at Annapolis Home. She has a MIA from Columbia University and lives on Gibson Island.
For more information about fishing in Alaska with Alaska Drift Away Fishing, see guidekenairiver.com or info@guidekenairiver.com.
For more information about dining, hiking, and experiencing the Kenai beyond a fishing boat, see kenaipeninsula.org.
Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 10, No. 5 2019