In the most recent edition of the popular publication American Angler, there are two different articles referencing Alaska West. Both articles are written by fly fishing author and photographer (as well as college professor), Dave Karczynski. The first one is a short story that will pull on your heart strings a little. It is about our old companion Chum, one of the best fish camp dogs to ever sniff a salmon. The second article is entitled “Catching on the Kanektok.” This is one of the feature pieces of the edition and it discusses the river that is so special to us, the Kanektok. King Salmon are the target species for the author but as anyone who has fished the K-tok with us knows, the diversity of fish and fishing techniques here are unmatched so Karczynski also touches on Chum Salmon, Rainbows, Dollys and Grayling. A favorite line from the article assesses the unmatched swing water of the river, “The Kanektok falls into the Goldilocks category—not too deep and not too shallow, not too big and not too small. Competent casters giving it their all can lay up an Intruder on the far bank more often than not, and the runs average four to seven feet deep. In short, if you fly is in the water, there are probably more than a few sets of eyes on it.”
You know Alaska West must be a special place if one of the most widely read fly fishing publications has two different pieces written about it. Karczynski has a way with words that does more than just describe a fishing experience. He makes you feel like you were there with him while also touching on those existential moments that give meaning behind why we fly fish. To read the articles in full, check out the March/April edition of American Angler.
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