Moored in a quiet anchorage, Adventurous looks strong and stately as the lone vessel surrounded by Alaska’s vibrant coastline. A 56-foot, expedition-style vessel built by Delta Marine and launched in 1994, she was specifically designed for overnight charters in southeast Alaska. Adventurous is owned and operated by 54-year-old Travis Peterson and his wife, Jennifer. The operation has built a strong reputation forged from decades of experience taking anglers to Alaska’s remote wilderness to put them on the fish of their dreams in a setting that defies imitation.

“The size of the vessel is perfect, allowing us to fish on the ocean or tight near coastal bays,” Peterson says. “We work with the U.S. Forest Service and have special use permits to fish the coastal streams and shorelines of the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States.”

Peterson first worked as a mate aboard Adventurous in the late 1990s. “I fell in love with the extended-range method of charter fishing,” he says, as it shows clients parts of Alaska many visitors never see.

The operation is based out of Sitka, and Peterson explores the inlets, rivers and islands along the Gulf of Alaska coast north through Tongass, an ideal area to target steelhead trout. Adventurous is equipped with a 1,500-pound crane on the bow and two jetboats to run anglers up streams and around coastal bays. The big boat stays on anchor as a floating lodge with a galley, three staterooms, all the creature comforts a guest could need and a large cockpit. The trips run five-and-a-half days during steelhead season, from April through late May. “We fish a different remote stream every day, moving between streams and bays in the evenings and early mornings,” Peterson says.

Running Rivers

On the days we fished, the team launched the jetboats first thing in the morning, and we’d blast up these unnamed steelhead rivers that were 40 to 50 feet across and up to about 100 feet at the widest point. The jetboats are key to the operation. I took photos of Peterson and his guides running the boats in 4 inches of water. I was literally standing in the water — it wasn’t even over my boots — when they cruised by. When we found a spot to fish, we’d beach the boat and wade up the river’s edge.

Because the streams are so small, the best method was fishing with switch rods, which are basically compact Spey rods, and swinging when possible. Most of the steelhead were found holding in deeper pools, where the water runs softer. Much of the time, we nymphed for these fish running an egg yarn, though traditional steelheaders thumb their nose at that. I’ve done this trip twice and been with anglers who can make beautiful Spey casts — they can swing the fly with the best of them — but on these smaller streams, the best approach is a switch rod and a nymph. It’s all river dependent, like anything else.

Finding a spot to fish was part of the fun. We’d poke our head in and check out the water to decide if it was worth the time to run the jetboat upriver as far as we could go, then set off hiking. A lot of times, the fishing was off the hook, and we were into fish for the better part of the day, if not all day. Sometimes we’d hoof it up a river, but the fish weren’t there. That’s fishing, but at least we were surrounded by an amazing forest. The environment is so pristine. We never saw another person.

These steelhead waters are within a temperate rainforest. The landscape is thick with Sitka spruce, tucked within nearly 17 million acres of old-growth forest. Everything is green and vibrant. And the fishing is insanely good.

Catch of the Day

The food is a key part of the trip. Southeast Alaska is famous for spot prawns that are roughly the size of your hand. We caught them almost every night. Peterson would pull Adventurous into protected inlets, and we would set crab or shrimp pots. When we returned from fishing the next day, we’d go check the traps. When you harvest your own food and cook up an amazing meal, it’s a perfect recipe for an incredible week.

“Living off of the sea, we have the opportunity to eat some of the best seafood available,” Peterson says. “We strive to have intimate meals, especially dinners in remote anchorages with fantastic scenery.”

When weather permits, Peterson takes anglers out to deeper water, fishing for lingcod and rockfish, throwing out shrimp traps as he works his way offshore. During summer, Peterson switches gears and focuses more on salt water, pursuing all five species of salmon, as well as halibut, black cod, lingcod and a variety of bottom fish.

On an afternoon of slow fishing, we headed back to the boat and shot clay pigeons off the stern. We had a big time. Peterson can also take guests whale watching. You can spend days following pods of whales. There’s never a shortage of things to do, but of course the main event is fishing.

“Sharing the opportunity to explore and adventure in what I think is one of the most spectacular places on Earth is nothing short of amazing,” Peterson says. “Still today, after hundreds of trips, I cant wait to get up in the morning and get out on the water.”