Yakutat City and Borough - 1

One of our rides: Cessna 180 operated by YCA, weight limit for luggage is 40 pounds. I wondered how YCA and Alaska Airlines take into account passenger weight?


The view from my cabin



Another one of the lodge rides; this one through a slough and then marsh to the beach between the ocean and the marsh.



A fellow beach walker.



The Marsh - with 15 inches of rain two days before our arrival, the creek that drains this huge marsh was too high to wade so we fished "the marsh".



Marsh caught buck - one learns not to "trout set" on coho or one doesn't land many fish.



My head was on a swivel the entire trip. There was a coastal brown bear that the head guide estimated to be 9-feet tall (it looked taller than that when it stood to look at us) weighing 1,000 pounds.



Keith and Jim with an ocean caught coho. We spent one day fishing the salt in several locations. With all the rain, it seemed the coho weren't staging in the salt, they were quickly moving upriver(s). I landed the hottest coho of the trip from the beach.



A small "Curtis Creek" fishery we found had lots of coho, they seemed to prefer black: rabbit strip leech heavily weighted



Coho in this same small creek also liked @Rio Grande King's pink streamer (this one was repeatedly chomped). Tim (Rio Grande King) graciously sent me a box of Alaska coho flies. Domo arigato gozaimasu!

 

[Buzzy]

Jackie with the head guide and a nice small creek coho.



One of many bears we saw; this boar stood up, looked at us and when we said "go bear", he crossed the river and paid us no attention.



Jim with a buck that's already showing a little spawning color (gunmetal?); this is perhaps a mile from the ocean.



One of many coho caught on our last day - we were able to get to The River. The river was loaded with coho, pods here and there. The sun and water clarity allowed Jim and I to target individual fish: what a gas to cast to a single fish, see it turn and eat the offering.

I bought a new rod for the trip - an Echo Ion XL 890-4, it handled the big flies and big fish very well.



Bent fly rod


Small creek coho - I took three spools of Maxima Chameleon with me in 8#, 10# and 12# test. The guide told me to leave it in the cabin, built a leader about 9-feet long with a length of of 45# butt section and 4 feet or so of 25# test "tippet". I wondered why in the heck I'd need tippet that heavy. Many of the coho swam from the creek into this marsh grass, with the heavy tippet I was able to get the fish out of the grass and bonk them or release them. Many were bonked and many released.

Yakutat "airport" - the airport where the public deplanes, baggage claim, ticketing and (my fav) TSA is about the size of my house. Imagine 150 or more anglers, everyone wearing or holding a backpack crowded into your living room waiting for their checked luggage to arrive.

This was my first ever trip to Alaska, when I got back to Ellensburg where my wife picked me up for the drive home she asked me "Where's your next big adventure?" - my response was one word: Alaska.

 

[Jim F.]

Sounds like a wonderful trip, Pat. I'm delighted that you had a good time! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Merle]

Awesome Pat, thanks.

Wow 25# tippet!

-andy

 

[Stonedfish]

Nice report Pat.
looks like a great trip.
SF

 

[Paige]

Fun trip Buzzy, man do I need to get back up there!

 

[mcswny]

Thanks for sharin'!

 

[RRSmith]

What a fabulous adventure - thanks for sharing! We did three DIY trips out of Yakutat back in the 1980's. Sight fishing ocean fresh coho in that shallow lagoon was my favorite. I'm glad to see that nothing has changed!

 

[Greg Armstrong]

Looks like a great trip, thanks for taking us along!

 

[Scottybs]

FAA121 Airlines (Alaska, Delta, United, etc) use standard average weights depending on time of year. FAA135 puddle hoppers in theory pay much closer to actual weight. Most small airplanes have a very small amount of useful payload.

 

[Salmo_g]

Looks like a really fun trip. Thanks for reminding me of what I've been missing!

 

[Guy Gregory]

:envy: Great trip, report, and pics!

By the way, every bear encounter I've ever had I conservatively estimated the bear's weight at or above 3000 lbs. The realization you're not the top of the food chain is spooky, isn't it?

 

[NukeLDO]

I did my bucket list trip last year to AK with Whaler's Cove Lodge, and my answer was the same....AK. Already have my trip booked for next year. Amazing scenery, wildlife, and fishing!

 

[cdnred]

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime for sure. I take it you were using the new 8wt rod you bought for the duration of your trip..? Wow 25# tippet that is heavy but needed. What was the name of your outfitter/lodge you stayed at..? Very envious and hoping to escape back to Alaska and the Yukon. Beautiful country for sure that's still pristine and uncrowded. Thanks for sharing your adventure..

 

[skyriver]

View attachment 33346

Jackie with the head guide and a nice small creek coho.

View attachment 33347

One of many bears we saw; this boar stood up, looked at us and when we said "go bear", he crossed the river and paid us no attention.

View attachment 33348

Jim with a buck that's already showing a little spawning color (gunmetal?); this is perhaps a mile from the ocean.

View attachment 33349

One of many coho caught on our last day - we were able to get to The River. The river was loaded with coho, pods here and there. The sun and water clarity allowed Jim and I to target individual fish: what a gas to cast to a single fish, see it turn and eat the offering.

I bought a new rod for the trip - an Echo Ion XL 890-4, it handled the big flies and big fish very well.

View attachment 33350

Bent fly rod
View attachment 33351

Small creek coho - I took three spools of Maxima Chameleon with me in 8#, 10# and 12# test. The guide told me to leave it in the cabin, built a leader about 9-feet long with a length of of 45# butt section and 4 feet or so of 25# test "tippet". I wondered why in the heck I'd need tippet that heavy. Many of the coho swam from the creek into this marsh grass, with the heavy tippet I was able to get the fish out of the grass and bonk them or release them. Many were bonked and many released.

Yakutat "airport" - the airport where the public deplanes, baggage claim, ticketing and (my fav) TSA is about the size of my house. Imagine 150 or more anglers, everyone wearing or holding a backpack crowded into your living room waiting for their checked luggage to arrive.

This was my first ever trip to Alaska, when I got back to Ellensburg where my wife picked me up for the drive home she asked me "Where's your next big adventure?" - my response was one word: Alaska.

Epic!

 

[MGM]

Thanks for the report ! Didn't make it to AK this fall due to covid so appreciate you taking me there. Hope to get back next fall. Have fished several different places for silvers but not Yakutat. Great looking water with lots of variety. Hard to beat silvers close to the salt.

 

[FlyRod]

What a great trip! Thanks for the report and great pics!

 

[Pddropingpucks]

View attachment 33346

Jackie with the head guide and a nice small creek coho.

View attachment 33347

One of many bears we saw; this boar stood up, looked at us and when we said "go bear", he crossed the river and paid us no attention.

View attachment 33348

Jim with a buck that's already showing a little spawning color (gunmetal?); this is perhaps a mile from the ocean.

View attachment 33349

One of many coho caught on our last day - we were able to get to The River. The river was loaded with coho, pods here and there. The sun and water clarity allowed Jim and I to target individual fish: what a gas to cast to a single fish, see it turn and eat the offering.

I bought a new rod for the trip - an Echo Ion XL 890-4, it handled the big flies and big fish very well.

View attachment 33350

Bent fly rod
View attachment 33351

Small creek coho - I took three spools of Maxima Chameleon with me in 8#, 10# and 12# test. The guide told me to leave it in the cabin, built a leader about 9-feet long with a length of of 45# butt section and 4 feet or so of 25# test "tippet". I wondered why in the heck I'd need tippet that heavy. Many of the coho swam from the creek into this marsh grass, with the heavy tippet I was able to get the fish out of the grass and bonk them or release them. Many were bonked and many released.

Yakutat "airport" - the airport where the public deplanes, baggage claim, ticketing and (my fav) TSA is about the size of my house. Imagine 150 or more anglers, everyone wearing or holding a backpack crowded into your living room waiting for their checked luggage to arrive.

This was my first ever trip to Alaska, when I got back to Ellensburg where my wife picked me up for the drive home she asked me "Where's your next big adventure?" - my response was one word: Alaska.

Hell yeah thank you for that post