In this episode of “Huge Fly Fisherman,” host Ben takes viewers on an epic fly fishing adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. Ben and his friends embark on an exhilarating fishing expedition in pristine nature when they take a float plane to a remote creek to catch beautiful Arctic char. Read on for a recap of their action-packed day.
[Read more…] about Fly Fishing for Arctic Char in Remote AlaskaFish Falafel Recipe
The great thing about Alaska caught wild salmon is they taste great when cooked many ways. Wild salmon are ideal for cooking with an international zest, and because so many friends go home from Rainbow Bend Lodges with so much fish, they’re always looking for recipes. This is one sure to appeal to many friends.
[Read more…] about Fish Falafel RecipeAlaska Wildlife Encounters
At Rainbow Bend Lodges on Alaska’s Naknek River, there’s no doubt we have some of the best sockeye salmon and trophy rainbow trout fishing on the planet. Our Coho, pink, and king salmon fishing isn’t too bad, either. And, yes, we catch the occasional Arctic grayling and Northern pike, among others.
[Read more…] about Alaska Wildlife EncountersA Season To Remember
Our 2020 fishing season on Alaska’s Naknek River was one of the best in decades. Many of our long-time clients summed it up best, in their simple words: “This is just like the good old days!”
[Read more…] about A Season To RememberSalmon Potachos
When anglers come to Alaska and catch high numbers of sockeye salmon with us on the Naknek River, they take home a lot of fresh, great-tasting salmon. Be it Alaska’s sockeye salmon–or any salmon from Alaska–when your freezer is full of fish, folks are often looking for different ways to prepare it.
Potachos–a take on traditional nachos using fried potato rounds instead of tortilla chips, is great any time of day. Feel free to substitute in any type of fish or “nacho” condiment in this flexible recipe, one you’re sure to love.
Salmon Potachos
1-2 potatoes
1 cup salmon chunks
2 slices thick bacon
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced jalapeño pepper
1/3 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup diced olive
1/4 cup cheddar or jack cheese
2 tablespoons crumbled cojito cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 lime wedges
Olive oil for potatoes
Preheat oven to 375º. Wash potatoes and slice into 1/4” rounds. Brush each potato slice with olive oil and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10-15 minutes, turning potatoes over mid-way to brown evenly on both sides. Arrange potatoes on a heat-safe platter and keep warm prior to serving. In a medium skillet, fry bacon on medium-heat until crisp. Remove bacon and chop into crumbles, set aside. Sauté onion and peppers in bacon grease 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle sautéed onions and peppers on warm potatoes. Sprinkle cheddar or jack cheese on top, place back into warm oven. Using remaining bacon grease–or add olive oil if needed–sauté salmon 3-5 minutes or until it reaches desired doneness. To assemble Potachos, remove warm potatoes from the oven and top with salmon, olives, tomato, cilantro, and cojito cheese. Serve with lime wedges and pickled onions.
Pickled Onions
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup vinegar of choice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a small bowl, mix salt and sugar with vinegar until dissolved. Add onions, pressing down to fully submerge into vinegar. Let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes before serving. If prepared ahead, refrigerate until ready to serve.
King Salmon Fishing On Alaska’s Naknek River
At Rainbow Bend Lodges on Alaska’s Naknek River we’re fortunate to be able to catch all five salmon species during the course of our fishing season. When it comes to king salmon fishing, late July is prime time for us on the Naknek River.
The king salmon or Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is Alaska’s state fish and is the largest of all Pacific salmon with weights of individuals commonly exceeding 30 pounds. A 126-pound king salmon taken in a fish trap near Petersburg, Alaska in 1949 is the largest on record. The largest sport-caught king salmon was a whopping 97-pound fish taken from the Kenai River in 1986. On the Naknek River the king salmon we catch commonly range between 20-30 lbs.
In North America, Chinook salmon range from the Monterey Bay area of California to the Chukchi Sea region of Alaska. Adult king salmon are distinguished from other salmonids by the black, irregular spotting on the back and dorsal fins and on both lobes of the tail. King salmon also have a black pigment along the gum line, making them easy to identify.
When king salmon enter the Naknek River in July they are chrome bright and fresh from the ocean. Like all species of Pacific salmon, Chinook salmon are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater and rear in main-channel river areas for one year.
Like other salmon, king salmon die after spawning. A female, called a hen, deposits 3,000-14,000 eggs in several gravel nests, called redds, which she excavates in relatively deep, fast moving water. In Alaska, salmon eggs usually hatch in late winter or early spring, depending on time of spawning and water temperature. The newly hatched fish, called alevins, live in the gravel for several weeks until they gradually absorb the food in the attached yolk sac. These juveniles, called fry, wiggle up through the gravel by early spring. In Alaska, most juvenile king salmon remain in fresh water until the following spring when they migrate to the ocean as smolt in their second year of life.
Juvenile Chinook salmon in fresh water initially feed on plankton and later feed on insects. In the ocean, they eat a variety of organisms including herring, pilchard, sandlance, squid, and crustaceans. Salmon grow rapidly in the ocean and often double their weight during a single summer season.
King salmon are considered by many to be Alaska’s best tasting salmon, and a lot anglers who fish with us at Rainbow Bend Lodges, tend to agree. Then again, many of our anglers love eating sockeye salmon, too. King salmon is known for having quality oil content and fairly firm meat when compared with other salmonids.
At Rainbow Bend Lodges we typically troll spinners and backtroll plugs for king salmon. Targeting fresh king salmon on incoming tides is our specialty, and we have all the gear you’ll need to experience a successful day of king salmon fishing on the Naknek River.