Family Fishing in Alaska Part Two

We continue our series from Bryan Whiting on planning a family fishing trip to Alaska.  For 3 of the past 5 years, Bryan has brought various members of his family to Alaska West to fish for silvers and kings.  Today we learn about getting ‘over the hump’ and making the decision to just go!

We had finally decided that we had the need to go.  At the time, I felt these selfishness, need, planning issues were something unique to myself. But I soon determined such was not the case. Upon our return from our first trip, a local TU chapter requested I give a slideshow and talk about our trip. At this very first TU presentation, just in an attempt to get a feel for my audience, I asked ‘how many had been to Alaska?’ Out of the 85 people present 6 had gone. I asked ‘how many would like to go?’ As one would imagine, everyone else raised their hand. I asked why haven’t you gone and the same two reasons popped up. How do I justify the money and time? How do I make good choices when I don’t even know the decisions I need to make? This led to an impromptu 15 minute discussion before I went to slide #2.

Each of my subsequent Alaska presentations has mirrored the first in this regard. People don’t need to be convinced that going to Alaska would be a great trip. They need to be able to develop significant justification in their mind, beyond catching big fish, and feel comfortable that they know what to do to plan a successful trip.

Developing Your Personal Need to go

I would recommend you do the same thing. Develop a personal need to go which is so important you can justify delaying the meeting of the other needs of your household and life.

This approach has seemed to click in people’s minds. Many, many people have shared with us the specific personal need they developed and these needs are as varied as the people themselves. The most common reason is similar to ours: provide an experience for someone special. This isn’t limited to dad/son/daughter/wife/inlaw. One gentleman did a three generation trip. Another took the childhood neighbor who had introduced him to fly fishing 30 years before. Another took two key employees. We all have significant people in our lives.

This developed need isn’t always people-related. The key is that the need was personally developed- individually valid for each person. A few others which people have utilized:

• learn about/experience a different culture
• teach the kids how to budget, save
• learn and use a new fishing technique
• do something they had never done
• see something they hadn’t seen
• experience life again without phone, no TV, no internet
• forget about work for a while
• recharge creative batteries
• experience isolation, seclusion, wilderness
• experience a float plane
• be surprised at something regarding fishing

There were also a few very unique, yet valid personal needs: experience Alaska before its uniqueness is gone because of global warming, mining, pollution, or before the air travel necessary is impractical due to terrorism.

One gentleman had gone to his 30 year high school reunion and realize how many had passed away…