During the week of August 20-25, my Brother's Pete, Mike and I went on the trip of a lifetime to the beautiful, remote Egegik river where we stayed at the amazing Becharaf Lodge. We learned about this opportunity from one of the most highly regarded outdoorsman in the world, Scott Haugen. Scott is an author, a television personality, a photographer, and an all-around good guy. He has been traveling to Alaska for over 30 years and told me the Egegik has some of the best Coho Salmon fishing he has ever experienced. Of course, with that endorsement, we had to see it for ourselves.
Traveling to the Becharof Lodge isn't what I would describe as an "easy" journey. That said, the travel was a part of the overall adventure, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It's true what they say, you must work for the best things in life. We traveled into Anchorage, Alaska, then connected to a small town called King Salmon where we were met by Trygg Air who would complete our journey to the Egegik River in a float plane. Captain Craig was our pilot and we all felt completely confident and safe during the flight.
Once we hopped off the plane, we were greeted by lodge co-owner George Joy. We quickly learned that George is a truly unique character with a massive wealth of knowledge of life in Alaska and seemingly limitless energy and enthusiasm. George knows something about pretty much everything that has to do with hunting and fishing in Alaska. From the float plane, he loaded us on a boat for the first of many trips on the river to the lodge.
I imagine most everyone goes to the Becharof Lodge for the fishing. It makes sense, the fishing is really, really good. When getting ready for the trip however, everyone I heard from, every article I read, there was always a mention of how good the food is. Let me tell you something about the Becharof Lodge, Egegik River experience...the food isn't just good...it's unbelievably amazing! Seriously. Those of you that know me, know I'm a foodie and every single meal at the lodge was a game changer.
We walked into the kitchen upon arrival and were immediately greeted with the lovely aroma of fresh baked bread, hot soup, coffee and more. We were introduced to Chef Goni, who is always in the busy kitchen making magic with a radiant smile on her face. We immediately felt welcome. It felt like going home after having been away for a long time, which was strange to me because I had never been there before. There was always some sort of heavenly snack to munch on between meals...often warm cookies, smoked salmon and so much more. It is in this kitchen where the true Becharof Lodge experience takes place. All the guests and guides gather to tell stories, share a meal, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, or just to sit quietly and take in the experience.
My Brother-In-Law Mike aka Chili Dawg said it best when his wife asked him how the trip went? His immediate answer wasn't about fishing...the first thing he thought of and said was, "I made some life-long friends." I couldn't agree more with the sentiment.
After we got settled in, had a hot bowl of soup and a cup of coffee, we jumped on a boat and headed up to the hole we spent most of the week fishing at. There are quite a few excellent places to fish this river, but this spot was the go-to for our group.
As you can see from the picture above, Chili Dawg caught the first fish of the three of us (Oh heck! I forgot I owe you $20 for that bet, Mike!) He was grinning ear to ear and we were very excited about the catch.
After a good night of sleep that first night, we were up at 5:15 AM for some good coffee and a hot breakfast prepared by Becharof Lodge co-owner Mark Korpi and his daughter Shelby (blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs and more!) before the sun came up.
At around 6:30 am every day, all the fishermen in camp would gather on the bank to pile into boats and head off to their hole for the day. It's at this time, the anticipation and excitement for the inevitable mayhem of the morning really starts to build.
The morning bite is something that can't be accurately described. It's as though there are hundreds of fish in the hole, tensed up and waiting for us to throw something...anything in the water for them to fight over. Once cast..one fish! Second cast...two fish on the bank and so it goes. There were usually around 10 or 11 men and women on the bank fishing at our hole and it was not uncommon to see everyone fighting a fish, bonking them, and bleeding them out. Total chaos and a thing of absolute beauty!
Fish on Pedro!
Glen simply could not keep the fish off his hook. He is a fish magnet!
It didn't take long for the bank to start filling up. Here you see Judy waiting for the next monster Silver to strike her hook.
This is about as good as it gets!
So much fight!
It is a lot of fun to catch a fish on these pink beads. Read more about them HERE
Matlock is a man that knows how to catch fish! Even if the bite slowed down, you could almost always count on seeing some action on the end of his line.
Our buddy Rob was always finding the fish.
Special shout out to Rob and his Bride Judy for teaching Pete, Mike, and I the lay of the land from day one. They provided us with excellent advice and support as we figured things out.
Jim showing the smile of a man about to land a monster!
Dylan is about as enthusiastic a fisherman as you will find. He was constantly working to find the fish with a wide variety of approaches including this nice looking spinner lure.
John was finding the fish all day too!
Guide Cheyenne was constantly bonking and bleeding the fish as they hit the bank. The staff at the Becharof Lodge are some of the hardest working people I've ever met.
On this river, the limit is 5 fish per person. Most days, everyone was at limit and then we moved to catch and release. Once we caught the fish, the guides were really busy!
Becharof Lodge Co-Owner Mark Korpi is one of the nicest people I've ever met and if you want to see a guy that works hard? Here you go! I wouldn't be surprised to learn there were actually clones of him at camp. He seemed to be everywhere, at all times making sure all the guests were well taken care of and the camp was well maintained and comfortable for everyone. Thanks again, Mark!
I can't emphasize enough how fantastic the Becharof Team really is (pictured above). They love what they do and they are really good at it! Saying "thanks" to this group is just not enough.
Not in the picture was David but fear not, I've got a shot....
While we were fishing, George was filleting some fish and cooking blackened salmon on a grill right next to the river. I'm not exaggerating when I say this was the best salmon meal I've ever had. The seasoning and meat had a lot to do with it, but the overall experience really made it memorable. You can't have a fresher fish lunch, that's for sure!
There could be no judgement on those sleeping in the Alaskan tundra...turns out it's a natural instinct for all mammals.
Speaking of mammals, check out this little fox that showed up looking to find an easy salmon meal!
The fox wasn't the only animal in Alaska looking for a fresh salmon meal. This big grizzly bear was having a buffet at the top of Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park.
I hadn't planned on going out to Brooks this year even though it was only a 30 minute float plane ride away. When I came back to camp and learned there was an open seat available, I couldn't resist.
I didn't have the camera equipment with me that I would have normally brought for this. For you photo nerds out there, my longest lens with me was a 70-200. That said, I was thrilled with the result. I've now got more bear photos than I know what to do with! I'll share a few of my favorites with you below.
It was a record breaking year for the sockeye salmon run. So good, the bears could be picky and only eat the head of the sockeye, kicking the carcass away after the kill. When they got into a nice fat coho though, that was a different story. These bears are connoisseurs it turns out.
There were five others from our camp on the trip including Dylan and his girlfriend Breanna. Dylan asked me if I wouldn't mind snapping a couple of portraits on the empty balcony downriver. I was happy to oblige. After I was done, while changing out my lens from a 70-200 to a 24-70, I turned around and saw this happening!......
She said YES!!! Congratulations to Dylan and Breanna on an epic engagement. The grizzly bears approved too.
With each passing day, the fishing got better and better.
Credits:
mathaywardphoto.com