High Sierra Topix

Hey Everyone,

For those dreaming of a fishing trip to the wilds of Alaska and not really interested in the big ticket lodge experience there are alternatives. This is an option that I have taken a number of times in pursuit of salmon and associated species.

The Tongass National Forest built and maintains a decent number of backcountry/remote cabins to enable access. Typically the rain is unrelenting in the Tongass and without somewhere to dry out you find tent life pretty miserable. The cabins generally accommodate 4 people, come with fuel oil or wood stove (you need to bring your own fuel, wood is supplied) and are located close to good fishing and/or hunting. There is a reservation system for the cabins which you need to use. The cost per day is fairly reasonable and is listed online. Some cabins come with a small boat to enable more access options. You will need to use a float plane or boat outfitter to reach these cabins. The outfitters are usually very helpful with trip logistics. We've had them take us to a good lingcod/halibut spot (prior to the stream side salmon fishing) and then they set up cleaning and flash freezing of our catch.

One cabin I visited is located right on the mouth of the river down a very long fjord. We had a small boat that we used to portage upstream during high tide. We also used the boat to drop a crab trap for dungeness and to do some saltwater fishing for rockfish, lingcod and the occasional halibut.

Usually there will be a decent population of Dolly Varden and Cutthroat trout that follow the salmon into the fresh water in search of plentiful eggs. Most places have no limit on Dolly Varden and they are pretty tasty. Oftentimes the pink salmon can be so numerous that they are an annoyance. FYI, fresh pink salmon is pretty tasty and makes excellent crab bait.

You might also see some wildlife such as bears, orca, whales, bald eagles and seals. Once, while I was fly fishing I had seals swimming within 3 ft of me trying to catch salmon. This was a few 100 yards upstream from the salt water. Luckily I have not had to share any spots with the bears. FYI, bear spray is a good idea to keep handy. The bears like their food seasoned.

The one real risk to these trips is timing it right for the fish run you are targeting. The timing can vary each year as well as the overall fish count. One year a place will provide non-stop salmon action within a 100 yards of the cabin while the next year you will be lucky to catch one silver each day. But that's fishing!

The cabins: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/tongas ... &actid=101

Cheers
-Bill

Thanks, my dad 30 yrs ago wanted to do this sort of thing. It's revived a thought I'd like to do it. I LOVE fishing and it would be minimalist camping (think backpacking) with fishing and nature at your feet. Yes the rain can be problematic but a cabin would be a great alternative to a tent on the ground.

Out of the three trips I've done to the Tongass it rained continuously during two of them. So after a full day fishing in the rain a warm cabin to dry out in is almost a requirement. Even finding a dry spot to locate a tent would be challenging. Everything is covered in inches of moss, fungi and lichen so finding dry wood for a camp fire is not very easy.

The areas I have been to would be a very challenging environment for backpacking. If the trails are not actively maintained they quickly become very overgrown, often times with Devils club. I did do some bushwhacking to explore an old mine and had several nice paths to follow. Of course these were active bear paths.

For brown bear protection, bear spray is good to have. An alternative is a bear flare. This flare is generally sold in sporting goods stores that are in brown bear country. The flare looks outwardly like an ordinary highway flare, except that it is quicker and easier to ignite. There is a handle end, and then at the top end there is a temporary cap which is removed, and a pull-string with ring is exposed. Pull the string, and the flare ignites instantly. The general plan is to uncap the flare when you enter brown bear territory. That way the string is quick to grab. If no bear is sighted, then you can stuff the string back into the top and replace the temporary cap. The bright flame and smoke from the flare are a big mystery to brown bears, so they generally run off. If you had to, you could wave the flare at the bear, which would confuse them even more.

In Alaska, lots of short-hop travel is by bush plane. In general, you are forbidden from carrying bear spray onto a plane (because the spray could incapacitate the pilot if it went off accidentally, with or without cabin pressurization). As a result, some bush planes are equipped with a metal box outside on the landing gear. Bear spray or a bear flare can be transported within the box.