The Alaska West camp offers anglers the best of the Kanektok River, namely legendary main stem fly fishing for sea-bright king salmon, chum, and silvers, and willow-lined side channels teeming with wild leopard bows, char, and grayling.
Location:
Alaska West is located on the Kanektok River, five and a half miles from its mouth. It is 425 miles WSW from Anchorage, 75 miles due south of the hub village of Bethel and 190 miles WNW from Dillingham.
Species:
Rainbow trout, five species of salmon, char, grayling.
Season:
June to September
Program:
The Kanektok river is a fish factory. With runs of all five species of Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and grayling, the Kanektok river provides a great mix of quantity and variety. For those who haven’t experienced it, it’s simply a shock to see such a large biomass in a relatively small river.
More info coming soon
Itinerary Key Points:
Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage and overnight at your elected accommodations (arranged independently, not included in package).
Day 2: Take a cab or shuttle to your charter flight to Quinhagak. (Charter flight is pre-arranged and is an additional cost). In Quinhagak, you will be met by members of the Alaska West staff and transported by jet boat (approximately 25 minutes) upstream to the camp. Anglers will typically arrive at Alaska West between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM. After arrival you will have time to get settled and prepare your gear for the following days of fishing.
Days 3-8: Six full days of guided fishing.
Day 9: On your departure day you will have breakfast and then be transported by jet boat to Quinhagak. You will depart Quinhagak at approximately 1:30 PM and arrive in Anchorage approximately 3:00 PM.
Recommended Gear:
Tackle for Rainbows:
Rods: Trout; 9-10 ft. 4-7 wt. rods.
Reels: Any well-made reel with at least 100 yards of backing.Lines: Trout; Weight forward floating lines are the norm but if you are fishing in June, July, or September bring along sinking tip lines such as the Mastery wet tip type 4, Teeny 200, or the Rio Versi-Tip in the appropriate weights.
Leaders/Tippet:Trout; 9-10 ft tapered leaders in 2X- 5X (four or five of each) and tippet to match.
Flies: Alaska West provides flies to their anglers free of charge, but if you decide you’d tie or bring your own, here are some recommendations. Flesh Fly. Cotton candy, Sculpin #2-6 Brown and olive,
Mice #2-6, Egg patterns: Plastic beads in 6 to 10 millimeter diameter in various colors of pink to orange, Leeches #2-8 in olive, brown, purple, white and black in sizes 2 to 8.
Tackle for Silver Salmon:
Rods: We recommend 7 weight to 9 weight quality rods with actions that are well suited for casting in windy conditions.
Reels: Durable reels with a medium to strong disc drag are necessary. Spool capacity should be at least 150 yards of 20 pound backing.
Lines: A floating line along with at least one sink tip is usually best. Sink tips should be 5 feet to 15 feet with a medium to fast sink rate.
Leaders/Tippet: 10 to 15 pound monofilament.
Tackle for King Salmon: Rods: 10 weight to 12 weight rods are recommended, with 9 weight being on the light side. In most cases the line and flies are heavy so high modulus good quality rods are best. Spey or two handed rods are also a popular alternative because of their power and line control capabilities.
Reels: We recommend very durable reels with a strong disc type drag and a large spool capacity of at least 200 yards of 30 pound backing.
Lines: 100 to 500 grain, fast to extra fast shooting heads, and sink tips of 15 to 30 feet are all very common. Versatility is important. An interchangeable shooting head system is a good way to address varied water conditions.
Leaders/Tippet: Leader should be abrasion resistant monofilament of 15 to 20 pound strength.
Waders & Boots: Chest high breathable waders and rubber soled wading boots.
