Fishing Travel News for Week Ending September 25, 2021

Fat Bear Week is Approaching

One of the highlights of our fishing travels has been the opportunity to fish at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park among bears gorging themselves on migrating salmon. It’s a little bit disconcerting at first, but once you get reasonably comfortable (but still vigilant) it’s almost surreal. Even if you never get there (you really should), the Bear Cam is epic. From September 29th to October 5th, they’ll be celebrating “Fat Bear Week” and you’ll be able to vote to decide who is the fattest of the fat. Matchups will be open for voting between 12 - 10 p.m. Eastern (9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Pacific). 

New U.S./Manaus Flight Option

Last week we wrote about Brazil’s GOL airlines partnering with American Airlines for purposes of codesharing. That may come in handy for peacock bass addicts sooner than expected, because GOL just announced that starting on January 1, 2022, they will be operating flights between Manaus and Orlando, Florida one day a week. They’ll also be offering flights between: Miami/Orlando and Brasilia four days a week; and Miami/Orlando and Fortaleza four days a week. 

American Airlines Penalties for Unruly Flight Behavior

We’ve given American some grief lately over their changes to certain policies, but this one gets a double thumbs-up: They’ve outlined their expectations on flights with respect to courtesy and behavior. Now, if you’re judged to have violated those clear and comprehensive terms you can be temporarily or permanently banned from flight with them. Flying is already tough enough, so there’s no reason to coddle people who unnecessarily make it worse. [Side Note: Check out this post and the embedded video if you want to engage in a little bit of schadenfreude.] 

Chile Opens Up October 1

As various countries open and close their borders to foreigners, Chile is one of the ones that’ll be reopening to foreigners – on October 1st, just in time for the approach of the southern hemisphere’s warmest period. You’ll still need a negative PCR test up to 72 hours before boarding, a sworn statement about your COVID status, and prepaid travel insurance, but if you’re looking to escape the wintry northern weather by fishing for some monstrous Patagonian trout, you may be in luck. Talk to our friends at Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures about the options still available.