What's New

Spring 2008

Ultimate Rivers publishes and begins distributing the second  edition of the immensely popular, Alaska Pocket Fishing Guide. This handy reference enjoys brisk sales in gift and tackle shops, sporting goods, book stores, and supermarkets along the highway system and all through the Alaska panhandle.

Early Summer 2008

Vladivostok Air starts their inaugural flight service to the Russian Far East from Anchorage, Alaska, renewing a direct link for American anglers to the fabulous fisheries of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Things go smoothly with no major problems reported and it appears that once again we have a reliable and efficient way of getting to and from Russia.
 

Summer 2008

Kamchatka has a great summer with good fishing reported on almost all the rivers being worked by tour operators. Alaska, on the other hand, suffers erratic runs, undoubtedly exacerbated by the late spring and very cool summer. King salmon fishing is poor in many parts of the state, with the sockeye run varying from good to fair on most rivers. Later, the silver salmon returns are disappointing in much of the state. Overall, not a great fishing season for Alaska.

Fall 2008

Financial markets take a big hit and the resultant meltdown of the U.S. economy has worldwide implications, particularly for tourism. Despite all this uncertainty, we negotiate in good faith with the Russians for the lowest prices in the upcoming season, hoping for the best in 2009.

2009

The new year ushers in with high hopes for the coming summer, as Alaska celebrates its 50th year of statehood. The season unfolds with disappointing numbers of tourists due to the severe economic downturn in the US economy. Our Russia program suffers another setback with a cancellation of direct flights from the US mainland early in the season. We are forced to route folks through Moscow, which is not a severe hardship for East Coast clients.

Fishing wise, 2009 proves a mixed bag. Alaska has another so-so year for king salmon, with very spotty returns in many systems and fair to dismal ocean fishing for the species. Sockeye and silver salmon returns are average to above average in many systems, with some areas showing persistently poor runs.  Trout fishing in the fall overall is quite good, with excellent stream conditions continuing in southcentral and southwest Alaska into the later weeks of the season.

Kamchatka fishes very well, with some rivers (west side in particular) reporting some of the best rainbow fishing conditions in years. The number of visiting anglers is noticeably  down from years past, with most operators dealing with a rash of late cancellations due to the cessation of direct air connections.

2010

A very sluggish economy, with little hope of recovering in time for the tourist season leaves little optimism. Prices have fallen in all sectors of this industry in hopes of stimulating business, but so far what we have been hearing from others in the business is that demand for their services in 2010 will probably not be much better than last year. We (and our affiliates) at Ultimate Rivers are still gearing up to offer the very best fishing adventures for the money, both here in Alaska and in Russia. Please join us for that trip of a lifetime in 2010!