Alaska - Royal Coachman Lodge

[Woolly Bugger]

Day eight -- Cold Front, Creek Mouths, and Cabin Heat

The forecast was grim: cold, wet, and socked in. Only one flight made it out, and it quickly became clear that my coastal silver trip was off the table. Instead, I'd be fishing locally with Andrew M.

I wasn't overly optimistic—Kevin and Laura had fished the same stretch a few days earlier and came back empty-handed. Still, I grabbed a sandwich and geared up. We launched from the lodge and motored downriver to the portage around the falls.

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While waiting for Andrew, I admired Bob's latest work — a week's worth of brushstrokes capturing Alaska's quiet drama.

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We reached the portage path in steady rain and climbed the short hill, calling out "Hey Bear!" every few steps. Another boat was stashed below the falls, and we continued downstream, holding at the mouths of several creeks.

The fishing was better than expected. I caught a few grayling, a rainbow, one silver, and a jack king. Not a banner day, but enough action to keep the rod bent and the spirits up


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Another boat was stashed below the falls, and we motored down to the end of this reash, holding at the mouths of several creeks. I caught a few greylings, a rainbow, one silver and a jack king.

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This is a flubbed photo, the only one all week, of the jack king.

After several hours, we headed back upriver.

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The heat was on in my cabin when I returned, and it felt good to shed the damp layers and warm up.

That evening, we airdropped photos to the guides, each other, and to Bob. Dinner was steak—perfectly cooked. Bob and Josh gave closing speeches, and afterward, we gathered in the back office to settle up: alcohol orders, merchandise (I picked up a hat and a shirt), and tips for the guides, cook, and staff.

Breakfast time and the tentative fly-out schedule to Dillingham were posted. Luggage was to be placed outside our cabins before breakfast.

We lingered in the lodge for a bit, then retreated to our rooms for one last night in Alaska

[Woolly Bugger]

Day Nine — Low Ceilings and Long Goodbyes

It rained through the night, sometimes pounding hard enough to wake me. The first flight was scheduled to carry luggage out and return for us, but the weather had other plans. As the morning dragged on, I started to wonder if we'd make it out at all.

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Eventually, the skies cleared just enough for a cautious attempt. Kyle flew low—just a couple hundred feet above the treetops—and detoured over the lakes to find better visibility. It felt tight, but we made it.

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We landed at the seaplane base and transferred to waiting vans for the 45-minute drive into Dillingham. At the hangar, luggage was weighed and a clipboard passed around for us to log our own weight—always a humbling moment.

Weather delays weren't just ours—the charter out of Anchorage was also running late. We lingered in the hangar, grateful that Jan had packed us lunch. Eventually, sandwiches and cookies emerged from our bags and morale lifted.

Finally, the plane arrived with next week's guests. After refueling, we boarded, earplugs in place, and lifted off. We touched down in Anchorage around 5:30.

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A few folks had flights out at 8:00 or 8:30. I'd been advised not to book early, so I chose the 10:30—my mistake. Instead of one layover, I had two, and wouldn't land in Greensboro until 4:30 the next afternoon.

Still, no complaints. I'm already looking forward to next year.


That make days 56-61!

[Fishbug]

Looks epic!
 

[Woolly Bugger]

Looks epic!
 

was VERY epic 

[Rhody]

Great trip and excellent report,
Thanks for sharing with us,
I have started a new piggy bank, I wanna do this trip!

[itieuglyflies]

Awesome trip for sure and equally awesome trip reports!

[Dougfish]

Loved all of it.
Awesome fish and food
So happy for you.
Thanks for enriching the economy!

[trout-r-us]

Just curious, were you able to see Russia from where you were?

[Woolly Bugger]

And I began catching fish, big fish, big beautiful char. I caught a few that took me into the backing and I tightened the drag on the Ross Evolution 3.5, but it still wouldn't slow the fish down. I had to palm the reel. (Upon return, I've sent the reel, along with the $30 fee, back to Ross for servicing).

Repair complete and is being shipped back

WARRANTY SERVICE FEE
-EVO 3.5 reel w/line + pouch
-Technician replaced thrust plate, drag disc, thrust washer, spindle, drag knob

Always good to have your thrust plate replaced now and then... 

[troutboy_II]

Chiropractor work on lower back seems to work for me 

TB