Journal of Dan T. Cook - Fly Fishing the Globe

Traveling 75,000 miles around the world in search of fish and friendship.
Follow Dan's journey here or use Google Earth to see his trip so far.

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August 12, 2008 - Location: Seward, Alaska

Greetings from Alaska! Pardon the delay in posting this update, but there is just so much fishing to be done here on the Kenai. Here is what I've been up to.......

Yukon River trip
Despite the 2 pounds of bacon that Sandor insisted that we bring along, we weren't visited by any bears on the trip. Actually, it was pretty mellow. I guess we sort of forgot that the Whitehorse-to-Carmacks trip covers 240 miles in total when we made camp on the first night after only 12 miles. That necessitated a LONG second day of constant rowing to cover 115 miles. Sandor even rowed for a couple of hours.

Upon pulling out at Carmacks, we cooked up some lunch and waited for our ride. A few locals were driving around and one stopped by to chat. Apparently, there were a total of 3 bears wandering around the town's streets. The local didn't seem too concerned, but I readied the dory for a quick departure just in case.

Big thanks to Sandor's wife Dionne for shuttling the truck!

Fishing the Kenai
I arrived just in time to catch the 2 nd Sockeye run in the Kenai River. Usually, I prefer to fish where there are no crowds. However, I do enjoy spending time at the confluence of the Kenai and the Russian Rivers. This circus-like atmosphere (complete with bears!) is spectacularly entertaining. Anglers are literally standing shoulder-to-shoulder, competing to land as many sockeye as possible in the least amount of time. Families turn the fishing trip into a picnic, watching patiently from beyond the melee. Although I didn't witness any problems, I learned from the park ranger that many "hook-to-human" impalings occur each week. Good stuff!

Once the salmon fishing became tedious, I managed to find a few Dollies in Quartz Creek. Next up is the Silver salmon run. On the 16th, I will once again be joined by my good friend Leif Milling. Based on our previous trips, I am certain that we will have an enjoyable time and also hike countless miles.

Nearing the End
It is disturbing to think that this trip is nearing an end….. it seems like I just started! In two weeks, I will be leaving the Kenai and driving up to Prudhoe Bay to officially end my around-the-world odyssey. I could have never imagined the exciting adventures and wonderful people that I would find on this trip. It is truly beyond words at the moment, so rather than struggle to communicate my appreciation to everyone; I will just go back to fishing and save that monumental task for the post-champagne celebration.

Thanks again to "el dude" and Chris for joining me during my Alaska visit. I'll have another update posted shortly. See everyone soon!

Mr. Clarken's neighborhood, another visit to Hootalinqua on the Yukon River.
Once a bustling outpost of 5,000 served by paddlewheelers, it is now a historic site
complete with original cabins and, just downriver a bit, a complete 220 ft. paddlewheeler.

Sandor enjoying a "light Yukon rain." I was so glad that it didn't rain hard during our river trip. ;)

Heading down the Alcan Highway between Whitehorse and Alaska.

My buddy Darren came up for a few days of fishing. Here we are with
the fellas who accompanied us on our halibut trip. Darren was the star,
hauling in the 2 largest fish. I heard about his fishing prowess often
during the rest of his stay.

Another friend, Chris Nawrocki, came up to harass the sockeye.
He managed to land quite of few of them at the expense of a
couple fly rods. Final result: Chris 5, Sockeye 2

The view of Skilak Lake from my camp.

A nice "red" from Skilak

A view of Portage Glacier

A just-released Dolly Varden in Quartz Creek on the Kenai

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