DIY salmon fishing on POW Island - trip planning checklist

[Paul in Idaho]

It's already been 5 years since I started a thread about planning for my first Alaska fishing trip. We finally were able to make it happen this year, and will be flying to Prince of Wales Island later this summer for a DIY freshwater salmon fishing trip.

I started my gear list months ago, but now thought it would be good to post what I have so far and get feedback from those of you who have fished Alaska before. We'll be renting a small cabin with electricity, water, and appliances, and also renting a truck for the week. I'm taking my regular packable rain jacket and also bought a Grunden's PVC jacket for the famous SE Alaska rains.

Here's my list so far. What do you think?

Fishing --------
8-wt fly reel w/floating line
8-wt fly rod
8-wt reel spare spool w/sinking line
fillet knife
fishing accessories and tools
fishing license and harvest report card
fishing net
flies
fly box
fly leaders
fly tippet fluorocarbon
snap swivels
spinners
spinning reel
spinning rod
spoons
sunglasses
tackle box
waders
wading boots
waterproof wallet/pack

Misc items ---------------------
backup sunglasses
binoculars
camera, SD cards, battery
dry box
dry bags
headlamps (2)
InReach and charging cord
laundry detergent
mat for changing waders
mosquito head net
multitool
notebook & pen
rain poncho
towels
vacuum food bags
vacuum sealer
water bottles
ziploc bags

Clothing ------------
baseball cap
belt
extra pants
fleece jacket
gloves
Grundens rain jacket
long-sleeve synthetic shirts
merino shirt
rain hat
rain jacket
running shoes
socks
t-shirts
underwear

Personal care -----------
chapstick
dental floss
deodorant
eye drops
first aid kit
nail clippers
sunscreen
tooth brush, paste
tweezers

 

[Irrelevant]

hone (for the knife)
Needlenose pliers for de-hooking and for pulling pin bones prior to vac packing (or something to cover them to prevent punctures)
Puffy jacket (light and you never know when it'll get cool/cold)
bear spray

 

[Paul in Idaho]

Thanks @neffa3 , I'll get those added. We'll be getting a bear spray canister with our truck rental.

 

[devon deer]

I can't think of anything else, maybe a spare fly rod, on a personal level, clip on magnifiers, I have trouble tying on a hook these days!
Cheers
Richard

 

[Nutrioso]

Walking to and wading some of those POW streams can be a little tough. I would consider a collapsible wading staff.

 

[bullbugle307]

Definitely bring a spare fly rod! And some big ugly articulated streamers. We always did well with pink and green. Usually sinking fly line was the ticket too, I see you have that on the list...good call. Where we were at in BB it was all about double hauling and really getting that fly out there. Finesse didn't seem to matter much, it was just cast as far possible and strip line like the dickens. The silvers would absolutely hammer it.

Now that I think of it, something to add to your list...soy sauce and wasabi. Eat a few silvers raw dipped in that while you're there if you get into em. Freeze em first to kill parasites...or don't! We never did, and far as I know none of us ever got any parasites, but I probably wouldn't do it again.

 

[Paul in Idaho]

@devon deer , unfortunately my gear budget is maxed having bought just one fly rod. If it breaks I'll have to use spinning gear. This is a good reason to buy another before my next trip though.

@Nutrioso , I'll see if I can get my trekking poles packed without exceeding the baggage weight limit. One of those should work as a staff and they collapse down short.

@bullbugle307 is "BB" Bristol Bay? Glad to hear finesse wasn't important, since I'm just getting back into fly fishing after several years and I have none of that. Thanks for the tips on flies, sinking line and sashimi.

 

[muskeg]

If the weather stays like it has been you will need plenty of Sunscreen …...

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Just wondering? Are you packing all that stuff on a plane from the states? I would drop the binos unless you are sight seeing. A good pair of river (wading shoes). We just used them and shorts. We had no mosquitos or bugs last week. If you go for Dolly Vardens take pink and silver mepps type spinners. Some type of "stringer" for fish. We used the rope type stringer ... small and compact. If you have a smart phone then leave the bulky camera at home. Good smart phones take good photos. Not sure if you need headlamps. Plenty of daylight to fish all day long without being in the dark. I would question the "puffy Jacket". Bulky and just takes up space. When I was there last week we just layered with merino wool and light jacket. Temps were 60's in the day and maybe low 50's at night. If you are interested in Dolly Vardens or an update on the Salmon in the Coffman Cove, Whale Pass area PM me.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Let me know who you are renting your vehicle from. One guy you should stay away from. The other offers added insurance hat I would stay away from.

 

[bullbugle307]

@devon deer , unfortunately my gear budget is maxed having bought just one fly rod. If it breaks I'll have to use spinning gear. This is a good reason to buy another before my next trip though.

@Nutrioso , I'll see if I can get my trekking poles packed without exceeding the baggage weight limit. One of those should work as a staff and they collapse down short.

@bullbugle307 is "BB" Bristol Bay? Glad to hear finesse wasn't important, since I'm just getting back into fly fishing after several years and I have none of that. Thanks for the tips on flies, sinking line and sashimi.

Yeah we were in the bay. I was just learning to fly fish when I fished up there. Needless to say, the first thing I learned was how to double haul. Finesse came years later. I'm pretty most people learn opposite of that, and in the lower 48 that certainly makes sense.

 

[devon deer]

Yeah we were in the bay. I was just learning to fly fish when I fished up there. Needless to say, the first thing I learned was how to double haul. Finesse came years later. I'm pretty most people learn opposite of that, and in the lower 48 that certainly makes sense.

The double haul, have you seen this demo by a 9 year old Montanan?

I teach it slightly differently, but in essence if you can tap your head with one hand whilst rubbing your stomach with the other you can double haul
Cheers
Richard

 

[Paul in Idaho]

@pointingdogsrule , I sent a PM about truck rental options and a fishing report. Thanks for your offer of info. I'll stringers to my list. I have some spinners similar to what you described. We will be sightseeing in addition to fishing, and my binos are compact 8x42 so not too heavy. The camera is slim too. My phone takes great landscape photos but I want an optical zoom option for wildlife. Headlamps are for emergencies. Same for the warm coat.

@devon deer , thanks for the video. I used to be able to double haul, haven't tried yet since getting back into fly fishing. I'll have to practice that before the trip.

 

[Paul in Idaho]

We're back from a great trip, and I thought I'd post a follow-up here for others planning a similar adventure. The coho were sparse and hard to find, but pink salmon were everywhere.

The rain poncho was useful to keep rain off my backpack while I fished.

The headlamp on lowest power mode was helpful for a navigational night light in the cabin. I just wish I would have thought to use it for that before slamming my bare foot into a doorframe while trying to feel my way to the bathroom in the dark.

My Gore-tex rain jacket performed well and kept me dry. The Grundens jacket was great when I wasn't moving around, but since it doesn't breathe I got as wet from sweat as from rain when I wore it while hiking.

I had a hook hone, which was important. Sinking flies hung up on rocks a lot and had to be resharpened.

The Leatherman multitool had many uses from unhooking fish to restoring the bend on a snagged hook to tightening the handle on a frying pan.

Things we didn't use ----------------
Mosquito repellent and nets. We saw very few mosquitoes, which was a nice surprise.
Fleece jacket. I was fine with just a merino or synthetic shirt, plus a rain jacket when it was raining. I saw other guys bundled up. Everyone's needs vary.

Things we bought on POW ---------------
Xtratuf rubber boots. I had figured we'd be wearing waders if we needed to be outside in water or mud, but quickly found out otherwise.
Rubber-gripped gloves for handling fish
Spinners, at $6 to $8 apiece

Things I wish I had taken -------------------
Backpacking water filter. A gallon of drinking water costs over $5 in Thorne Bay.
More spinners. They're expensive on the island (or sold out) and I lost a lot on the bottom. Fluorescent pink seemed to be the most popular color.

Other thoughts --------------------
We flew from Ketchikan to Klawock on Island Air Express based on advice from a POW resident. It's a good thing we did, as they have IFR flights and were the only ones able to fly in the storm that was going on the day we traveled to the island. We were told the non-IFR float planes were grounded for 2 or 3 days by that storm.

Pack whatever non-perishable food you can fit in your luggage. The price on some items wasn't much more than I'm used to, but other foods were almost triple the cost. Depending on your plans, it may even be cheaper to check a cooler with cold foods as extra baggage. Cheese was around $8/lb and milk $6/gal. Deli sliced roast beef was about $12/lb.

Fluorescent pink seemed to be the best color for both flies and spinners. I tried other colors of flies but only caught fish on pink.