“Chasing Kings on the Alaska Peninsula”
By Chris King
I had a chance once again to take a group of Spey Anglers to Lava Creek Lodge on the Alaskan Peninsula. Below is the log I kept during the week. If this adventure sounds like a good time to you, give me a call here at The Fly Shop® and join me next year!
Day 1 – The Deplaning & the Never-Ending Sunset
Alaska opened its arms in that slightly chaotic way it often does. We had a drunken passenger escorted off the plane (my second time experiencing that this year). I’ve started taking it personally. At midnight, the sky still refused to darken, that endless summer twilight stretching like an overtired toddler refusing to sleep. We chased that sunset from Seattle all the way up.
By 1 a.m., I was weaving through Anchorage streets looking for a bed, blurry-eyed and caffeine starved.
Day 2 – Dumb Laws and Poor Planning
The State of Alaska doesn’t sell booze until 10 a.m. which seemed illegal, immoral, or both so, I made my way to Merrill Field by Uber and the trip was officially on. Next time I take a late flight up I will bring a bottle from home. Got to the lodge with no trouble at all. It was an absolutely stunning day. Lots of set netters out in the Ugashik Bay and we spent the evening sitting outside anticipating the week to come.
Day 3 – Kings, Chums & Casting Lessons
Fished with Bruce today and Mike was guiding us. Bruce was on fire, landing four bright kings, while we both racked up a stack of chums like we were playing salmon poker. The weather was perfect. Cloud cover draped across the sky like a softbox, and no wind meant long, clean casts and perfect swings.
I worked with Bruce on his casting. He really took to the instruction. That kind of quick progression is always fun to watch. Elsewhere, Joel and Nick were out with Joel’s son Isaac. They had the kind of first day in Alaska most people dream about: bears, caribou, birds, and more chums than they knew what to do with. Watching Joel watch his son thrive on the water doing what he loves for a living, man, that hit something deep. Spey Week could use more of that kind of magic.
Dinner was beef stroganoff. Not a single plate came back with leftovers.
Day 4 – Sunshine, No Kings, and Cracker-Crusted Salmon
Fished with Phil and LeeAnn today, Mike guided us. Beautiful weather, bright and breezy, but no kings landed. They did have a solid lunch session where they tore into some chums. I squeezed in a quick cast and grabbed one myself.
Fishing with three isn’t easy, especially when you’re the one hosting the trip. Still, their enthusiasm made it fun. I spent the day moving back and forth between them and helping with some casting instructions.
Dinner was Cracker-crusted salmon. One of those dishes that makes you forget you’re a hundred miles from the nearest road.
Day 5 – Rain, Wind, and the Earth Shook
Phil left today to get back to family. The lodge is closed next week, so he is going to take a little break and head back home. Rain kept most folks inside in the afternoon, but I headed out with Isaac, Joel, and Nick.
We found fish. Four kings and an endless supply of chums. Isaac took us to some roomy spots so we could all actually fish, and I finally got a chance to get a real line in the water. Still found time to help Joel with casting and chat about Isaac’s future. He’s off to Norway next. The kid’s got talent and drive. I’d back him any way I could.
Oh, and about that 7.3 earthquake? Lodge folks said it felt like riding a paint shaker for 90 seconds. Nobody on the river noticed a thing. Modern communication ensured we had 47 texts waiting, all saying the same thing: “Are you alive?”
Day 6 – Kings, Chums
Fished with Bruce and Cody today. Mostly one-angler water, which led to a lot of sitting in the boat and watching. Bruce grumbled about catching too many chums… then landed two more kings. I got a king too but I really think the Chums are underrated. These 4-8 pound fish will murder a swung fly and the bright ones rip line! Besides, you’re in Alaska, would you rather just not catch fish??
I worked with Chris, the camp hand, and he was picking up the cast well. Meanwhile, Isaac’s group kept racking up fish like it was their job. Well… it kind of is.
Day 7 – Bears on the Flats and a Stuck Boat
Started strong today, Jeff landed a bright king right out of the gate. We ran down to the bay and spotted five bears hunting the tide flats. A breathtaking, National Geographic moment… immediately followed by us beaching the boat on the outgoing tide.
Three of us tugged it back into the water, inch by inch. Worth it.
I closed out the day with a king landed in the final ten minutes, some poetic punctuation on a wild afternoon. The others fished with mixed results. Bruce was still in chum mode but there were a few Kings caught today. Isaac’s crew pushed upriver in search of trout, found no fish, but plenty of beauty.
Dinner was shrimp and salmon tacos. Unreal.
Day 8 – Kings in the Wind and the Last Cast
The wind howled all day. Fished with Cody and Jeff, We caught kings and chums despite the relentless breeze. At one point, we stopped to play a little music on the bank. Wind or not, we were in rhythm.
Toward the end of the day, I begged to fish a bluff out of the wind. Missed two fish on the hang down, then circled back and stuck a perfect king on my last cast of the trip. Can’t script that better.
Dinner was delicious again topped off with Betty’s signature individual Baked Alaska.
Played “Pass the Pigs” late into the night, laughing like old friends. A genuinely great group.
Day 9 – Always Have a Contingency Plan
The transfer to Anchorage was a little up in the air with the passing weather. The folks in King Salmon were backed up in the morning and not able to fly. Mike and Phil working together via starlink put together a contingency to get us to Pilot Point and a charter from there to Anchorage. In the end with a little delay we had the original 2 beavers come straight to the lodge and we had a charter from King Salmon fly us to Ted Stevens in Anchorage. I met up with guide, Cody who was headed home after the King season. He had a delay because of computer trouble with Alaska Airlines. They sat on the tarmac waiting for an open gate and many of the outgoing flights were de-planed and canceled. He got to the room at 8 p.m. and we went to dinner. I had an awesome dinner at 49th State Brewery with my favorite crab sandwich and got some rest for the next leg of the trip.
This is a wild, rewarding, and well-run fishing experience. Incredible camaraderie, beautiful country, and king salmon that haunt your dreams. I plan to host a Spey week (July 13 – 20, 2026) next year as well. If you would like to join me, give me a call here at The Fly Shop® at 1 (800) 669-3474 | 1 (530) 222-3555.
Chris King
Destination Specialist
chris@theflyshop.com
Alaska Trip – Remote Lodge Fishing
Fishing
- Species: King, chum, pink salmon
- Techniques: Spey casting, swinging flies. Most kings caught on the hang down in inside water.
- Conditions: Excellent with clouds and minimal days with wind
Meals
- Surprisingly good for the remote setting
- Cracker-crusted salmon, shrimp tacos, and beef stroganoff were highlights
My Gear
Scott Swing 1288/4
Airflo Skagit Driver 570 grains
10’ T7, T10, T14 Airflo custom tips
Simms Freestone Bootfoot Vibram sole Waders
