Redefining semi-permanent tent camps, the Alaska West Camp offers anglers the best of the Kanektok River — legendary main-stem fishing for sea-bright kings, chum, and silvers, and willow-lined side channels teeming with wild leopard bows, char, and grayling. The Kanektok is by all standards a remarkably diverse fishery, perfectly suited to both single-hand and spey rod anglers. It offers one of Alaska’s best opportunities to target both king salmon and fresh silvers with the fly. High catch-rates, easy wading, and open backcasts are the norm. Alaska West is a large, luxurious tent camp set in the heart of the lower river’s finest water. Guests sleep in pairs in comfortable, wall tents with carpeted floors, quality mattresses, heat and lighting. Hot showers, a large dining tent, a recreation tent, and a drying tent complete the scene. Anglers fish two per guide and move about the system in 18-foot jet boats.
For those interested in getting a great taste of all that Alaska has to offer without footing the bill for a fly-out lodge, this is a proven crowd-pleaser that keeps anglers coming back year after year. The Kanektok is a fish factory. With runs of all 5 species of Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and grayling, the river provides a great mix of quantity and variety. For those who haven’t experienced it, it’s simply a shock to see such a large biomass in a relatively small river. This location on the river, 5.5 miles from its mouth, puts anglers in a unique position to sample the variety that the river has to offer. Downriver from the facility is the larger water, including the long gravel bars where the kings hold, the deep, snaggy channels where the big rainbows lay, the slow backwaters that load with silvers and the tidewaters sections full of salmon that were in saltwater hours earlier. As you head upriver past the facility, the river makes a transition to smaller water, side channels and tributaries. These upriver sections allow hiking up side channels for rainbows, targeting salmon in smaller water, making classic day-long drifts fishing for ‘anything’ and working extremely productive dolly flats. Upriver or down, within 15 minutes of the facility there is access to classic king runs, silver backwaters, pink, chum and sockeye holding spots, rainbows in big water and side channels, dolly flats and tidewater fishing like no other. This river combined with the location provides for incredible variety in a small area.
Alaska West Region:
The Togiak National Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 4 million acres of lands that the US government deemed appropriate to manage by the objectives set forth in the National Wildlife Refuge system’s directive to, among other things, conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity. Its northern border is the Yukon Delta National Wilderness Refuge. Its Eastern border is the Wood Tikchik Lakes and Wood Tikchik State Park. The southern border is Bristol Bay and the western border runs 50 miles inland of Goodnews and Platinum until it bisects the Kuskokwim Bay coastline. Several villages fall within the refuge’s boundaries including Eek, Quinhagak, Platinum, Goodnews, Manokotak and Togiak. The refuge is mainly comprised of coastal flats, river flood plains and high tundra plains. Two mountain ranges run through the refuge--the Kilbuck range and the Ahklun range. Both are heavily eroded by ice, wind and water, and their highest peaks are less than 4,500 feet high.
The area is habitat to over 48 mammal species, 31 land-bound including caribou, wolves, moose, brown and black bear, foxes, beaver, muskrats, minks, river otters, voles and porcupines. 17 marine mammals live in the refuge including sea lions, walruses and whales. Three main river drainages host all five species of pacific salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, arctic grayling, arctic char and pike. Over 200 bird species nest in the refuge including golden and bald eagles, peregrine falcons, murres, numerous species of waterfowl and shorebirds. Willow and cottonwood make up the scrub forests along the riverbanks and the tundra is flush with lichen, berries, dwarf trees and grasses. From the river the world looks lush with a short forest of spindly trees, bushes and grasses, but gain 15 feet of elevation and look out over the treetops and the view is a vast flat tundra plain pocked with an uncountable number of ponds and lakes, that runs every direction until it crashes into the sea, bumps into a mountain or drops into a river’s path.
Alaska West Accommodations:
Alaska West facility is a ‘tent lodge’. It is made up of a combination of permanent and semi-permanent structures, and is designed to combine comfortable living, eating and lounging areas with a location right on top of a phenomenal river. The dining tent is a spacious 24’ x 60’ heated structure with wood floors and is always kept neat and clean. The kitchen has the state of the art equipment such as gas ranges, convection oven, microwave, refrigerators and freezers. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding specific dietary requirements. The lounge is great place to relax after a full day of fishing. This large heated tent is furnished with comfortable chairs and tables. A refrigerator with cool sodas, juices and mixers, poker chips with cards, board games, dart board, magazines, books, map board, telephone, satellite television and an online camp computer are available to all guests, as well as a fly tying bench with a limited supply of fly tying materials and vises. Serious tiers are advised to bring their own vise and tools. After returning from your day’s fishing adventure the drying tent serves as a place for you to hang your wet waders, coats, boots and anything else you don’t want wet or dirty in your sleeping quarters. This tent’s heater is lit every night to ensure that your things are nice and dry by morning.
The Gazebo/Viewing Deck is a split-level wood structure close to the dining and lounge tents and has a great river view. The bottom area is open aired and enclosed with fine mesh bug screen. This is a great place to sit and enjoy the midnight sun without being bothered by our little biting buddies. Directly above is the viewing deck. Bring your camera--the sunsets can be breathtaking! Showers have hot and cold running water with a sink basin and chair. They are cleaned daily. The restrooms are indeed outhouses. They too are cleaned daily and they are strategically located near your tent cabin. Your heated tent cabin is furnished with two single beds with full bedding and pillow, clean shower linen, nightstand, hang-down bug net, lantern, carpeted floor and clothes hangers. The housekeeping staff will come through daily to make beds, empty trash and tidy up to ensure your new home stays neat and clean.
Alaska West Season:
June 12 – September 8
Alaska West Fish Species:
Rainbow trout and five species of salmon, char and grayling
Alaska West Lodge Capacity:
22 anglers
Alaska West 2008 Rates:
Friday to Friday $4,500 per week / per person from Quinhagak, based on double occupancy.
$2550 per person for 4 night /3 day trips on selected dates.
Alaska