Bruce Buckmaster of Astoria recently traveled to the edge of Alaska to a new fishing lodge for the rare opportunity to fly-fish for salmon.

An avid fly-fisher, Buckmaster has done the Deschutes River and has traveled to Patagonia for fishing. Prior to its sale, Buckmaster was co-owner of Bio-Oregon.

Where did you go?

The Hoodoo Lodge on the Hoodoo River off Nelson Bay at the tip of the Aleutian Peninsula. It was due north of Honolulu, by about 3,000 to 4,000 miles.

Why did you go there?

Its a new mecca. There are very few places where you can fly-fish for fresh chrome-bright salmon newly arrived from salt water. You cant fly-fish for salmon in the lower Columbia.  Its almost unheard of. There are few rivers where you can do that. Rod Shuh, who developed the lodge, was very familiar with the grounds on Cold Bay and became aware there was a run of salmon on this river. In addition, they do sockeye and in August, coho, large trout.

How did your opportunity come about?

People who are bitten with the fishing bug routinely have these dreams of remote locations and big fish. Most of us spend our lives dreaming, and a few of us get the opportunity to do that. There are three ways they can be realized: You are young and just go. Two is to be wealthy and not worry about the cost. And third (my way) is having a wealthy friend who is so busy that he makes the plans and cannot attend, so I get his slot.

How was the fishing?

Cold Bay is inappropriately named. It should be called Cold, Wet and Windy Bay. Anybody who has hoisted a fly rod knows the negative effect wind has on fly-casting. I took every piece of cold weather fishing clothing I owned and borrowed some when I got there.

    One of the things about truly beautiful landscapes is that they are often very difficult to experience. In other words, the prettier the picture, the more rugged the terrain. Typical temperature was in the mid-40s. The  wind was 15 to 30 miles per hour with gusts to 45 mph. And rain.

    The first day on the river was a Why am I here? moment. What could possess me? That whining attitude lasted until the first fish. At that point, you realize you hooked an animal youre never going to see, in all likelihood.

    It was slow fishing. Two, three, four bites a day. I caught one to two a day. My best daily take was three fish. In six days of fishing, I landed 12 fish. They were the greatest 12 fish Ive caught in my life.

Who were your companions at the lodge?

We had one anesthesiologist. There was a professional writer-photographer who gave me his book. A rodeo team roper with a ranch in Oklahoma. An orthodontist and his son. A lawyer. The lodge can handle 10 to 12 guests. They have six guides, who are young. One was an NCAA Division 1 quarterback for Southern Methodist University. He blew his knee out, so he couldnt go pro. Another was a professional golfer who had been on the nationwide tour and decided he was done.

What was your biggest catch?

It was a 41-pound chinook on a fly.