Newhalen River Gorge

Unforgettable Sockeye Salmon Adventure on the Pristine Newhalen River

Imagine casting your fly into crystal-clear turquoise waters teeming with thousands of powerful Sockeye Salmon. This isn’t a dream but a reality at the Newhalen River Gorge, a hidden gem within Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness.

The immense power and grand volume of the Newhalen River Gorge are born from the snow and ice fields of the Chigmit Mountains and the 4 million-acre, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The awesome wonder of the Newhalen is distinctly different from most of Alaska’s other glacial, high-volume, extremely swift, and turbulent whitewater rivers. This river is astoundingly turquoise clear with absolutely premier sport fishing. This clarity is due to the glacial-filtering effect of the 75-mile-long and very deep Lake Clark, one of Alaska’s largest lakes. The Newhalen River, its tributary streams, and great lakes are prime Sockeye Salmon spawning grounds, contributing to over 16 percent of the world’s commercial wild Red Salmon harvest. Sportfishing is outstanding for all species of Pacific Salmon, Arctic grayling, Char, Lakers, and Rainbow Trout. The Newhalen is also known for its abundant wildlife, including Brown Bear, Moose, and Caribou.

Our private access to the Newhalen River Gorge provides our guests with the best sockeye salmon fishing on earth. Thousands of sockeyes stack up at the bottom of the Gorge waiting for the right time to make the run-up to their spawning grounds.  Sockeye salmon enter the Iliamna Lake drainage by the millions in late June and early July. For the first few weeks that they are in freshwater, they are considered to be the hardest fighting salmon pound for pound. Alaska red salmon average 6 to 10 pounds and weigh up to 15 pounds. Catching these on a fly rod starts the fight of a lifetime, and our private access to the Gorge will put you waist-deep in sockeye. Sockeye salmon fishing in Alaska could be one of the biggest challenges you can experience — and one of the most fun.

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