ALASKA'S LAKE CREEK KING SALMON FLOAT TRIP - The Story of Our Adventure
We flew to Chelatna Lake on a morning that started off overcast and turned to light rain. The flight took us over three of Lake Creek’s four major tributaries. Each had at least one camp set up at their mouths. We saw a few moose standing in the middle of open, boggy meadows, but unfortunately because of the weather we did not get a chance to see the magnificent Alaska Range. Not real excited about starting our trip in the rain, we put on rain gear and hip waders and stepped into the edge of Chelatna Lake from the Beaver’s Float and began unloading our gear. The drop point is a flat cleared out grassy area within a hundred feet of the lake’s outlet.
As we removed the last item from the plane, another float plane arrived delivering a group of rafters that were planning to float the creek in three days. They were summer employees of Denali National Park and seemed quite excited to get a break from the tourists. By the time we pushed off, the rain had subsided and clouds began to clear revealing incredible scenery of nearby mountains.
The first few miles were quiet and peaceful. In fact, the creek was barely flowing and rowing was required to make any headway. Taking advantage of the calm water to enjoy the panoramic views and look for moose hanging out in some of the broken meadows and on distant hillsides, we had no idea what Lake Creek had in store for us just ahead. The peace and serenity changed dramatically upon rounding a bend approximately three miles into the float where it narrowed considerably and Class II whitewater greeted us for what was the beginning of nearly continuous whitewater and chop for the remainder of the trip. As we progressed, the mountain scenery became more focused up and down the creek channel as the banks grew taller with significantly more trees and brush. With the fast paced current, we hardly had time to do much other than focus on our down stream float path.
We floated Lake Creek in early July, and the water levels were high enough in the upper section of the creek that we were able to float over most of the barely submerged rocks and boulders. We were quite thankful to have the opportunity to be able to free float this swift creek without having to worry about getting hung up, or navigating around the numerous rock obstacles that lurked within a foot of the surface. The only rowing required was to keep the raft square with the current.
Our first stop was Sunflower Creek. This tributary is a large crystal clear creek flowing in from Lake Creek’s right, nearly doubling the water volume. As we flew over the mouth of this tributary on our flight to Chelatna Lake, if it were not for the distinct difference in water color it would have been difficult to tell which of the creeks was Lake Creek. On the advice of our pilot, we anticipated the best fishing to be at the tributaries further down creek and did not intend on fishing Sunflower. As it turned out, he was exactly correct.
As we approached the mouth of Sunflower, we noticed a group of three fishermen on the left bank short cast drift fishing. The current was swift and for all practical purposes, they were fishing the wrong side of the creek (the side opposite from where the tributary entered). After observing two king hook-ups in the short time we had before floating past this section, we decided we better stop to give it a try.
We rowed the raft to the right hand shoreline and assembled our fishing gear. After a quick afternoon snack, we took up casting. The obvious advantage to fishing the right side of the creek was having the tributary to create a natural holding area, and Sunflower’s entry created an eddy where fish could be easily pulled into from the current and landed. We fished for an hour and caught a couple of kings. Not finding the action we were looking for, we decided to float on down to the next major tributary, Camp Creek.
Upon departing Sunflower Creek, one of the fishermen who was catching a lot of fish on the opposite bank asked where we were from. He told us they were from Montana. Just as we were floating out of hearing distance he yelled to us, “Stay out of the hole or you’re toast!” Not having a clue where “the hole” might be, we could not help but wonder just when we were going to meet up with a rapid that would turn us into fish bait.
Our next destination, Camp Creek is also a clear water tributary that splits around an island with good camping spots. The upper entry is by far the most water volume with the much smaller finger flowing behind the island. Both fingers of the tributary were easy to wade with hip waders. In fact, the smaller tributary could be waded with calf high boots. Undoubtedly, this entry will change in time as the heavy spring run off and rain dissects the earth to form new channels.
We arrived at Camp Creek in the evening just ahead of a hard five minute down pour that created a magnificent “double” rainbow in the big Alaska sky and decided that would be the spot we would spend our first night. We did not fish at all that evening, just set up camp and visited with a neighboring camp about 50 yards down creek. The group was from the Idaho Falls area in East Idaho and had fished Lake Creek several times over the past 20 years. Their plan was to stay on the creek until the close of the season. We could not help but inquire about “The Hole” and learned that the Montanans were likely referring to the section called Canyon Rapids.
The morning of our first full day on Lake Creek was greeted with sunshine and blue skies. We were able to see kings holding in the clear water of Camp Creek and their red silhouettes in the glacial blue water of Lake Creek. Jim was the first to tie up and the first to catch a king. We drifted short trying to hook the kings laying in the clear water, but they were not very aggressive about biting. In fact, with a perfect drift right in front of their nose they would usually move off to the side and let the terminal tackle drift on by. Eventually they would become agitated and either dart up creek never to return or on rare occasion take the yarn and corky set-up. The fish further out in the glacial water were just as difficult to hook, but it was much harder to see their reaction. We were drifting size 8 corkies and size 1/0 Gamakatsu octopus hooks. Looking back we are absolutely confident if we had used the small black gear required to catch kings at Yenlo Creek, the last major tributary, we would have had tremendous success at this location. The water was not loaded with fish, but there were plenty moving through.
After fishing for about five hours and only hooking up with a king about every half hour, we decided to pack up and float on down to Home Creek. From what we were able to learn from our pilot and the group from Idaho Falls camped below us, Home Creek was the second best fishing spot on Lake Creek and had much better holding water than is offered at the mouths of Sunflower and Camp Creeks.
Our next stop and camp site for the second night was Home Creek. Not unlike the two major tributaries further up the creek, Home Creek had a large elaborate camp set up at the prime spot right below the mouth. We needed to stop and video this area and do some fishing, but not wanting to crowd these folks, we floated down the creek about 75 yards and pulled the raft into the bank. A trail leading down the edge of the shoreline beaten down in the weeds was the only sign of people this far down from the mouth. No camp sites, just weeds, bushes and a hundred thousand mosquitoes. We set up our tent against the brush leaving just a few feet of land between us and Lake Creek. Fortunately the bank was about a one or two foot step up from the water’s surface allowing a safety factor from rising water. Plus the weather was perfect, so we knew we would not likely be washed away during the night.
One of the fisherman from the Home Creek camp walked down and spent some time visiting with us as we unpacked our raft. Like the fishermen we camped near at Camp Creek, this group was also from Eastern Idaho, north of Idaho Falls. They were planning to spend one week on Lake Creek. That evening, our first and only night spent at this fishing hole, they were kind enough to invite us to dinner. Dutch oven cooking was far beyond our means, and even though we had only just completed our second full day in the wilderness, it was already a welcome change.
Shortly after finishing our dinner with good conversation about the wild’s of our home state, the member of the group with the most experience floating Lake Creek offered the second alarming statement of the trip. He casually said he was “surprised more people don’t die on this river every year.” “Toast” from the Montanans and now the talk of dying! It was not just the possibility that someone could die, but the comment of surprise that MORE people don’t die on the river each year that left us wondering if we might be next.
The next morning we visited briefly before departing, giving us a little more time to further inquire about what we might face ahead. They elaborated on two encounters that gave us a better perspective for the basis of the dying comment, but nonetheless no more comfort. They described having pinned a raft on one the large boulders in Canyon Rapids, losing cameras and other gear upon impact that was not properly secured. Fortunately for them they were floating with a large group and had two other rafts of fishermen. A rope connected to the raft hung up on the boulder was tossed to guys on the bank and with considerable effort the raft was pulled free and no one had to swim. In another section of creek with less formidable rapids they described having to partially deflate a raft tube to get it unstuck from a rock, a technique unfamiliar to us and one that made us wonder if rafting stories could sometimes be exaggerated as much as tales about fishing.
The point of sharing these stories with you is so you know what you will be facing and to be sure you can adequately prepare for strenuous rowing throughout the creek and also for some technical whitewater. With that being said, we should also point out that the majority of the other rafters we encountered on the creek were self-guided floaters in their 50’s and 60’s. We are by no means expert rafters, and we made the trip with no close calls. It is also important to note that in all of our research on Lake Creek we have never read any accounts of people actually dying as a result of the whitewater.
After leaving Home Creek, we stopped at some of the small, unnamed tributaries to try our luck. By this point in the float the two major clear water tributaries had introduced enough water volume that Lake Creek was becoming clear, making sighting fish a lot easier. That, in addition to a bright sunny day, allowed us to spot large schools of kings holding near the tributary mouths. Surprisingly, we also found kings in other sections of the creek, where for no reason there would be groups of 30+ hanging out. We highly recommend you take the time to pull over to fish at least some of these small unnamed tributaries, particularly if you can sight fish in decent numbers. Once again, we continued fishing our tried and true corkies and yarn method and did hook some fish, but if you take the time to stop at the many tributaries, fish small, black flies on long, light fluorocarbon leaders.
Fishing the tributaries will give you a break from the rowing required to navigate this section of water. Not long after passing Home Creek, we entered what is known by seasoned Lake Creek floaters as The Rock Garden. As you can see on our DVD, Alaska's Lake Creek King Salmon Float Trip, the exposed rocks and boulders become so numerous that constant rowing and maneuvering is required. On many occasions the creek would appear impassable, but through persistent picking and choosing the best routes, we were able to float the entire several mile section only getting hung up twice. To free our raft from being high centered (or tube centered) on rocks, all we did was shift our body weight to a different section of the raft. That is not to say we did not make frequent contact with the exposed boulders.
Over the years we have spent a fair amount of time in whitewater on Idaho’s rivers, but only in large 10 man, self bailing rafts. Everyone has a paddle in their hand and with substantial verbal commands it is possible to guide the raft in general directions. Catamaran rafting was new to us when we began floating Alaska’s wild rivers. Lake Creek was only our second Alaska float fishing trip. The advice we got from our pilot and outfitter was “keep your butt out of trouble”, meaning face the back of the raft away from danger. That technique worked very well with the cataraft we were using on Lake Creek and for the most part collisions with rocks were nothing more than gentle bumps.
After having caught a few kings at each of the areas we stopped to fish, with the tributary mouths producing the most hook-ups, we approached the first set of major rapids on the float, Cut Off Rapids. This rapid bends to the left as it plunges its way through a new channel cut sometime in recent years, creating a more direct route through this upper section of the canyon. The approach to the rapids is obvious from a reasonable distance upriver as part of the creek splits to the right forming a wide shallow riffle with the left side dropping dramatically bounded on the right side by the washed out bank of the island between the two channels. We floated the rapids without prior scouting hoping for the best. We hung to the left side, just as we had been instructed by the fishermen we spoke to earlier in the trip, and had no trouble navigating the swift current and a few boulders that would have definitely stopped the raft had we made direct contact. After floating through, we hiked back up creek to video the entire length of the rapids. It was obvious that it would be easy to get in trouble if you did not avoid the large boulders that were for the most part just under the surface.
After that point, the canyon walls began to tighten along the creek with several shear dirt walls that were in excess of 100 feet high. Class II whitewater interrupted by deep slow pools would best describe this section of the float. We only saw one camp from Home Creek to our next stop at Yenlo Creek. They were set up on the right side of the creek on a large gravel bar fishing one of the canyon’s many deep pools. This particular hole was bordered on the far side by an astonishing dirt and rock cliff etched out of the steep forested hillside. We did get a chance to talk with that group as they drifted by Yenlo, and it sounded like they had some great luck catching kings at the canyon hole.
The second and final set of major rapids on the float is Canyon Rapids. This rapid is also obvious on the approach, and we decided it would be best to pull over to the left to scout out the path. Our intuition and earlier advice from fellow fishermen told us this was “The Hole”, and we were not about to take it lightly. After tying up the raft and crawling around and over several volkswagon size boulders, we had a good view of what we were about to confront. The float path was obvious, but no less intimidating than what we had anticipated based on our conversations with the Montanans and fellow Idahoans. Jim was on the oars and I sat on the front left tube prepared for a crash against the second major obstacle in the rapids, a huge boulder that was in the direct float line after sliding by the first boulder’s left edge. Fortunately, Jim did an excellent job guiding the raft, and we made it through without incident.
One unique feature of this creek that is worth noting is the swift current. Once the creek begins to drop, it does not stop. You will either be in whitewater or be able to hear it in the distance. Never is the pace slow, often times we were floating five to seven miles per hour in mostly Class I and II whitewater. One advantage this float offers that is not always available on wild rivers is the opportunity to thoroughly scout the two sets of Class IV rapids. The other advantage you have on this creek is the Class IV sections are relatively short. The first set, Cut Off Rapids, is approximately 600 feet in length. The second and most significant set, Canyon Rapids, is less than 200 feet long.
Our next stop was Yenlo Creek, which could come none to soon after spending most of the day floating some tough water and overcoming the creek’s two Class IV rapids. While Canyon Rapids was the last set of Class IV rapids, we continued to encounter Class II and III whitewater as we floated our way toward Yenlo. It was not until Yenlo Creek was in sight did we get hung up on a rock. Once again, we shifted our weight and broke free and floated into the bank just above Yenlo Creek and tied up the raft. This creek mouth also had a large camp with five tents spread across the gravel bar immediately below Yenlo’s mouth. This was no surprise given the number of fishermen we ran into further up the creek, particularly considering Yenlo Creek is known to be the best king hole on the creek. We set up our tent and camp gear on the gravel bar island in the mouth of Yenlo Creek. It was obvious that others had camped there this season, and with the weather being perfect, we chose this site over the camp sites in the woods above Yenlo. The kings stack up at Yenlo in unbelievable numbers.
The fishing crew set up at Yenlo was a group of six, two from Illinois, one from Colorado, one from California along with two guides from Alaska. They were all fly fishermen and had the small, black fly technique mastered. Two of the fishermen had been coming to Lake Creek for the past nine years and knew exactly how to fish this hole. They came armed with boxes full of size 6 and 8 black streamers. In spite of our best efforts to tie flies on number 4 Gamakatsu octopus hooks with black yarn, it was not until the Californian gave us a handful of streamer flies she tied, did we really start catching excessive numbers of kings.
We were not the only ones interested in fishing this hole. During our stay we saw grizzly bears every day including a sow and two cubs about 75 yards up Yenlo Creek nosing around looking for fish. It was obvious they knew the kings were spawning, and soon to follow by the droves would be reds (sockeye) to fill the main creek and tributaries. Most kept their distance except for one young grizzly. He made his way up the shoreline wading in and out of the creek until he got to within 30 feet of our camp. It was entertaining and great to capture him on video, but we were also very happy that we had magnum pistols at our sides just in case.
After sniffing the air and yawning he turned, walked down the creek a short ways and then to our surprise he swam Lake Creek. He perched on a large boulder directly across from us, where he spent the better part of an hour snoozing, tossing and turning waiting patiently for us to leave his spot. Eventually he swam back across the creek and walked off into the brush. Although we knew that a bear could appear at our back at any time, his curiosity and persistence only heightened our awareness. He never came back into camp again, although he may have been one of the bears we saw later at a distance.
Another impressive sight was watching the kings run up Yenlo Creek. Early the second morning, we awoke to the sound of splashing right outside the tent. Overpowering the constant background noise of both creeks, we knew it was not a good situation. Fortunately in Alaska this time of year, even at the darkest hour, it remains light enough you can easily see without a flashlight. When we cautiously stepped out of the tent with pistols in hand, there was no bear to be seen. Instead, kings were running up Yenlo Creek. They would stack up right at the mouth and about every three or four minutes, singles, doubles and triples would burst up Yenlo with their backs exposed and tails spraying water. They performed this ritual each night for the remainder of our stay at Yenlo Creek, providing entertainment during our early morning breakfast before starting our fishing day.
Other than the guided crew, we were only joined by one other group of fishermen that pulled in one evening and left early the next morning. The guided group of six departed Sunday morning leaving us one day to fish alone. It never felt crowded since there were so many kings at the mouth of Yenlo, 100 people could line up along the hole and everyone could catch fish all day long. That said, it was good to have the place to ourselves for our last day. And a great day it was!
We packed most of our gear that evening and pushed off around 7:30 the next morning leaving Lake Creek’s premier fishing hole vacant at the peak of the run. Not long after leaving Yenlo we got the video camera out to do some in-float filming of the creek and surrounding terrain. Just as we started the camera, a wolf stepped out of the brush and proceeded up the shoreline. He did not stick around long, but we were able to capture some shaky video footage. The creek continues with plenty of boulders strewn throughout, making navigation a continuing challenge. In some areas the creek would widen to the point that if you did not follow the heaviest water flows, it was easy to get hung up in water too shallow to float.
During the last few creek miles, we passed several large camps that had been jet boated in as well as groups of fishermen that apparently had been dropped for the day. We did see a lot of kings schooled up in the deep pools, but had not reserved enough time to stop and fish.
The very last section of Lake Creek is a slow float. We had a headwind coming off the Yentna making it difficult to make our way to the pick-up point. Without rowing, we felt like the wind would have overpowered what little current there was and pushed us back up the creek. The pick-up point is on the right hand side, but is not at all obvious until you are just about to enter the Yentna. We hugged the right bank wondering if in fact the lodge and sandy beach would ever appear. Just as the silt water of the Yentna began mixing with Lake Creek, the lodge sign came into view. We had to row a short distance to make our way up the slack water formed at the confluence to the dark brown sandy beach in front of the lodge. We unloaded our gear, disassembled the raft and prepared everything for our flight out. Like clockwork, Sportsman’s Air arrived as planned, we loaded up the plane and headed back to Anchorage.
Important final note: If you only remember one thing from this book, if you fish Lake Creek, fish small and black!
