Posted on August 15 2011
Kellsey Perkins runs the numbers for us here at Deneki Outdoors. We recently let her out of the office long enough for her to take her first trip to Alaska West, and she was pretty blown away by the whole experience.
We thought a first-timer’s perspective would be interesting, so we asked her to put together…
5 Things I Didn’t Expect to Find at Alaska West
1. The numbers of fish. The quantity and variety of fish at Alaska West is truly amazing. I had no idea there would be fish jumping all over the place while the two anglers in the boat were each fighting fish. You can look into the river and see 50 fish along one river bank. My fishing buddy on day 1 had the perfect quote -“Is it OK to lose count?” The variety of species to fish for and different types of fishing to do is also really cool. And I was worried I wouldn’t catch anything – boy was I wrong.
2. Tent camping can be really nice. The angler tents, dining tent, lounge tent, hot showers are all very clean, well organized, warm and comfortable.
3. The staff is outstanding. I was expecting a good staff, but every single staff member seemed genuinely happy to be there. The guides are super knowledgeable and flexible with the style of fishing you prefer. The instruction was right on and not overbearing. When I needed help, I would get some hints, a few practice casts then they would leave me alone to figure it out – it was perfect. The support staff work their tails off and are still happy to chat, and the schedule never seems rushed, but everything happens right as planned.
4. You can fish a half day if you want. I didn’t know you could come back to camp pretty easily for hot soup for lunch on a cold day. I actually took a couple of half days off and it worked out really well. My boat would either pick me up at lunchtime or drop me off. It was really nice to have that option.
5. Homemade cookies and brownies for lunches! ‘Nuf said.