Upstream: An Alaskan Fishing Documentary by Capt. Andy Parker
Just a short 48 hrs earlier, we had walked across the stage in South Carolina to accept our college diplomas. But as we were taxiing to the “runway” on the middle of Anchorage’s Lake Hood in a tiny Cessna 206 float plane, we had no clue what lay ahead for the next few months. We had grown up fly fishing together since about the age of 8, anywhere we could stretch a line in the Southeast. Warmwater bass ponds, Appalachian brook trout streams, Florida redfish flats. We had ventured out west to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado when we grew restless with our southern roots. We had seen a lot of water, and we had caught a lot of fish. But we’d never been to Alaska, never laid eyes on a salmon, and never dreamed of an ecosystem as unique as the one we were then flying over. The next few months turned into something that, however amazing or unbelievable at times it seemed, was exactly what we had hoped to experience. As guides for a remote Alaskan lodge, we were teaching others about the Alaskan wilderness and hopefully helping them to catch the fish of their lifetimes. But we were students in our own classroom as well, witnessing the annual salmon spawn and learning the many layers that are entangled throughout the natural cycle and ecosystem that exists in Alaska’s wilderness.
Sure, we untangled our fair share of “wind knots” and heard enough quotes from A River Runs Through It to drive a man crazy, but we enjoyed all the perks of a seasonal guiding job as well – fishing nearly every evening for 90 days, living in a 40 year-old A-frame cabin that wreaked of mosquito repellent and mildewed waders, and getting paid to hike up and down a river looking at fish every day while being guarded by the best bear dogs in the business. It was a season of adventure, spent along some of the wildest waters and most remote conditions that we had ever had the opportunity to experience. There were 5 species of salmon – King, Silver, Sockeye, Pink, and Chum – and huge rainbow trout everywhere. We fished for 40 lb Kings with fly rods that were meant for 150 lb tarpon, and we used hooks for trout flies that were better suited for striped bass. We never slept in the dirt, but we did sleep in our waders. We took lots of pictures, tied lots of flies, and wrote many stories into our memories – some to be shared later in life, some not.
But you can ask just about anyone else who’s spent a season in Alaska and hear similar accounts of untold glory, or you can read plenty of other articles that reveal “secret” flies and tactics for “catching the big one”. But what you can’t hear about as often or enough is the magnitude of the annual salmon spawn and the remarkable influence that it plays in the ecosystem (and even economy) of Alaska. It’s an ancient cycle, as old as the rivers themselves, and it’s the real reason folks should travel there year after year.
So to pay respect to the natural powers at work there, we decided to carry the experience on through the creation of a documentary film depicting the story of the annual salmon spawn and the amazing fishing that comes as a result of this naturally recurring cycle. It’s more National Geographic than ‘fish porn’, but it does include some of the lighter moments and humors of spending a few months away from civilization. With footage we had filmed during the course of our season, we put together a story that takes the viewer through the Alaskan seasons, its unique wildlife and wilderness, the salmon spawn, and finally the different species targeted by the many anglers that travel there each year. Upon our return, we had plenty of fishing footage but still lacked in some of the filler content needed to portray the rest of the full experience. However, thanks to some contributions from clients and friends (big thanks to Ben Knight of Felt Soul Media), we were able to compile enough material together. We edited the film down to a short 30 minutes and produced enough copies to distribute around as education and entertainment for like-minded outdoor enthusiasts.
Now, we are mostly back to the ‘real world’, fishing as weekend warriors like the majority of folks who will probably read this article. After two more seasons as a flats guide on the Florida panhandle, chasing redfish and tarpon, I have begun to refocus my career in business. I still get back to the coast a good bit in pursuit of my favorite target species, the wily redfish. My good friend and script editor for the film, Bucky Ryan, is studying environmental law in Vermont. When not locked up in the school library, he is tending to his two pet brook trout, which he has raised from mere smolt in his home aquairium. But it is a rare week that we don’t reflect on our time in Alaska. We produced this film with hopes that it will perhaps instill in a few others a respect for such a great land, so that it can be appreciated and protected in a manner than it deserves.
