There is something special about Seldovia. For the first-time visitor, perhaps it is the peaceful, turned-down pace that falls over this friendly community on the ocean. I’d bet the more seasoned Alaska traveler might also take notice of not only the quantity, but the quality of outdoor experiences available nearby and the breathtaking panoramas that abound.
Story and Photo by Marcus Weiner
The average Alaskan resident would probably appreciate the fishing, hiking, biking, and kayaking, the 4th of July festivities, the short boat ride to Homer, and the proliferation of happy dogs. I’d say that my experience in Seldovia touched on all of these perspectives.
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Some History
Seldovia has been the home and gathering place of Native Alaskans for thousands of years. It was a gathering point for peoples traveling from Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, Kodiak, and down the Aleutian chain. It is located 17 miles across Kachemak Bay from Homer, roughly 250 miles from Anchorage.
Russians were in the area mining coal and hunting furs in the late 1700s and their presence diminished following the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867. The St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1891 and is a recognizable landmark on a hill overlooking the city.
The name of Seldovia in Russian—Zaliv Seldovoi—translates to “Herring Bay” and is credited to Captain Archimandritov in 1852. Seldovia is an ice-free harbor in winter, and combined with the herring boom of the early 1900s, this helped to swell Seldovia’s population to about 2000 at its maximum. Today, there are about 300 residents. From coal to fur to gold to herring, Seldovia’s population has grown and shrunk depending on the current boom.
Things to Do Around Town
Integral to each trip to Seldovia is how you get there. We took a water taxi—the M/V Rainbow Connection—back from Seldovia to Homer and were treated to breaching whales along the way. A trip by air is sure to be a treat, especially on the bluebird days that offer the best look at the surrounding scenery.
Once in Seldovia, options are numerous. For us, the main point was to go fishing. To this end, daily charters provide salmon and halibut fishing and motivated anglers can cast to fish from the bridge, beach, or dock. For the visitor, other activities include kayaking, beachcombing, wildlife viewing, hiking, bike riding on Jakolof Bay Road, or simply enjoying the shops, museum, and flavor of Seldovia. If you feel like taking a walk, the Otterbahn Trail begins in Seldovia and winds to the Outside beach. Round-trip distance is about 1.5 miles. The Rocky Ridge Trail loops roughly three miles in the spruce forest on the southeast side of Seldovia.
Alaska Tree Tops Fishing Lodge
Corky and Carole Myers host a top-notch lodge on the bluff on the north side of town.
The structure is built on the edge of land, with the deck capturing the grand views of the ocean, mountains, and volcanoes. It is a truly beautiful lodge with many deluxe upgrades and is decorated magnificently. Sitting on the deck each evening enjoying a good cigar was a perfect way to end the day.
Corky came to Alaska as a bush pilot in 1964. Carole came to Alaska 30 years ago. They have been in Seldovia for over 20 years. Both are thoroughly charming, enjoy the company of their guests, and work very hard to plan and execute a fine experience.
Joining my wife and I are Tom and Allegra Willison of Incline Village, Nevada, and Brian and Martha Stafford of Vienna, Virginia. Tom has been friends with the Myers for many years, and invited both the Staffords and my wife and I to join them for saltwater escapades in Seldovia. Tom is the Chairman of the Board of McKinley Capital Management and Brian is the recently retired director of the United States Secret Service.
I asked my fellow guests to describe their experience and Martha summed it up well: “Being a guest at Alaska Tree Tops Lodge is to realize that it is possible to combine casual elegance with all that is wildly wonderful about Alaska.”
The food was superb during our stay, in great part to visiting chef Mark Sudermann. Mark is the executive chef at The Steakhouse at Desert Canyon in Fountain Hills, Arizona. From homemade soups to gorgonzola-topped steaks, exotic sauces, and delightful breakfasts, we looked for seconds each and every meal.
We were part of an interesting cross section of people while there—ranging from 18 to 70-plus years-old—and hailing from all over America. It was easy to get into an interesting conversation with just about anyone and the time not spent fishing was stimulating.
The lodge offers room for 10guests. Most rooms have their own decks with spectacular views; all have their own full baths, and all have luxurious bedding and towels. The great room offers couches and a satellite TV with DVD. A commercial vacuum packer and blast freezer are located at the hangar with Corky’s plane and all guests who catch fish get a quality product to take home.
The Fishing
The main opportunities in Seldovia are to fish in the saltwater for salmon and halibut. Both require only a short run to get into fish. We fished these waters on two separate boats and had similar results.
Day one sees Ana and I aboard the Diamondback 2 with Trevor Arndt as our captain. Joining us is fellow fishing fanatic Dave. The vessel is a 32-foot Anderson Marine catamaran, powered by twin 225HP Yamaha outboards. Within a 30-minute trip from Seldovia, we were around the corner from land, looking at English Bay and Port Graham to the east and open water to the west.
We drift and jig, using lead-head jigs, Swedish Pimples, and 7 oz. SPRO Swim jigs, all tipped with herring and cod. Steady action yields fish from 20 to 70 pounds. Trevor teases Dave and I, as Ana out-fishes us at the rate of about 2 to 1. Dave finally has his revenge, landing a nice 70-pound fish for the freezer. We are a little early for the mid-July arrival of silver salmon to these waters, and a bit late for the late May /early June presence of king salmon, so we pack up and head into Seldovia.
Day two sees us aboard the Alaska Tree Tops Lodge 34-foot fiberglass catamaran. This is one sweet boat. Twin 350HP diesel motors allow the boat to cruise smoothly at 25 knots. All the particulars, including top-notch electronics and Miya Enoch, 12V electric reels, turn this day fishing for halibut into a luxury experience.
It’s clear again that the ladies will catch more fish. Martha, Allegra, and Ana consistently hook and release 20- to 40-pound halibut like they grew up on these waters. Tom, Brian, and myself get into a few fish, but it’s the ladies who rule the boat. Corky is all over the place helping land and release fish, as well as running the boat and baiting hooks. Once the fishermen have their limit of halibut, we make the short trip back to the harbor and to the comforts of the lodge.
4th of July
Independence Day is Seldovia’s biggest event of the year. Alaskans and visitors alike throng to the town to enjoy the festivities. From the blueberry pancake breakfast to the 5K race to the parade, these are just the things you can do before noon. Ana, Allegra, Martha, and myself took part in the 5K race. Allegra was in good form and got to the finish line well before any of the rest of us.
Once the parade is over, people gather around the grandstand to honor Seldovians that contributed to the community, including the year’s “Old Crab.” Entertainment including singers and dancers next grace the stage, while folks buy food from the vendors in the food tents.
At the boat haul-out, kayak races take place, and a few hours later, canoe jousting is underway at the same spot. Adventurous teams of two (one paddler, one jouster) compete against each other to try and knock the jouster from each team into the water. It’s a popular event as spectators raucously cheer for the next unlucky jouster to be dislodged from his or her canoe into the cold waters of Seldovia Harbor.
Another highlight of the day is the rubber ducky race in Seldovia Slough. Each rubber ducky is purchased and numbered, with the winner receiving a nice cash prize.
The 2005 theme for the 4th of July celebration was “A Dog’s Day in Seldovia.” Appropriately, the local dog community came out in costume to walk in the parade. I saw several dogs dressed in similar costumes to the people walking them. Afterwards, awards of all kinds were presented to the owners of the dogs deemed ugliest, prettiest, biggest, smallest, looks most like their owner—you get the point.
A Lasting Impression
July 4th isa great day to be in Seldovia and I can see myself returning each year. Alaska Tree Tops Lodge was a terrific place to call home for a few days and I can also see myself returning to Carole and Corky’s lodge in the future. Perhaps what made the most lasting impression was the warm and friendly attitude of the Seldovia residents, and I suspect it’s this that will draw me there again and again. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the fishing was good, too.
Marcus Weiner is publisher of Fish Alaska magazine. [/emember_protected] [emember_protected scope=”not_logged_in_users_only”]
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