No Place Like Nome | 2025

The Flight to Nome

We had an absolutely beautiful Alaska Airlines flight out of Anchorage - just four days after the June 21 Solstice. The glorious sun was out. (It had been a rainy/cloudy spring.)We saw the oil platforms in Cook Inlet and crossed the Susitna River drainage heading up to the Alaska range.

It is always a thrill to fly above these mountains and see the glaciers and beauty that is essentially Alaska. This is why we live here!

The jet flew into the clouds as we headed north. There was a fortunate break in time to see the Yukon River as we ventured further and further north to the Seward Peninsula, and our destination in Nome.

I am excited to see our guide and lodge owner Tom Gray who will be waiting for us at the airport. Our group in this adventure includes three women from the Anchorage and Mat/Su area plus two friends from Juneau and the Columbia River in Washington state.

This trip is going to be epic! On board, we have so much gear including spey rods and steel leaders. Diane brought a duck fly for the pike we are sure to see. Also in our fly boxes are Morrish Mice and the never-sinking Rainys foam specials. (The same ones I tied for Jodie Foster )

We are over Norton Sound now and headed to our mid-way destination in Nome. This is country made famous by the Gold Rush and of course the Alaska Iditarod sled dog race. The plane is following the coast. I see fish camps and gold dredges. Here’s the town of Nome!

Sunny skies and excited anglers. Let’s go! 

Overview

Day 1

Let’s go fishing!
After a short night and not enough sleep, it’s time for breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon. How could you leave the table hungry?

Eventually everyone was wadered up and ready to get fishing!! Tom led us to a gravel bank just downstream from the lodge - the place he calls fish camp. Here we learned to break all fly fishing rules and make anything but a drag free drift with our flies. He wants us to disturb the water - to make wakes behind our foam flies.

These grayling were so eagerly cooperative and made for an excellent start to our fishing adventure. We fished the spot for about an hour and then headed back to camp. Tom was anxious to get the power boat going. We headed upstream to his secret honey holes that were teaming with Arctic Grayling.

We fished several spots throughout the day and moved on when the pace of catching slowed down. Did you make five casts without a bite? Time to move!

There was a super break for lunch on the riverbank. Chocolate cake from night before made a guest appearance - and blamed for the heavy boatload thereafter. It was great just sitting around getting to know our new friends.

We fished through the afternoon along the river - including a six-woman- march. Cast and walk. Cast and walk. It was a blast.

We reluctantly loaded up and made it back to camp about 630 pm. BeeJay had made dinner of a smoked salmon bake topped with bacon.

But wait!! Tom arrived shortly after dinner was finished with nine LIVE king crabs brought in just this morning from Norton Sound. I don’t know what horse-trading he did to get those crabs, but I’m here to tell you it was worth it!

We all posed for photos with the crustaceans which were crabbing around on the kitchen floor. BeeJay cooked up a feast which we devoured on top of a big dinner. No butter was needed. I know I’ll never forget the taste of that sweet crab liquor. Oh my.

I’m pretty sure everyone had a great day today. I know I did and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Day 2

Fishing was the stuff of legends today!
We began with reindeer sausage gravy and biscuits breakfast. Clearly we were going to need sustenance for the day. Tom made plans for us that included the secret pike slough and a 40 minute boat ride to a spot famous for trout (local nomenclature for Dollie Varden) and grayling. The spot is always a crapshoot because sometimes the fish are not there. But when they are… “Katie bar the door”! 

From the start, fish catching at the pike slough was a bit slow. The first fly cast was a baby duck pattern. I’m not kidding. It look like a baby duck. Too bad the pike were not looking up at the surface. But the baby duck got a serious effort.

Everyone switched to weighted white bunny and red marabou flies with a ton of flash. By the end, the Pike had us trained on how to cast and where to cast. Everyone had two or four nice-size pike to hand.

We wore out the slough and wore out Tom on the pole. Time to go to the Dollie spot. There would not be fishing in Northern Alaska without some rain and rain it did. A lot.

Funny how the rain stopped right when we reached Dollie Creek. We fished and fished and fished and fished the hotspot. So many dollies. So many. Even a white fish.

We stayed at the spot well past quitting time and well past dinner time. It was just too good to leave. Eventually, and reluctantly, we loaded up for the long ride back to camp. BeeJay knew we would be late when Tom told her where we were going. Dinner was on the stove and warm.

We had a late supper before turning in to our warm cabins. Everyone needed some rest to be ready for day three. There is no place like Nome, and it makes me so happy.

Day 3

I’m pretty sure everyone will be late for breakfast this morning. We really wore ourselves out yesterday. Joyfully so. Well…I was wrong . Everyone was eager for breakfast and was on time. Knowing this was our last full day of fishing, there was no time to waste.

Our host is amazing in his knowledge of Honey Holes on this river. We tried three or four spots that held so many fish. This river is so rich with life.

At the second hot hole, I knew it was time to bring out the mouse fly. I dream of this day all year. There is something so fun about casting a mouse and stripping it in in short strokes. 

The goal is to make the fly seem like a swimming or struggling little rodent in the water. The grayling slam it hard. Sometimes they jump out of the water and come down on the fly. If they miss, they’ll jump again. And again. It makes me lose my ever-loving mind.

Everyone managed to land a few fish - grayling and dollies - using the mouse fly. The gods of good weather and sunshine were smiling on us today.

BeeJay had dinner waiting for us back at camp. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Day 4

The last day is always a little bittersweet. We have a half day of fishing and then the journey home begins. We managed to catch and release many grayling in places not before revealed.  The mouse fly made a return appearance. 

All too soon, it was time to return to Fish camp, load the boat and begin our journey back to civilization. What an experience.

Join us in 2026. What new adventures will we find? There is no place like Nome! 

Hosted by Jolynne Howard | June 25 - 29, 2025