A Hunt for Monster Yukon River Pike
Story and photo by Marcus Weiner
“On my planet, we have a sun.”
It’s pushing 90 degrees, Alaska is on fire, and we are on a hunt for the monster pike of the Yukon River. With a camp that includes a shower, sleeping tents with cots, generator, dining tent, screened gazebo, and meals like Copper River sockeye, fried potatoes, salad, apple pie and ice cream, roughing it was never so nice. Throw in 40-plus-inch pike and we have all the makings of an epic adventure.
Bill’s one-liner (and when you are as funny as Bill, the one-liners are unending) is a comment on our smoky surroundings. On an otherwise crystal-clear day, the smoke enshrouds everything in gray and leaves the sun as nothing more than a distant orange ball. It’s as if we are experiencing some new form of solar slight-of-hand, leaving us to feel like we’ve been transported to another planet. This is an especially dry year across interior Alaska and the forest fires are raging.
But what’s a little smoke when there are monster pike to hunt?
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