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Bay of Bears
by Walt Pich
Boaters and wildlife fish side-by-side at Alaska's Anan Bay
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Most of Alaska's scenic wonders are well known -- and well-visited. But one of the best destinations of all, for those who love the wilderness, remains a secret.
Visiting boaters who really know southeast Alaska give Anan Bay top priority on their cruising itinerary. But luckily for cruisers, this quiet little cove and all its treasures are not well known by anyone but local residents and a few commercial anglers.
On the pragmatic side, this destination is only 10 minutes off the main traffic route of Alaska's Inside Passage. It has a public mooring buoy, a good bottom for anchorage and room for at least a dozen big boats.
Excellent freshwater angling, saltwater fishing and crabbing are all within easy reach of shore boats. And, in typical Alaskan fashion, the surrounding scenery is picture postcard stuff, with both rocky and sandy beaches, crystal clear water, tall evergreens and a backdrop of snow-covered coastal mountains.
But attractive as these features may be, most visitors come here for another reason. Anan Bay offers a wildlife show that is unsurpassed in all of southeast Alaska.
++The Curtain Rises==
Showtime begins the first week of July, when the salmon arrive. Then, Anan Creek wildlife performances run daily, right through September.
For nine months of the year, Anan Creek is just another stream in southeast Alaska. During the first week of July, however, a huge run of pink salmon (also known as "humpies") converge on the little creek, setting in motion an incredible metamorphosis.
With the salmon come a multitude of creatures. Bald eagles, herons, kingfishers, sea gulls, ravens and crows fly in from many distant locations -- some from as far as Washington and Oregon. Otters, minks, and martens scoot in and out of the streamside rocks, looking for a salmon treat.
But the most popular visitors to the creek -- and the reason most boaters come -- are the bears.
Lower Anan Creek is a black bear sanctuary, but both black and brown bears target the creek. The bears have been feasting at Anan Creek long before man arrived.
Countless generations of mama bears have brought their cubs here to enjoy the good life provided by the salmon. As the cubs grow to adulthood, they continue the tradition.
Anan Creek's sanctuary status prohibits hunting here, allowing the black bears to roam with impunity.
++Act I: The Discovery==
Anan Bay is located at the confluence of Ernest Sound, Bradfield Canal and Blake Channel -- about 31 boating miles southeast of Wrangell by boat and about 70 miles north of Ketchikan. Just opposite the southeastern tip of Wrangell Island, the small bay on the Cleveland Peninsula is easy to find.
Ease of location notwithstanding, the "typical" appearance of the surrounding environment belies the visual treats that are ahead. At first, you'll wonder if you anchored in the right place.
After anchoring and deploying the shore boat, you will find a small break in the forest wall where Anan Creek empties into the southeastern corner of the bay. Here, the narrow mouth of the creek funnels through a slot formed by a series of boulders.
Access may appear dicey, but it is safe for small craft in all but minus tides, when a small waterfall will form at the trough of the tide. Once inside the portal, a large lagoon appears, leading to the scenic Alaskan vistas of every tourist's dreams.
The tidal lagoon is shallow, between 2 and 6 feet deep, allowing you to view numerous schools of salmon closely. Your arrival will be heralded by the call of bald eagles.
Almost every Sitka spruce that lines the lagoon is a roosting place for bald eagles, most of which have so gorged themselves on salmon that flying is difficult.
The lagoon, which empties for two hours on either side of low water, is the playground for several dozen harbor seals. With their bellies full of salmon, nothing suits them better than watching a few curious humans as they relax after dinner.
This is just the first act of the Anan Creek wildlife show. The remaining performances lie beyond.
++Act II: Dancing, Fishing Bears==
You have two options for continuing. You can take the shore
boat to the head of the lagoon (indicated by an orange marker in a tree at its easternmost corner), or you can tie off at the creek mouth and hike along a well-maintained Forest Service trail that parallels the edge of the lagoon.
The trail leads to Lower Anan Falls, a half mile from the creek mouth and several hundred yards from the head of the lagoon. Make plenty of noise while you're on the trail, because you will not want to surprise the numerous bears in the vicinity.
At the falls, you will find a "bear observatory" outfitted with benches, railings, a covered building, a privy and a large cedar deck. From here, you can take in more of the show.
The observatory is situated on a small rocky bluff, just above the falls. On the opposite bank, a maze of boulders, ledges and caves abruptly rises 100 feet or more from creekside to the ridge: This is the main stage.
If you sit in or around the observatory for an hour or two, you will realize that most every nook and cranny on the opposite shore has a resident bear.
Every few minutes, one of these furry cave dwellers will casually waddle to the creek and matter-of-factly catch a salmon. He may eat it in front of you, or he may retreat to his cave for a secluded meal.
There is a constant procession of bears from the forest to the caves and back again.
This is an especially good spot to watch bear cubs, too. The presence of humans keeps predatory brown bears away from the observatory during the day, allowing the mother bears to bring their little ones to the creek for fishing lessons.
If you are fortunate enough to stay here for a day or more, you'll witness almost every aspect of bear society. The cast of players includes black bears, brown bears, awe-struck cubs and doddering old veterans, bold swaggering bears, nervous and jittery bears, energetic bears and lazy bears.
The common denominator here is food: Seeing a bear feeding is almost guaranteed.
It's easy to take great photographs at this spot, even with inexpensive cameras and normal lenses.
++The Finale: Going Fishing==
If you have any angling instincts at all, you'll be subjected to an irresistible urge to grab a fishing rod and join the bears on the creekside -- keeping your distance, of course.
Pinks are diminutive salmon: The Alaska state record catch
is a mere 12 pounds.
But their size doesn't indicate the fight anglers can expect. These little guys can strip line off your reel in runs that rival coho salmon twice their size.
Anan Creek pinks average about 4 pounds, but you'll find many 6 and 8-pounders in the schools. The best time for pink angling is at low tide, and the best location is the first bend in the creek below the falls, at the entrance to the lagoon.
Open your tackle box, close your eyes and pick a piece of hardware -- a fly, yarn, corkie, or whatever. I have yet to find anything that doesn't work on these feisty fish.
The feathered and furry creatures are not the only predators drawn by the multitude of pink salmon. Alaska's largest game fish also follows the pink salmon migration.
Wherever you find a humpie-spawning stream, you're sure to find a giant Pacific halibut somewhere nearby. Large flatties lurk in the shallows of the Anan Bay, impatiently awaiting dinner.
Their strategy is to wait near the creek mouth for salmon spawning casualties, which inevitably wash downstream and settle to the bottom. It's not unlike sitting in the living room and waiting for a pizza delivery.
During the first month of the salmon rush, however, the topside predators get most of the action and the halibut are forced to wait.
While waiting, these hungry halibut are eager to hit any bait you toss at them. I have fished for halibut at Anan Bay for eight years in succession and have reeled in a 100-pound-plus halibut every year.
This fishery requires no intricate strategy or delicate tackle presentation: Just drop your offering to the bottom, and hang on.
If pinks and halibut aren't enough, there is more on the Anan Bay sportfishing agenda. Dolly Varden trout angling prospects are excellent.
Try throwing hardware (spinners and spoons) at the deep pools in the creek above the upper falls to catch for Dolly Varden up to 24 inches long.
Feisty sea run cutthroat trout also patrol the perimeter of the bay. They can't resist a daredevil or silver spoon.
Some of the best chinook angling is within easy reach of most shore boats, as the mainland shore opposite Blake Island is
one of the hottest local areas. It is only three miles due north of Anan Bay.
Dungeness crabs also target the bay, awaiting a meal of spawned-out salmon carcasses. Dropping crab pots in the bay usually will provide you with more crab than you can easily cook.
The five-fathom line around the bay has been my most productive location for setting crab pots. Or, for some real fun, you can net them right off the bottom at low tide.
For anyone who wants a real taste of Alaskan wildlife, Anan Creek is unsurpassed. It is the one place to visit in southeast Alaska if you have only enough time to visit a single spot.
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This article first appeared in the September 1, 1993 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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