The rain was light as Dunk and I sat on the top of a steep and forested bank overlooking the Nonvianuk River. Smoking Camel cigs we lounged in our gore-tex waders on a soft bed of lingonberry bushes, blueberry bushes, and caribou moss. Our location miles above the Nonvianuk River’s confluence with the Kukaklek River to form the Alagnak River — Surrounded by over two million acres of Alaskan wilderness. Dunk is a seasoned hard-working fly fishing guide and river captain on the gnarliest river system in Alaska. And the “fishiest” professional guide I have ever met. An Alaskan local from Anchorage, Dunk has beenRead More →

Stained and rotting snowbanks. Sideways rain that wants to turn to snow. Grey skies. Roads bleached with salt. Green and brown patches of snowplow scarred lawn start to show beneath the snow on the edges of driveways and parking lots. Mud season is coming fast. Just about here.  And not one of us in “The Real Upstate New York” are immune to the dullness of the local landscape and the ensuing mild depression that results. We are coming to the end of one of the longest ice fishing seasons we have had in years here in Upstate New York. It is not over (in factRead More →

The years seem to go by like yesterdays. When the age of 50 hits it requires me to sit down and think about life a little bit. A lot of bit in fact. The year 2022 marks my 19th year leading others in pursuit of fish and game as a licensed guide. Vibrant and vivid memories of all the nice people and beautiful places I have known in nearly two decades of professional guiding come to my mind. It is easy for me to get lost in reflecting on memories of seasons past. I become overwhelmed with happiness and satisfaction. What stands out most, besidesRead More →