The Wulik River 2004

The Wulik River is a very remote clear stream on the far Northwestern coast of Alaska.  It is located about 70 miles Northwest of Kotzebue. In 2004, we took two aircraft to the Wulik.  This photo of Kent Owen's Cessna 170B was taken over the Tanana River near the village of Tanana.

The town of Kotzebue is the largest Eskimo Village in Alaska.  It is located at the end of a narrow isthmus that points out into a bay formed by the mouths of the Noatak and Kobuk Rivers. This photo was taken as we flew Northwest towards Kotzebue along the thin stip of land.

The Wulik River flows West from the far Western edge of the Brooks Range.  It empties into the Bering Sea vear the tiny village of Kivalina. The Wulik has flows that run as low as 250 CFS and as high as 14,000 CFS.  These high flows recede quickly to leave long smooth gravel bars.  The many gravel bars provide a variety of landing options on the Wulik River.

After landing we were only able to fish for a couple of hours after camp set-up before dark.  We did find a large school of very cooperative Char.  We found these fish unable to resist an Egg-Sucking Leech. Chris lands a Char in the fading evening light.

The Wulik River is known for its large Char (biologists have classified these as Dolly Varden Char).  The State record Char was caught on the Wulik in 2002 weighing 27 LBS. This fish that Chris caught is about 22 inches and is typical of the non-spawning Char.

The first morning we got up to a beautiful blue sky. The early morning sun shines on the distant hill overlooking our landing sight on this late August morning.

The morning started where it left off the night before.  Anadromous Char are often found in schools.  In the morning light we could see hundreds of fish lying in this riffle. Kent Owens maneuvers to land a larger than average Char.

The spawning Char on the Wulik can exceed 40 inches. This fish that Kent shows was 25 inches.  We invited this fish back to the tent for dinner.

The advantages of the additional airplane provide not only a margin of safety, but the ability to bring a few more luxuries. Our tent and camp area reveals the life of luxury, including lawn chairs.  Chris and Kent enjoy an evening around the campfire.

The cuisine on this trip was some of Ben Baker's very finest.  Kent and Chris enjoy a gourmet meal of macaroni and fried Char. Anadromous Char have a firm pink flesh that is very delicious.

The Wulik River is a beautiful clear stream with the edge of the Brooks Range looming to the Northeast. The vegetation is mainly tundra with groups of Willow along the riverbank.

There is an abundance of wildlife in the area.  Caribou, Moose, Muskox, Wolves, and Grizzly Bears are among the Big Game found in the area. These tracks are the only indication of competing fishermen that we saw along the Wulik River.

This is an example of a spawning Char on the Wulik. I am holding a 26 inch spawning male.  This fish has not developed the full colors that the Char can display.

This is a closeup of a spawning female.  It doesn't have the deep red colors of a large spawning male, but the blues, pinks and reds are beautiful. This fish was only about 25 inches.

This 27 inch fish is the largest we were able to catch, though we hooked a few much larger and more colorful fish that we were unable to land. The spawning Char are much less eager to take a fly.  We saw several fish that appeared to reach or exceed 40 inches on spawning beds.  We were frustrated by these large Char.  However, we will return.