ALASKA - Attention Disabled Anglers: Ever been to Alaska ?

Ever fought a 35-pound chinook (king) salmon to the boat? Then here’s the chance for you and a companion to finally make that dream trip a reality. Dennis Dobson, of Oregon Outdoors Guide Service has once again made arrangements for wheelchair-bound anglers to spend a week at a fly-in Alaska river camp to fish for world-class King salmon. Dennis is an internationally known salmon, sturgeon and steelhead guide, author and outdoor instructor He’ll be guiding with Alaska High Adventure Air Service, out of Soldatna, from the 16th of June through at least the 14th of July. The owners, Mark and Greg Bell are great guys with thirty years experience each, excellent credentials, an enviable track record and best of all they run a tidy, small camp. Fishing on the world-famous Nushagak River from a tent camp there will be just two guides and a maximum of only eight clients in camp each week. Many, frankly most, Alaskan camps and lodges simply can’t accommodate wheelchair anglers. WE can. From getting into and out of boats and planes, from getting you into fish and back to camp, we’ll see to it that you have the fishing trip of a lifetime. The camp is supplied with “Quonset”-type tents - very snug and comfortable, and comfortable cots and mattresses for sleeping quarters, a hot shower, cook tent and dining tent. We even provide a real chef, not some quick order fry-guy to do all of the cooking and fly in fresh veggies, fruit and meat regularly. The wilderness setting is home to only the salmon, a native village a few miles upstream and our camp. The Nush is also one of the only truly premier chinook rivers in Alaska where we are allowed to use bait rather than being restricted to artificials only. This means lots of back-bouncing (Dennis’ second favorite chinook method), bobber and egg fishing, and back-trolling plugs and spinners. A relatively large river the Nushagak is truly world famous for the sheer numbers of salmon that travel up its length each year. And, just to add icing to the cake, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is projecting a record-breaking king salmon run this summer for the Nush. There are also grayling, pike and the occasional big trout available. For those of you who would like to fly fish for kings rest assured that while it isn’t the most common method used for catching these bruisers, it can be done. And you know Dennis will have his ten-weight rod in the boat everyday (his favorite technique for taking chinook). These are five-day trips. The package price for each member of your party includes one night of accomodations (bed and breakfast, motel or log cabin) the night before you fly out, four days of guided fishing and another night of in-town accomodations once you return to Soldatna. We, of course, supply all of the necessary fishing gear - unless you want to use your own rods and reels… we’ll understand. If you want to try these great fighting fish on fly gear you will have to supply your own rods, reels, lines, etc. We’ll supply the flies. All in all, at just $1,850 per person, this camp and the fishing it offers are a great deal. All necessary licenses and tags are available at the office. A non-resident fishing license for seven days is just $30and another $30 for a salmon tag, You can purchase your licenses either before you leave home or once you arrive at the dock to start your trip.

Just let us know which it will be . As it stands now there are openings for the following dates: June 16-20 (four spaces); June 28-July2 (just one space) and July 10-July14 (Six spaces). If we fill those six spaces the week of July 10-14, there’s a good chance we can also fill a last week from July 14 through the 19th. This is a very popular camp and fly-in operation with an excellent reputation and a 75% return rate each year. Because of this extrordinary return rate and the short five to six-week season you should expect 100% capacity no later than just a couple of weeks from now. To find out more, please contact Dennis at 503-815-2766 or on the web at either oregonoutdoors.org (just follow the link to the homepage) or www.pacifier.com/~oreoutdd.