Virtual Trip – Lower Base Camp – Kanektok River with Dave Duncan and Sons – Alaska

The Anchorage airport is the hub for flights to Bethel. Everyone going to the Duncan camp(s) will catch a flight from here. Most folks arrive the day before, but since we were just coming in from Seattle, we flew in Saturday morning for the afternoon flight.

The flight to Bethel was delayed over two hours, but the good thing was that everybody was delayed together. We knew the Duncan crew would be waiting for us no matter how long it took. Same for our connecting flight to Quinhagak – they are used to delays, so are very flexible in their scheduling.

The Duncans sent out luggage tags to help make sure the bags end up at the right camp – red for Lower and blue for Upper.

Our Alaska air pilot on the 737 was telling us about the different mountain ranges and glaciers as we flew over them.

We took off from Seattle’s airport at 6:00 am. Seattle to Anchorage, Anchorage to Bethel, Bethel to Quinhagak. The closer we got to Quinhagak, the smaller the aircraft.

We arrived at the Bethel airport, grabbed our luggage, then found the Grant Aviation vans out the backdoor of the Alaska Airlines terminal Click for a helpful hint- they took us to their terminal ( about 1/2 mile down the road) to check in for our 30 minute flight to Quinhagak. The check in here was a lot less formal than the other airports, no metal detectors or searches – just like the good old days.

The short flight from Bethel to Quinhagak (pronounced Quin – A -Hawk) – about 30 minutes – really lets you see how much water there is in the area. While most of the rivers will have some fish, no river has the kind of salmon runs the Kanektok has. Certain Alaska rivers are noted for prolific runs of a specific species – like the Kings on on the Kenai for example, but it would be hard to find any river that has the huge runs of all the salmon species as well as world-class Rainbow fishing. With so many fly out lodges, it’s hard to have a quiet little secret spot like this anymore. There is no shoulder to shoulder fishing here – you are fishing in pure solitude. Another nice thing about the Kanektok is there are no float plane fly in areas, so they are not an issue.

The Kanektok River is the complete package – the real deal.

Alaska Airlines is the only major airline that flies into Bethel. There are several small private airlines that use the airport – including the airline we would be flying on – Grant Aviation.

The 30 minute flight from Bethel to Quinhagak flies over lots of water. You can see rivers weaving their way through miles of tundra and little lakes and ponds.

The closer we got to our destination, the smaller the planes got. This twin engine plane seated 12.

The ride to camp is great fun – lots to look at as the guide maneuvers the boat. Sometimes the river is several hundred yards wide and other times it is only a few boat lengths. Most of the time though, it is somewhere between those two extremes. There is so much to see, we just sat back and soaked up the beauty this unique area has to offer.

Notice the outboard motor above. Besides the normal tiller that controls the speed and direction, the right arm controls a height lever. This allows the driver to raise and lower the outboard to compensate for river depth. Sometimes the river is only inches deep, so to keep the prop from touching bottom, it is raised as needed – while keeping the speed constant.

Guest Peter looks on as guide Ryno maneuvers the boat on the ride from the airstrip to the lower base camp. Ryno is having way too much fun driving the boat.

It’s about an hour boat ride to the camp, so everyone bundles up for the ride.

The sun sets (kind of) on the camp. It never really sets, but it looks like a sunset.

Dinner was ready for us when we arrived at camp. Our flight made us a few hours late, but the cook crew was flexible and coordinated dinner to be ready when we were. Pretty much like anything out of the norm, these guys were on top of it.

Brad Duncan and the crew directed us to the tent area. “Grab an empty tent and make yourselves at home,” they said. The guides helped with the bags, we unloaded a few things and headed to the food tent for dinner.

The Food

There are a few things I would guarantee about a Duncan adventure. One would be – you will have plenty to eat. Not just good food – really good food and more than anyone could possibly eat. No one leaves hungry. I would also guarantee some mighty fine service… and by the way – the fishing is arguably the best in the world… more on that later.

The tents are snuggled amongst the trees. There are well worn paths to the food tent, the outhouses and the river

We hung our clothes on the supplied hangers and tried to get somewhat organized. It’s not like we really cared if we had a wrinkled shirt for dinner, but finding that shirt – any shirt – that was important.

Stuffed pork chops with gravy, vegetable salad, roll and cheesecake for desert.

I could fish for Sockeyes all day long – and we did spend a lot of time with these marvelous fish. These were what are called locally as “marchers.” They have one thing on their mind – that is to get to the lake to spawn. Unlike the Kings and Silver Salmon – the Sockeyes spawn in the small tributaries of the lake. So they have a few more miles to go than the other salmon.

You can see small schools of 10 to 20 (maybe more) making their way up stream. They seem to stay in small packs in their journey. They also like to stay in certain zones. While Kings like the deepest middle, the Sockeyes like the “streamier” more shallow runs. Fortunately for us, our guides knew the best bars that allowed us to intercept them at prime locations.

The “Teeny Bar”, the “Sushi Bar” were two of our favorites. There are just so many options, it’s hard to choose. Looking back, I sure miss these fish!!

Sockeye Salmon are an incredible species. There is no question as to what you have on when it is a Sockeye. It is – BOOM and JUMP – Jump – Jump – run – run – Jump… then it’s hang on

This is a common look at a Sockeye – they seem to always be in the air.

These are not quick, easy fish to land, Drew helped me land this feisty Sockeye.

We fished with a different guide each day. That is a great way to experience the Kanektok. Each guide has his own little “secret” spots and techniques. Actually they are not really secret as everyone is very willing to share their knowledge, but they each have their own little gems. The major runs, bars, holes, drifts all have names – like “Monkey Island”, “The Sushi Bar”, “Oil Can “, “Lovers Corner”, “The Bull Pen” or “The Teeny Bar” – to name just a few. Depending on what species you want to target – your guide will suggest certain areas.

There were so many Salmon in the river when we were there – we had our choice between Kings, Sockeyes, Chums or Pinks. The Kings were the biggest and the most tiring to catch. The Chums were tireless fighters, eager to take the fly and put up a fight like you wouldn’t believe. The Pinks were prolific, very easy to catch but the smallest of the Salmon. My personal favorite was the Sockeye. A little harder to catch – it might take up to ten casts per fish, but was worth the effort. You could pretty much tell the kind of fish you had on within the first few seconds of the fight – though not always. If it exploded into the air and took off like a rocket to the other side of the river – then jumped five more times, it was probably a Sockeye.

You are teamed up with a different guide each day. On our first full day of fishing, we went with Drew. He asked us what kind of fish we would like to target. We said – “whatever you think would be good today.”

He says , “Well let’s try for some Kings to start, then we can go from there.”

Even though we were fishing in 2006, it made me wonder if fishing in the lower 48 was like this a hundred years ago.

It took Mike about 15 minutes to latch into his first King.

Mike caught this bright chum Salmon in the same run. Many times we would catch several species back to back. A Chum, a Sockeye and a Pink.

To catch a King though – you need to cast more towards the middle of the river. If you cast at the edge of the middle – you never know what may bite your fly.

After a day’s fishing, you can always look forward to a relaxing family style dinner. There was always an appetizer – Salmon Pate or smoked salmon and crackers. I liked to get there early – as Salmon in all forms is my favorite. There was always plenty.
It was great sharing stories with our new British friends. We all came from different backgrounds and cultures, but we all had one thing in common – we were all fishing fanatics. Fishing in England, Scotland and Ireland is way different than fishing in the US – and even more different than Alaska fishing. I think they were a little overwhelmed – at first – of the sheer numbers of fish. Actually I was too.

Every path leads somewhere nice.

Malcolm and Peter discuss what flies worked best.

Malcolm and Peter discuss what flies worked best.

Our guide – Ryno holds up Mike’s monster King Salmon. Like almost all our Salmon this beauty was released. We did keep two small Kings (under twenty pounds) one day as we were the designated “Dinner getters.”

If we wanted to get a photo of the fish, we had to beach the boat and land it from shore, otherwise we would just pull it up beside the boat and our guide would quickly release it. They use the Teeny hook release which worked great to remove the hook without touching or harming the fish.

When hooked, these Kings would go crazy and you never knew which way they would go next. We had doubles on several times – that was wild!

his King was not even close to being ready -as it took off again when it saw the boat.

After catching several nice Kings on our fly rods on day one, we thought we would try something the locals call “back bouncing .” This type of fishing is only available a few weeks of the year – during the times fresh Kings are still coming in on the tides. This fishing method is not for everyone, but is just one of the many options available during certain times.

I can tell you that for us – this was a SUPER kind of fishing. Not that we are not fly fishing fanatics – because we are… but this fishing was fishing like we had never experienced before. Maybe it’s because we had spent many years chasing salmon in the salt or maybe it’s because we just liked catching fish after fish after fish. I don’t know, but back bouncing was more fun than… I don’t know, but it was FUN!!!

After catching something in the neighborhood of 20 Kings – the smallest about 18 pounds – the largest about 35… I was ready to call it a day – at least for Kings… we still had a few hours left. So – we headed to the Teeny Bar (not a drinking bar, but a fishing spot, though a drinking bar would have been nice too) on our way back to camp. It was about a 30 minute run to the bar, this gave our arms a chance to rest. We decided to catch a few Sockeyes and Chums to finish off our day.

The lower Kanektok River flows by the village Quinhagak – just before it reaches the sea. Quinhagak is on the east shore of Kuskokwim Bay, less than a mile from the Bering Sea coast and 70 miles southwest of Bethel.

According to Bearingsea.com “The Yup’ik name is Kuinerraq, meaning “new river channel.” Quinhagak is a long-established village whose origin has been dated to 1,000 A.D. It was the first village on the lower Kuskokwim to have sustained contact with whites. Gavril Sarichev reported the village on a map in 1826.

Most of the employment is with the school, government services or commercial fishing. Trapping, basket weaving, skin sewing and ivory carving also provide income. Subsistence remains an important part of the livelihood; seal and salmon are staples of the diet. 100 residents hold commercial fishing permits for salmon net and herring roe fisheries. The Incorporated Fishermen of Quinhagak has been organized to improve market conditions and stabilize prices. A fish processing facility was recently completed, owned by the village IRA council. ”

The King Salmon – what a magnificent fish! These large powerful fish are truly the “kings” of the river. Many people targeted Kings every day.

The natives depend on King Salmon that they preserve by smoking and drying – to help get them through the cold winter.

This Arctic fox was sleeping on the river bank when we drove by. It didn’t seem too concerned by us – just looked up to make sure we weren’t going to stop – then laid back down.

The is the southwest edge of Quinhagak. The larger fishing boats dock here to unload their catch.

The lower Kanektok River flows by the village Quinhagak – just before it reaches the sea. Quinhagak is on the east shore of Kuskokwim Bay, less than a mile from the Bering Sea coast and 70 miles southwest of Bethel.

According to Bearingsea.com “The Yup’ik name is Kuinerraq, meaning “new river channel.” Quinhagak is a long-established village whose origin has been dated to 1,000 A.D. It was the first village on the lower Kuskokwim to have sustained contact with whites. Gavril Sarichev reported the village on a map in 1826.

Most of the employment is with the school, government services or commercial fishing. Trapping, basket weaving, skin sewing and ivory carving also provide income. Subsistence remains an important part of the livelihood; seal and salmon are staples of the diet. 100 residents hold commercial fishing permits for salmon net and herring roe fisheries. The Incorporated Fishermen of Quinhagak has been organized to improve market conditions and stabilize prices. A fish processing facility was recently completed, owned by the village IRA council. ”

Albert was our guide this day. Here he is holding Mike’s first King Salmon of the morning. One of many.

After a hearty breakfast of hash browns, sausage, eggs , bagels, fruit and coffee – we were ready for a days fishing.

While Mike plays his big King, Albert stands by to help him land it.

Besides incredible salmon fishing, the Rainbow fishing is pretty darn good too

These are incredible fish. It’s hard to find anything more beautiful than a Kanektok Leopard Rainbow.

You can catch many species of Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Dollies or Arctic Char – or even an Arctic Grayling.

The Leopard Rainbow is not only a beautiful trout, it is a hard fighter and loves to jump. Between tangling your line in a tree, wrapping around a rock or a wild jump – they can be a challenge to land. The bigger trout are as good or better a challenge to land as a large salmon. Their heart stopping runs and sheer strength make for a formidable fight.

There are so many fishing options, it’s really is hard to decide what do next. There were many times I felt like a kid in a candy store – with the door locked and me inside. What should I do now? Sockeye, Chums, Pinks, Kings, Dollies or Trout? They all sound good …

“Pace yourself” – I kept telling myself. It’s a lot harder the first few days – as everything is so different and you’re anxious to sample every species and every method of fishing. After the first day or maybe two, you will settle into the groove of the camp, long Alaskan days and the plethora of fishing opportunities.

As much fun as the salmon were, it was hard not to lay awake at night thinking of hunting these magnificent ‘Bows.

John Dunagan is holding a beautiful Arctic Char that is starting to get its spawning colors. These eager biters are a blast to catch. They can get in the way though – if you are targeting a trout you have spotted. They are so fast, they often beat the trout to your fly – especially if it’s an egg pattern.
(Photo by Kevin Stewart)

Even the smaller ones – those under twenty inches – were super fish.

Here are a few of the smaller “pets” – just about ready to be hand fed. The wild version of these trout are not quite as friendly.

Albert holds up a large lower river bow.
(Photo by Kevin Stewart)

A ten pound plus pet trout? Yes. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. There were several pets and most were large trout, but one of these guys was huge. He’s known as Bucketmouth – because of the way he holds his huge jaw. He has been a camp pet for many years and is a personal friend to Brad’s 10 year old son son – Cutler.

Dinners are very well organized. The guides take turns being kitchen helpers and waiters.

Gary and Shane play an after dinner dart game. Shane was commenting on how full he was after the HUGE dinner.

On the days they aren’t guiding fishermen on the river, the “guides” work around the camp. It’s very impressive how well everyone works together. It’s very aparent they want their guests to be comfortable. Whatever it is you need, they seem to find a way to make it happen. The Duncans have been doing this for so long they pretty much know the kinds of things their guests will need and are ready for about anything.

I could just feel everyone wanted us to have a good time. The excitement was contagious. I’m not sure who was excited more, the guests or the guides. Everyone was having a great time. With this kind of fishing, beautiful surroundings and an fun camp atmosphere – it was hard not to be excited.

There were well worn trails around the camp. The large white tent on the left is the eating/cooking tent. To the immediate right of the cook tent is the trail to the sleeping tents. The far right trail goes past the recreation tent, the clothes drying tent and then on to the outhouses (flush outhouses!!)

This was salmon night. Lightly breaded and quickly deep fried fresh caught King. I wish every night was salmon night, but they mixed it up pretty good.

Mike landed this hefty King in the lower river.

This fish didn’t dawdle on the release.

This was one of the little Kings – about 16 lb. “jack” or immature king.

On the days they aren’t guiding fishermen on the river, the “guides” work around the camp. It’s very impressive how well everyone works together. It’s very aparent they want their guests to be comfortable. Whatever it is you need, they seem to find a way to make it happen. The Duncans have been doing this for so long they pretty much know the kinds of things their guests will need and are ready for about anything.

I could just feel everyone wanted us to have a good time. The excitement was contagious. I’m not sure who was excited more, the guests or the guides. Everyone was having a great time. With this kind of fishing, beautiful surroundings and an fun camp atmosphere – it was hard not to be excited.

I had already caught a bunch of Kings that morning – I honestly could not tell you how many – it seemed like a hundred. It took me 30 minutes to land this King and I was spent by the time I landed it. It was such a beautiful

fish we wanted a photo – It was only a mid twenties fish, but I could barely lift it. I finally held it up for a nice photo, but I thought this one showed more of what it was really like.

Fish as hard as you want – fish till you drop, or pace yourself. I tried both – I would recommend the pacing approach.

Guides

Brad

John

Albert

Ryno

Drew

Darren

Scott

Nate

Rebecca (Camp cook)

The Guests

John

Kevin

Gary

Peter

Kevin

Gary

Shane

Two village children wave goodbye as we leave Quinhagak.

Many of the guests at the Duncan camps are return visitors. Some come every year, some every few years. Some fish the lower and the upper camps – making it a two week adventure (like Mike and I – and Kevin and John) did, some alternate years between the two camps. Some just fish the lower camp or the upper camp.

The veterans are always eager to share their knowledge with the new folks which makes for some nice friendships. I know I learned a lot from some of the more experienced guests.

I asked several of the return guests what makes the Duncan camps so special. Many had fished other Alaska camps before and had fished great destination spots all over the world – from Africa, Russia, New Zealand, Scotland, South America, The Caribbean – it was great to get their perspective. It was pretty unanimous that there was not one specific thing, but a combination of things. The service, the staff, the food, the attention to detail, the remoteness, the fishing of course and something that is hard to quantify – a “magical feeling.”