i am planning a trip to bristol bay in the middle of june to the 1st of july and want to do it on my own. does anyone know of any outfits that would just drop people into the bush and let them float on there own back to a designated area? looking for trout and kings any info would be great

hi side slider,where are you going to fly out of, we flew out of lake hood in anchorage and floated the alagnak then flew over to chitina bay and went halibut fishing, i'm not sure but i think keni is closer to fly out of but don't know who to use there out of lake hood we used alaska air taxi, actually the gal and the older guy are better to fly with considering the young guy fliped our plane on lake illimana, and make sure they comit to exact pick up times, wait maybe you might want to find someone else. there are thousands on lake hood look in the back of field and stream or alaska magiznes they list a few good luck

I go up every summer usually during the August time frame to target silvers and bows. The Alagnak is a great river to do on your own. I've done it twice and the float is strait forward and great fishing. We used Branch River Air out of King Salmon. I don't recommend thier gear, but they fly just fine. If you want to consider flying out of Bethel to fish the Goodnews, Kanektok or Togiak river, or maybe some rivers that flow in to the Kuskokwim system, I can pass along an outfitter and air service to you. Leave your email, and I can get in touch with you directly with more detail info.

I have used Alaska Rafting Adventures out of Dillingham and have been happy with them. The owner is Jim Nagel and his dad owns the Air taxi service Jim uses. They had great quality stuff when I used them and we flew out in one of the Gooses which was an experience. They will fly most anywhere in Bristol Bay and I liked the idea of one-stop-shopping.

They are on the web. His email addy is akraftadv@aol.com

Good luck,

Steve

Having guided on the Alagnak, I can highly recommend Van Hartley, who owns Branch River Air in King Salmon. However, at least on the Alagnak, you will be a bit early for Kings, and the best King fishing is down low in tidewater, which will be extremely difficult to fish without a motor. Trout fishing high in the system at this time is very good. One last word to the wise--when you get down to tidewater, beware where you camp. The high tides can get very high that time of year and you could wake up in the water. Good luck and don't feed the bears...

Thanks all for the information. if you have anymore you can email it mmelby
@gorge.net

If you fly in and out of King Salmon DO NOT pass up the opportunity to fish the Naknek. You can easily do it yourself by having your gear taxied to Lake Camp (about a 20 minute drive) to enjoy a full day float on some very productive water. Contact Mark Emery at 907-246-6330 May to Oct., or 352-288-3341. Oct to May...He's a photographer and cinematographer who lives in BB Spring, summer,fall and in Florida the remainder of the year. He and his wife have been living, guiding fishing trips, and filming in the BB drainages for over a decade and are a great source of info and an invaluable friend to the resources of the area. He's filmed and produced several National Geagraphic specials on the life cycle of the sockeye and the Valley of 10,000 Smokes in the Katmai region(INCREDIBLE FILM SHOTS!! First time I met Mark he was floating past the brownies in the Brooks in a drysuit and holding an underwater camera filming them snare sockeye). Mark is well worth contacting for either a guided trip on the Naknek or simply info on what you want to do. You won't find a more amiable and interesting person to talk to as well as an excellent guide to the region...... I've been in Bristol Bay every summer for the last 15 years and can reccomend him as one of the BEST! HAVE FUN!!!