Dave Duncan & Sons is a family-owned and operated business that specializes in remote wilderness Base Camps – we represent their two operations on the Kanektok River, the Upper River Base Camp and the Lower River Base Camp.
Their family has more than one hundred years of combined experience guiding and supporting fishermen in Alaska’s remote wilderness; Dave’s sons and a loyal crew of returning guides and employees work together at both destinations to insure a first-class wilderness experience, and the legions of guests who return annually is testament to their success. Regardless of which operation you choose, you will stay in a very comfortable camp that has warm, dry tents, hot showers, and great fishing – right out the front door. And the Kanektok is one of the great fish factories of Bristol Bay, with more rainbow trout and sea run Dolly Varden than can be imagined, as well as heavy runs of all 5 species of Pacific Salmon.
2024 Reservations & Rates
The cost of the week-long Duncan & Sons River Camp packages are:
Lower Camp - $6,400.00 per person
Upper Camp - $6,500.00 per person
Inclusions
Included in your angling package at the Duncan & Sons River Camps is transportation to and from camp from Quinhagak, meals, sodas, lodging, and guiding services on the river.
Non-Inclusions
Not included in your angling package at Duncan & Sons River Camps are 'round trip transportation from Anchorage to Quinhagak, a sleeping bag, fishing tackle, fishing license, and any favorite alcoholic beverages.
Travel Insurance
The Fly Shop® is not in the insurance business, but we recommend Travel Guard coverage as a service with a desire to see your best interests protected. It is impossible to know when an unfortunate situation (loss of luggage, fly rods, illness in the family, or an accident) may occur. However, such things can and do happen, and this insurance can provide a means of recourse against non-refundable financial losses.
• Travel Insurance Information
Seasons at Duncan & Sons Camps
The Kanektok River is one of the very few rivers in all of Alaska that offers world-class rainbow fishing in the same water as ocean-bright salmon.
So often one has to choose a lodge located near trout water, then fly to the coast to catch fresh salmon…making this river a rare exception.
The king salmon run heats up on the Kanektok in June, and lasts well
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into July. The lower river is fairly wide – spey rods are recommended - and comprised of a series of long, deep beautiful runs, perfect for swing fishing to these brutes. An average king here will be 20-25 pounds, with fish over 40 an everyday possibility. As well, the river's sockeye and chum salmon runs overlap the kings, and offer good sport for those looking for a bit smaller game – sockeyes average 6-8 pounds, and the chums 8-12 pounds. This same early season stretch will also see the river's big leopard rainbows aggressively chasing large streamers – trout in the 2-4 pound range are common, and even larger fish are routinely hooked. Look for the annual upstream migration of sea run dollies to begin in this same time period, making this is a great mixed bag time of year.
As July segues into August, two major events occur. First, hordes of chrome silver salmon invade the river, their sheer numbers inundating every slow pool and calm backwater in the river. These aggressive-to-the-fly battlers are a flyrodder's dream, averaging 6-12 pounds, and willing to take surface poppers as well as streamers. Secondly, as all of the earlier-run salmon are now laying eggs, or dying and decomposing, the river's trout populations are taking up sharply defined feeding positions; anglers can either catch big numbers of good-sized rainbows (and dollies) in shallow spawning redds behind procreating salmon, or plop heavy flesh patterns against the banks behind drowned alders in search of fewer, but larger specimens. This will remain the drill into September, when the camps close down.
Getting to Duncan & Sons Camps
Upon arrival in Quinhagak you will be met by several camp representatives, who will transfer you and your luggage to awaiting jet boats and take you upriver to the Camp you've chosen.
On your day of arrival, plan on flying into Bethel on Alaska Air flight #43, arriving Bethel at about noon. Upon arrival in Bethel, you’ll want to collect your luggage, then Grant Air will have a driver waiting there for you - holding a Grant Air sign – who will transport you over to their nearby terminal.
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They'll then fly you out to the village of Quinhagak, arriving about 40 minutes later. The Camp will have already made the reservation for this Grant Air portion of your trip -- you'll just need to pay them for it when you arrive. The cost for the roundtrip flight (they also fly you from Quinhagak to Bethel at week's end) will be approximately $500, which you should be prepared to pay in cash, check or credit card.
You will depart the camp early Saturday. You'll arrive at Quinhagak by 8:30 am, to catch your Grant Air flight back to Bethel at about 9:15am., arriving at about 10:00am. Arriving Bethel, Grant Air will transfer you to the Alaska Air terminal, where you will connect to your Alaska Air flight #44, typically about 12:10 pm, arriving Anchorage at approximately 1:40 pm. If poor weather delays the trip from Camp, both Grant Air and Alaska Air have flights later in the day back to Anchorage.
Lodging at Duncan & Sons Camps
Dave Duncan and Sons actually have two camps on this remarkable river.
Their Lower River Base Camp is a short, 30-minute run upstream from the little Native village of Quinhagak, and concentrates on the lower 15 miles of river. While the salmon fishing is the largest draw at this Camp due to its proximity to the ocean, there is also more than enough rainbow fishing to keep even the most enthusiastic trout angler happy.
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The Upper Base Camp is located approximately 30 miles and an hour and a half jet boat ride upriver, and is protected in a 2.2 million acre, federally established wilderness area. Access to the wilderness portion of the river is severely limited by government regulation- only a small group of anglers a week are allowed, and this is the only semi-permanent operation allowed. The camp is in the center of the trout fishery and has immediate access to the desirable "braids" section, where you can lose yourself in the small, meandering backchannels and tributaries. For those wanting to tangle with heavier game, simply walk over to the main channel, where the bulk of the salmon species are making their way upstream. If you like smaller water and more trout and dollies than you can imagine, this is the place for you.
Physically, the two camps are identical. They both feature comfortable Weatherport tents built onto solid wood, raised platforms, both guest quarters and a separate tent in which to take your meals. Well-designed outhouses with flush toilets round out the camps, both of which are located right on the water. Typical of most such camps, breakfasts and dinners are taken in camp, while lunches are typically served streamside.
Fishing at Duncan & Sons Camps
The Duncans use jet sleds to access the fishing grounds each day; sometimes they will have anglers fish from the boats (they have set them up to be rowed), and sometimes they will beach the boats and have guests wade the shallower runs and riffles.
The former is especially useful when targeting big rainbows in deep water, the latter when salmon fishing or fishing for trout behind spawning
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salmon. Right after breakfast each day guests will be split up, two to a boat and guide, and whisked off to the type of fishing they have requested. Due to the prolific and varied nature of the fishery, it is not unusual to be catching bright salmon all morning, then spend the afternoon catching trout, dollies and grayling. The guide will work with each angler, sharpening their skills and explaining the fishing, and will stay with them all day.
What Makes This Destination Special and Unique?
LOWER CAMP
• The Duncan family has been fishing the Kanektok River since the 80’s. These guys know the water like no other, insuring great fishing for you, throughout the week.
• The Lower Camp is located just 15 miles above tidewater. They have endless “swing” runs for ocean-bright king and chum salmon, and numbers of bays and slow pools that stack up with fresh silver salmon. You’ll be fishing to chrome colored salmon in prime fighting shape, straight from the sea.
• The Kanektok is one of the rare rivers that has all five species of Pacific salmon, along with world-class rainbow trout fishing. From the Lower Camp you can fish tidewater salmon one day, and follow up with trophy leopard rainbow trout fishing the next, fish that commonly stretch between 24 and 30 inches.
• Few rivers rival the lower reaches of the Kanektok to swing fish for king salmon. Guides here were responsible for developing some of the first double-handed techniques for chinooks, methods which still work well today. Swinging for kings here is as good as it gets.
• The Kanektok is a very diverse fishery. Anglers can target rainbow trout, sea run Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling, and pacific salmon, all in one week.
UPPER CAMP
• The Duncan family began floating the Kanektoc in the 80’s, and they’re the most experienced outfitter on the river. If these guys can’t put you on the fish, nobody can.
• The Duncan’s is the only fixed camp on the upper Kanektoc River, well within the Togiak Wilderness Refuge. Fishing more than 30 miles of the upper river with few other anglers means you’ll be fishing rested water, every day.
• The upper reaches of the Kanektoc offers both mouse and streamer fishing for a strong population indigenous leopard rainbow trout. During your week, you’ll have the opportunity to fish these magnificent trout, watching them destroy a mouse on top, and swinging streamers through picture perfect runs.
• Guides run their jet boats to the top of a beat in the morning, spending the day rowing anglers downstream. This gives anglers the opportunity to cast mouse and streamers against shoreline structure from the boat, and fish braided side channels and long gravel bars while wading.
• This is a spectacular wilderness fishery, where anglers have the opportunity to target leopard rainbow trout, sea run Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling, and Pacific salmon, in relative luxury. You’ll share great meals with friends and family, sleep well in dry heated tents, complimented with a hot shower at the end of the day!
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