Sportsman’s Atlas

April 2004 – by Chris Shaffer

Kenji King couldn’t see the river, nor could he hear it when he pulled his mid-’90s model Suburban onto a small pullout on the narrow, unmaintained, pothole-clogged dirt road. King had traveled an hour in the 4-wheel-drive vehicle now painted with mud and scratched by overgrown trees. He hadn’t seen another car, bike or person, only bald eagles and deer.

King was on the clock. The fishing guide for Boardwalk Lodge (800-764-3918; www.Bordwalklodge.com) was out to find a steelhead that had never seen a human. It was his sixth day in a row to accomplish this feat. He felt no pressure.