Sometimes I out think myself. I got up and going at noon, then drove into Fairbanks (40 miles) to buy supplies to camp on on the Chatanika River to enjoy the expected Grayling heaven. Forty miles back out, and I geared up and entered the accessible campground water. After ninety minutes with no success, and walking and fishing as far up river and down river I could go, I gave up.
Google Maps showed a road from the campground going upstream by the river, crossing in several points. Yay! NO! It was an old trail that is impassable now. Aarrgggh. I drove up and down the highway to find no river access points. Aarrgghh.
So, the Denali Highway is 2.5 hours south of Fairbanks, and is 130 miles of gravel road with many creeks that hold Grayling. Also, there is a guide service in the area, owned and operated by the science teacher, and quite affordable. Road Trip.
I drove 2.5 hours to the small town of Cantwell, getting in at 8:30 PM. A guided trip with deposit was made with the Denali Angler guiding company for Wednesday. I slept in the road side pull out I used a couple of days ago. Two days to fish on my own, then a guide to teach me the correct way.
Road Block (Metaphorical). The next morning I listened to the owner of the guide company, George Rogers. He told me the date should have been off the availability calendar BECAUSE THE WATER WAS TOO HIGH TO FISH! He wished me luck and was very disappointed that we couldn’t go out.
He did tell me that the Chena River was fishing well and the water was in good shape. Chena River. The same Chena River 2.5 hours north that I left the previous day. Aarrgghh. (Aarrgghh is now in my word processing dictionary lol). I have several choices, all ending in my getting into Silver Salmon in two weeks, somewhere.
- Go back to the Kenai or Homer and wait out the rain that is still going and expected to last a week plus.
- Head back to Fairbanks, maybe schedule a guided trip, but really try to find water.
- Move towards the Yukon to find suitable Grayling water. This would also allow me to drive south on the Richardson Highway to the west bound 130 mile Beautiful Denali Highway (Photos!), then back down to Homer.
Homer and everything south of where I’m at (Cantwell) is blown out. The best choice in my opinion is to go to Fairbanks tomorrow and make plans from there.
(Foreshadowing for Day 62): I am in Fairbanks, around 4:00 PM after driving 2.5 hours, and am deciding what to do for the next week.
Tight Lines!