A 15-pound king salmon thrashing on the end of your line is one thing. Catching it in the same waters your Indigenous ancestors fished centuries earlier is quite another. That's the premise of a recent Condé Nast Traveler first-person piece, in which a writer returns to her birthplace of Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska to reconnect with her Tlingit heritage — and finds that salmon fishing is what finally makes her feel like she belongs.
The setting is Steamboat Bay Fishing Club, a small luxury lodge on remote Noyes Island. Getting there is half the experience: a 45-minute floatplane ride from Ketchikan over Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest on the planet, before touchdown at the lodge's private dock. The resort, which has operated since 2013 and is certified for its sustainability efforts, takes a maximum of 24 guests at a time. A typical three-night stay bundles in guided fishing, chef's dinners, massages, nature walks, and evening storytelling and stargazing around a fire pit. The writer's wildlife tally included bald eagles, orcas, humpback whales, sea otters and sea lions.
What gives the lodge its soul is head guide Everett Athorp, a Haida-Tsimshian fisherman and carver who has worked there since it opened. For him, salmon isn't a hobby but a way of life — Alaska's 229 federally recognized tribal nations have sustainably harvested wild salmon runs for millennia, and the fish carries deep cultural weight, sacred to the Tlingit as a symbol of abundance and renewal. Athorp shares that history with guests, from old wooden halibut hooks to the summer fish camps still in use today. His carvings — bentwood boxes, carved paddles, a large Western cedar panel above the lodge fireplace — continue work passed down through his grandfather, who had to re-teach himself formline art after attending a boarding school where Native culture was suppressed.
The fishing itself delivers proper Alaska drama: king salmon battles, halibut the size of barn doors, and the occasional sea lion stealing a catch straight off the line. Days drift by in a rhythm of lines in the water, boatmate banter and wildlife spotting, with the scenery of forested cliffs and glassy water doing plenty of the work.
For travellers, this is a story about fishing trips that mean more than the catch. It suits anglers who want a genuinely remote, small-group lodge experience, but also anyone curious about Alaska Native culture and the role salmon plays in it. Expect a high-end price point and a commitment of at least a few nights, but also a level of intimacy and cultural depth you won't find on a generic charter out of a cruise port.
Condé Nast Traveler
