Every hot summer I dream of heading for the cool Northwest to fish for King salmon. However, sometimes it is impossible to find the time, usually because of the legislature being in session or pressing family obligations. However, when time permits and I could find seven days without a pending crisis on the horizon, I flew to Seattle and grabbed a floatplane flight to Hakai Lodge, deep in the inland water passageway to Alaska. Hakai Pass is a great place to tie into a fifty-pound King and forget the troubles of the world for a week. The problem was it took almost two days to get there and two days to return home, leaving only three days to fish… time-wise for me, bad numbers.

This year, the legislature was out of session for only a few days and I had to come up with a better time frame or forget fishing.

I did just that with the help of the Internet and Alaska Airlines… I discovered Clover Pass Resort in Ketchikan, Alaska — and gave them a try.

My fishing and hunting buddy is Jerry Upholt, chief lobbyist for the California Rifle and Pistol Association. Jerry and I left Sacramento early Friday morning by jet and that afternoon, we were fishing in the cold waters north of Ketchikan, Alaska. Clover Pass personnel picked us up at the Airport, provided us with a boat, tackle, bait, instructions on where to fish and sent us on our way. They provided us with comfortable quarters and excellent food for a reasonable rate. Their restaurant is first class and as good a meal as we’ve ever found in Alaska.

It took us a half a day to get there and little over a half a day to get back. We were gone five days and four nights and spent most of that time on the water. We returned with fifty pounds of frozen salmon and some halibut. The guys at Clover Pass cleaned the fish, froze, shrink wrapped and packaged our catch to take with us when we were ready to depart. It was still frozen when we got home.

The owners of Clover Pass are decent, honest people and run a first rate operation; nothing fancy, no television or phones in the rooms but good service for the needs of someone who loves to fish.

If anyone has a camper or motor home and the time to spare, they can drive to Prince Rupert Canada, then take a six-hour ferry ride to Ketchikan. There is a trailer park at the Clover Pass Resort.

Jerry and I had a great time, so I thought “why not pass this information along to our membership?” If you have an interest, check out the website of these two fine places. https://hakaifishinglodge.com/ and http://www.cloverpassresort.com.

Senator H. L. Richardson (Ret.) is a twenty-two-year veteran of the California State Senate. Founder of Gun Owners of California and Gun Owners of America, Richardson has focused his extensive political career on the preservation and protection of our Second Amendment rights. An active hunter and outdoorsman, Senator Richardson continues to be actively involved in state and national politics. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association for 10 years and remains an active NRA Life member.