World class fishing, float trips, moose hunts, certified air taxi and charter in Southwestern Alaska.
The Ongivinuk River Float starts at Ongivinuk Lake, which is 50 miles northwest of Dillingham. The Ongivinuk River is a small, scenic river that runs from Ongivinuk Lake to the Togiak River. This river is part of the Togiak Drainage and has a good run of King, Chum, Red, and Coho salmon. The Ongivinuk also has good Grayling and Char fishing. This river has excellent overall fishing.
The top one third of the Ongivinuk River is quite small and shallow. You may have to drag the raft if it has been dry weather for the preceding two weeks so floaters should pack lightly to make this as easy as possible. This part of the river has good Grayling fishing anytime and the fish are big (17 to 18 inches). The Char are easy to fish, as they are moderate in size (1.5 to 2 pounds).
The lower two thirds of the river is where the best Salmon fishing is, with the lower third being the best. The Ongivinuk has a Chum run of 7000. The chums arrive first, with peak spawning on July 25. The Ongivinuk has a Red run of 1,000 to 5,000 fish. The Reds are moving through the river to the lake in mid to late July. The Reds have peak spawning in the middle of August.
The King run in this river is from 600 to 1300 fish. The Kings are in the river from July 15 until their peak of spawning on August 20. This river also has a strong Coho run of 12,000 to 33,000 fish. Coho are in the mouth of the river August 15 with the peak fishing in the lower third of the river from mid to late August. On the first of September the Coho are just getting to the lake. About 75% of this river is located in the mountains.
There will be bear feeding on Salmon, you will likely see lots of ptarmigan, and have good hiking. An unpowered raft is fine in this river but a motor is convenient on the lower end. With an outboard motor you will be able to fish the big schools of Coho. The outboard will also be good for fishing on the Togiak where the Ongivinuk
flows into it.
Cost To Float Ongivinuk:
Drop off at Ongivinuk Lake (Beaver) $2,000
Pick up At Togiak River (Beaver) $2,400
Raft with rowing frame Rental $120/day