FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

On the last part of our trip we had an interesting time.  When you travel extensively things happen, some in your control, some not.  In this case much was out of our control and it sure could have gone better.

From Anchorage we flew back to Vancouver BC to catch a plane to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island.  That was where we would catch our seaplane to Great Bear Lodge on the mainland.  Kind of a convoluted way to have to get there but it was the way it was so off we went.  We met at the seaplane dock mid afternoon.  It was cloudy and rainy, the norm for that part of the country, it is a rain forest.  After some negotiation between pilot and base 4 of us loaded up and took off.  The pilot stayed along the coast and at times we dropped as low as 80 feet to get under the fog but were able to make it.  It was our first seaplane ride but we could not see much, that would change on our trip back.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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The Boss was co-pilot both in and out.  A highlight of our trip.

Our accommodations, stunning.

First up let me comment on the accomodations.  There were first class all the way.  The food was great, the view stunning, the folks were nice, it was as good as advertized.  But here is where it gets a little tough for me to hold my tongue.  It is not Great Food Lodge, Great Beds Lodge, Great Folks Lodge, it is Great Bear Lodge and they did not really deliver.  It does not help we have been with some of the best and worst guides in our animal chasing, and this trip did not meet our expectations.  We came for the bears, end of story.

A common day in the northern rain forest.

They provided plenty of good clothes for the weather, and with it varying from above to clear and warm, we needed it.  Basically we went out 2 or 3 times a day for 3 days and when it was all said and done we saw one grizzly and her cub, it got a little boring.

A Sitka Blacktail buck.  This is actually a good one.

We saw a few good deer, some harbor seals, ducks, eagles and a few other, but here is the grizzly and her baby.

We spent way to much time watching this mom and cub.  In fact the folks we were with the last day and a half said something to the guide about spending more time looking for other bears.  We learned from her they had not seen another bear in weeks.

Momma was packing on the pounds after a long winter hibernation.

And Junior spent time admiring his foot.

We cruised the estuary in aluminum boats looking for bears with no luck.  But as long as you are striking out it could not happen in a more beautiful place.

I do need to comment on the guides and the situation.  They had been closed for 2 years due to the covid and the guides were new.  Now I admit the comparison might be somewhat unfair, but they were not bear guides by any means.  It seemed the one mailed it in everyday by looking a little then back to mom and her cub.  Later I found out that this was a bear that was born in that area and was “used” to the boats.  In our travels that would be referred to as habituated, and this bear was.  I did not come this far to watch a pet bear, end of story.

We spent at least 3 hours morning and evening in a 17′ aluminum boat cruising he estuary.  One of the guides told me she had been running a boat just 2 months, the other when I questioned her on why she was not using the kill switch said if she fell out she could catch the boat.  Of course, that is complete nonsense.   At times she stood on the bench seat and drove it with a handle extension, it was an accident waiting to happen.  Nothing like falling in 40 degree water and watching your boat circle with your customers in it who may not have a clue.  Really dangerous.

She was the same one that told me there was only garter snakes in BC, which was so wrong and just plain made up.  They actually have a cool rattlesnake and several other snakes including a boa.  If you do not know the answer do not make it up, which she clearly did.  I cannot tell you how unimpressed I was with that particular guide.  While our guides had degrees, they were far from bear experts and definitely not experienced guides, which was a disappointment.  But again, we are spoiled and have traveled the outdoors with some of the best, so our baseline is high.  Give them a few years of experience and then they should be bear guides.  I know there are no guarantees, a life outdoors will teach you that, but it was not what we expected.

Our chariot arrives!

But I will say this, the plane ride back to Port Hardy was the highlight of my trip.  What an absolutely stunning way to travel and we got to see real wilderness.  As the world “shrinks” it is good to know that the “woods” still exist.  It was also good to see how responsible logging is being done.  Commercial interests and wildlife can co-exist.  Selective harvest and clearing can be a real benefit to the wildlife, but their needs have to come first to sustain true wilderness.  As I have continually ragged on our government’s short sighted, corporate bowing, attempt to sell off some of the US’s public lands, freakin stop it!

This is it from the plane.  I really tried this tip to put down the camera and just “see” it for what it is.  One of the coolest places yet.

This has been tough to write.  It is so hard to grade a place when the purpose of going there is not achieved.  But the staff/folks were flat wonderful and in that department no complaints.  Great place, nice folks, good food, all of that was fine, but could have been achieved in plenty of places.  Hell, I saw twice as many bears in the first hour on the Kenai as I did at Great Bear Lodge.  Chasing wildlife has become our favorite pastime and when it comes down to it Great Bear Lodge did not meet expectations by a good bit.  So for a grade I give it a C and would not recommend it for bears unless you go late in the salmon run and view from their stands.  But if you want a cool trip to a great place it meets the bill.

We flew back to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island for a couple of days before heading home.  Getting to some isolated places requires some changes to accommodate airline schedules.  To get this trip done we ended up getting on 10 planes!  With the current state of affairs with the airlines that we made all those planes with only a couple of delays.  That we did not miss or get cancelled is in and of itself an accomplishment.  LAX was an insane freak show, about all of California I need, and when we got to Austin it was a complete mess with weather.  But overall, it was amazing we made it without disruption.

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I have left out a ton, but time to put it to bed.  As I type this the Boss is already doing her research on the next big trip, New Zealand.  She will spend months reading and researching.  We are just waiting to see how New Zealand entry plays out as they were as tough as any country on the covid.  But I know one thing when she said maybe some heli fishing on the trip she is setting the bar high!

Not sure when I will be back on the water but it should be Tuesday.  Let folks get back to work after the long holiday weekend.  I am starting to think about the Florida trip, which starts in less than 3 weeks.  Picked up the boat at the shop and it is all good to go.  The motor is now in its 12 year and still going strong.  Maintenance is the key to glory and this motor would have long been on the scrap heap without it.  Things break and shit happens, but reducing the chances is worth every penny.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines