An Alaskan Fishing Guide’s Farewell - Day 5: A Fly Anglers Dream Come True

• Day 1: One More Chance Before I'm Done

• Day 2: It’s Good To Be Back, but Can I Still Do This?

• Day 3: Exploring Wild Alaska by Raft and Fly Rod

• Day 4: Big Fish, Bigger Bears, and a Bruised Ego.

Day 5-A Day to Write

I get a day off today to write. That's good because my body needs it. Yesterday's raft trip did a number on me. I'm hearing tomorrow we might go up the Kamishak River to fish for silver salmon. They are fresh from the ocean right now, which means bright and silvery with firm orange meat. I'm looking forward to it.

A small room with windows and a view of the Alaskan tundra. — My writing space. Alaska, as far as the eye can see. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

I've been here five days, and my life is - fly fishing, bears, rivers, trout, salmon, adventure, hard physical work, good people, pure wilderness, and the feeling of freedom. A visit to a lodge like the Ridge isn't your typical destination. There are no tourism-type shops; as a matter of fact, there are no shops. No crowds, no roads in or out, no TV, no urban sounds. Your day isn't dictated by a clock, but by the weather and the sun.

A Good Tired

By the time the day winds down, I'm pretty tired, it's a good kind of tired. Being in a wild place keeps all my senses a little more activated, a little more on alert. Not in an anxious, stressed-out kind of way. It's that I'm fully awake and my awareness is heightened. I believe this is the way nature intended us to live, and being out here brings this awareness back to the surface where it belongs.

An Alaskan fly fishing guide walks out of a river pool because three brown bears are moving in. — Maybe it's time to move out of this hole. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

An Earned Meal

Food tastes better after being physical in the outdoors. Stand all day in a cold river, with a chill in the air. A rich creamy soup has never tasted so good. The taste and satisfaction hit deep. The Ridge chef Mike Lynch takes good care of the staff and guests. His river lunches are great, but it's his dinner preparations where he gets to shine. Of course, fresh salmon is on the menu; we've also had wild Alaskan scallops, mussels, and rack of lamb.

A close-up of a hand pouring a thermos of mushroom cream soup into a cup. — Mushroom cream soup tastes absolutely amazing on the side of a river. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

A chef cuts a rack of lamb after cooking it. — We eat good up here. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Down Time

After dinner, the guides hang out and talk while tying flies or doing gear maintenance. We are usually pretty beat up, so we don't stay up late, except maybe for the 21-year-old, Patrick Harris. He stays up tying streamers. He's a wizard at creating patterns that will catch fish.

a fly fishing guide is at a table tying flies in a small room. — The Ridge guide, Patrick Harris up late hours tying streamers to catch wild rainbow trout. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

A streamer on a vice in the middle of being tied. — Whatever this streamer is called, it should have "Tabasco" in its name. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

A Little About the Lodge

The Ridge Lodge sits high above a valley and the Copper River. From its height, you can take in an unbothered, natural landscape as it has been for thousands of years. It’s common to look up from a meal or while sitting on the couch and catch sight of a bear chasing salmon, or a bald eagle riding the updrafts. No fences, roads, signs, or any indication of people.

A Better Experience

John and Macy Coffman keep the lodge intimate and focused on personal service by welcoming only six guests per week. I've worked at two lodges, one with 20 guests a week and the other with 10. This has been by far my favorite arrangement. It never feels chaotic, everybody gets attention, the staff and guests get a better chance to know each other, and it seems more stories and more laughter happen during dinner.

You Don't Have to be a Fly Angler

This is a fly fishing lodge, but you don't have to be an experienced fly angler to visit. The lodge's focus on giving more attention to the guests allows their guides time to teach people who want to learn to fly fish.

More To Do Than Fish

This week we have two guests that aren't interested in fishing, they want to hike, bear watch, go on raft trips, doing some photography, and explore.

An Alaskan brown bear uses a branch to rub on its face. — You will have plenty of opportunities to photograph bears being ferocious and angry, like this one here. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

But For Those Who Do Fly Fish

This place will ruin you. The fish here are WILD, their bloodlines running pure for hundreds of thousands of years. And you will catch fish, big fish, and lots of fish. It is the experience anglers have always dreamed about. Casting to an aggressive fish, a solid hookset, multiple jumps while running down a river, peeling line off your reel, and no long dry spells in between bites.

A fly angler with a nice alaskan rainbow trout he's holding up for a photograph. — The Ridge's head guide, John Coffman showing how it's done. | Photo by @phos.tou.kosmou - Instagram

A True Adventure

I remember as a kid reading stories in Outdoor Life about fishing faraway places and daydreaming about what it must be like. It's here, it's doable, and having Alaska in our own backyard should be taken advantage of.

Tomorrow the Adventure Continues

Keep following this series. I'll go into how you get here, the gear you should bring, and what to expect during different months of the summer. I'll be back on the river tomorrow with more photos and stories from Alaska. KB

- Follow me on my Fishing On SI Facebook page for all things fly fishing.

"The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover