Alaska musters images of immense landscapes, untamed wilderness and primordial fishing experiences. The land of the midnight sun has more waterways than you can count, but having lived in the 49th state we’ve zeroed in on one of the more unique and less crowded venues that we think showcases some of the best Alaska has to offer. Enter the Aniak River.
I first heard of the Aniak river over lunch with some professors at University of Alaska where my wife and I were both employed at the time. With distant looks a few of them ticked off some of the great river tips in Alaska, but when the Aniak came up the story telling became much more lavish and exciting.
On the Aniak they said, rainbow trout ravenously ate mouse flies, five strong runs of salmon ascended thru the season, dollies and grayling were ever present, the lower sloughs were packed with northern pike, and rare “Sheefish” migrated to the lower river to feast on out migrating smolt. It’s also outside the busy Bristol bay area, has no fly out pressure, hardly anyone floats it and there is only one lodge.
When we came back to the lower 48 to resume our guide service after Bridget’s research concluded, I almost immediately contacted Aniak River Lodge to learn more.
After a long talk with Ludi, the managing partner and former guide at Aniak River Lodge, we settled on early July for the best period to experience it all. We did not want to go all the way to Alaska to peg eggs and run them through salmon redds. We were looking for big eats on mice, salmon along the way, Sheefish, and an unfiltered, untamed Alaskan fishing trip.
That was back in 2019. Fast forward a few trips, here’s our photo report from 2024’s adventure to the Aniak with Bill, Jim, Dwight, Steve, Tom, Whit, Bill, Carol and Nana.
