2023 was a good year for me as 2 of my 3 trips were challenging and wet with high water and tough fishing. The rain in 2022 started around August 5th and never stopped. We shuffled floaters around from one river to the next mostly succeeding in getting our folks onto good water. But the rain brought a number of other adventure stories. Low camps that were “picked up” early in the AM due to rising water and “lost boats” that floated a couple miles down river unattended before being recovered and even “takeouts” that were not there (High water over the beach). The late and wet spring of 2023 did not help much so the water started on the high side. We had multiple rain events that made 2023 a mixed season of results. The reason I say it was a good year for me was I have largely avoided any kind of challenging floating over the last 12 years with multiple trips each year. I needed to see some tough weather to remind myself of the challenges on the less than desirable floats. The rain stopped in September 2023 so we are heading into 2024 in better shape. IN 2023 I still had some of my best King and Silver fishing. I saw 10’s of thousand of Silvers for 100 miles of one river. A parade that never stopped from top to bottom.

Throw in a healthy run of chum and some dolly Varden and the trip was a success. My other two trips provided excellent King fishing and excellent Silver fishing by the bulk of the other fish were challenging or nowhere to be found. The two tough trips were planning perfectly. Perfectly wrong! I hit the river when the rain started and rode the rising tide all the way down. We had a number of trips days later as well as days earlier that were succesful. My team in Bethel worked hard, watching the rivers, adjusting clients and providing them with the best chance for success. The lessons learned in 2023 were to add a couple of extra days on to the trip for added flexibility to adjust to weather and conditions. Also maybe 3 trips in one summer are too many for me

This year is a good reminder that well planned trips can help to minimize most of the impacts of weather but not all . We started with abnormally low water, moved a few trips around adjusted. We received the rain we wanted and then more rain. We moved a few trips around again. The team pulled together.

2022 was a good year overall for most fishing. Not great. Higher water with less access and tighter camps certainly changed the dynamics for a few groups. A few fishing days were lost on some trips directly related to flights and high water. The common theme for August was adventure. Multiple camps were pulled up early in the AM as rising waters crept closer to the tents. Reports of rivers rising 5′ overnight are not normal by any stretch. A few boats drifted down stream unattended. The feedback from the trips generally focused on the water/weather adventures then drifted onto the fishing then quickly slid into planning for next years trip. Sunny days are nice but sometimes the clouds are what defines the resiliency of the group and the adventure.

Well I am off on my last personal trip of the year. The group is psyched….we are grounded for the day…we are making our own plans for our own trips for next year.

Thank you – Eric Elliott – Float Alaska