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heli-fishingis$500to$2,500,dependingonhowfarawaythe
fishingholeisandwhetherit’sadrop-o andpickuporanall-day
triptestingseveraldi erentspots.Allthesetoursfeaturealevel
ofluxury, includingchef-preparedcuisineandwell-stockedwine
cellars,thatgoesalongwithsuchpricetags.Still,notesKlug,“It’s
ahigher-endclientele.”
Another limitationa ectingheli-fishing istheU.S.Forest
Service,whichasaruledoesn’tpermithelicopteroperations in
national forests.Alaskanheli-fishingtakesplace forthemost
partonstate-ownedandotherpublic landsthathave looserre-
strictions.Overcastdoesn’thaveaproblemwiththat. “There’sa
timeandplace forhelicopters,andthat’s inplacesyoucan’tget
tobyothermeans,”hesays.
Overcastcitesanadage that“helicoptersalwayssound
betterwhen they’recoming togetyou,”andadds, “Ifyou’re
abusivewithwhereyou’reflying themachine, you’redisturb-
ingotherpeople thathavegotten therebyothermeans. I think
that’s inappropriate.”
Thenationalforestexclusione ectivelyexcludesheli-fishing
frommostplacesinthecontinentalU.S.Oneexception isnear
Vail,Colorado,whereAlexRachowicz,ownerofMinturnAn-
glers,fliesgueststoastretchofprivatelyownedriverthato ers
privacy, seclusion,andfishingnottoodissimilar fromthat
available intheAlaskanbackcountry.
Minturn’sanglerspay$3,495aday forapartyofthree.As
withtheotherheli-fishingoperations, this isall-inclusive,with
aprofessionalguide, rods, reels,andotherequipmentalong
withagourmet lunch. “They justshowup inahatandsun-
glassesdressedappropriately fortheweather,andwetakecare
ofeverything,”Rachowiczsays.
➤
Here, a junket to Chile; a rain-
bow trout from Bristol Bay,
Alaska (below right); and a
selection of dry flies used in
Patagonia (below), from Yellow
Dog Fly Fishing; right: a lunch
spread from Talaheim Lodge
75
celebratedliving.com
SUMMER2013
