Originally Posted by dedity
Originally Posted by VernAK
It wasn't a bad place to fish 50 years ago!


I guess it’s all a matter of perspective, I have been fishing the Russian about 10 days a year for the last 25 years, and yeah the crowds can suck but the Russian River it’s self Is still, at least to me a very beautiful and amazing place.
And it really takes little effort to loose the crowds and find a stretch of river to have to yourself.
Another thing I like about the Russian is it provides a place for people that would otherwise never get to experience hooking up on a salmon,
That’s pretty much a dream of everybody that’s ever held a fishing pole, pretty fun to watch someone hook up on their first salmon ever.
I have met some very cool people and made some truly lifelong friends through the years fishing on the Russian.
I have lost track of how many people from Alaska and other places that I have hosted in my elk camp or a Muley hunt as well as Chukar hunting, amazing how many folks want to try hunting Chukar.
And in return I have more open invitations than you can imagine to go pretty much anywhere I want in Alaska. on float planes, bush planes, rafts, jet boats, shrimping, halibut fishing, moose hunting,
Caribou, Ptarmigan, pretty much just about anything Alaska has to offer is just a phone call and plane ticket away for me.
Not to mention the invites I have to Hawaii, Canada, and more Whitetail Hunt’s than you can shake a stick at. And I owe all of that to spending time on the Russian River.

I fully understand where you’re coming from though, And I can only imagine what it was like to fish the Russian 50 years ago.


In fact I do fish with some fellas that have fished the Russian for the past 50 years or so,
They don’t really complain much about the crowds on the Russian, as much as they bitch about the whole state compared to what it was like 50 years ago, especially the sheep hunting, and the great KIng fishing of days gone by.

But I can assure you Alaska. is just one of many wonderful places that is getting overran With tourists and dipshits.
The pains you are now experiencing in Alaska. are probably
every bit as bad In the magical and beautiful state of Idaho.
Ain’t much you can do about it though. Just be thankful that you at least had a taste of the good ol days.





For sure I'm the old curmudgeon that misses the good old days when there were far fewer people in Alaska and visiting Alaska. Hell I can't hardly withstand the drive around Turnagain Arm in tourist season and the road is far better than the good old days.....and it's not just Alaska. There are three times more people on this planet than there was when I was born and Covid won't put a dent in it.