I spent 10 fun-filled days this past summer in a town full of friendly and interesting locals, a cool art and music scene and an abundance of sport fishing. Sounds amazing right? The town is Ketchikan, Alaska and I loved it!
We were hosted by Alaska Sportfishing Expeditions who own Silverking Lodge, The Cedars Lodge and Clover Pass Resort and we were fortunate enough to experience all three places. We don’t often spend a full 10 days in one town so it was an especially rich experience.
Part one of my trip took place at Silverking Lodge and it was…
Freaky and rewarding! Let me explain. I spent a day with local Ketchikan artist Ray Troll – both in his studio and on the water. Ray Troll is not only an incredible artist but also extremely knowledgeable when it comes to fun and weird creatures of the sea. As a result, I learned a bunch of fun fish facts while viewing his art and fishing with him and his brother in law, Mike, on the Pacific. While on our fishing trip, we caught all sorts of fun stuff, including a sea urchin and a sea cucumber…and my new nickname was given to me “Mafreaks” or “Mafreako” if you prefer the long version.
The rewarding part was my day of self-guiding out of Silverking Lodge. Believe it or not, I’ve never been out on the water all by myself! I’m always with my family or friends and/or my Hookin’ Up crew. So, this was a day of learning and surprisingly, relaxation. There’s something to be said for a little alone time. I used cut plug herrings and slowly trolled for Chinook, Coho and Pinks. By the end of my day, I sat in my little boat, took in the beauty that surrounded me and felt a sense of accomplishment.
Part two of my trip took place at Cedars Lodge and was…
Epic and productive! We spent an afternoon fly-in fly fishing out of Cedars Lodge. The plane literally picked us up from the Cedars dock and up we went gallivanting in the sky. It was one of those experiences where the journey is just as fun as the destination. As we zigzagged through the mountain peaks, we watched for what was to be our fishing spot. The pilot smoothly landed the plane on the water, out we jumped, met Rick our fishing guide (who was waiting with his morning clients) and then it was clear – no turning back. There was absolutely no civilization and the only way to get back home was to fly.
We spent the afternoon going for trout and I caught a beauty little cutthroat. We used a mix of dry and wet flies and Rick and Ryder really showed me how it’s done. Over the course of the next few hours, they both caught a few trout and before we knew it, it was time to head in…and what better way to end the day than with our private flight home.
And lastly, Part three of my trip took place at Clover Pass Resort and was….
Fun and surprising! The last part of my trip out of Clover Pass Resort consisted of taking two Ketchikan locals who – get this – have never caught a fish on any type of sport fishing rod! I make this distinction because they are in fact, commercial fisherpeople! LaDonna and Ole have lived in Ketchikan for over twenty years, spend their days on their boat and Ladonna is known for her delicious cooking. Check her out at
http://www.thesalmoncook.com/ . The two of them were a pleasure to fish with and I hope you all get to watch this episode because Ladonna’s reaction to catching her first sport fish is pretty awesome.
From beginning to end, my time in Ketchikan was educational, rewarding and full of memorable experiences both on and off the water. If you ever get the chance, it’s a fantastic place to visit. It has lively nightlife (incredible for such a small town!), an abundance of artistry, warm people and lots of fishing!
Thank you to:
Alaska Sportfishing Expeditions -
http://www.ketchikanalaskafishing.com/
Ray Troll and Soho Coho -
http://www.trollart.com/
