It's an unusually mild October day on Alaska's isolated Kodiak Island, giant Kodiak bears are in the midst of a ferocious feeding frenzy and streams are boiling with delirious fish on spawning runs. In the town of Kodiak, just a handful of miles away, two outdoors enthusiasts have taken their first steps into what was once just a farfetched dream.

Bill Sherck and Nick Clausen are filled with nervous excitement as they step off the small passenger plane and begin their Kodiak Island adventure. The four-day trip from Alaska's mainland has fly fishing, hunting and ATVing penciled in on the schedule. Their two guides, Ken Warner from Warner Tire and Mike O'Neal of Kodiak ATV Adventures, calm the pre-adventure jitters with a warm greeting upon arrival.

The fantasy trip is quickly put into action, as the group travels to a newly renovated cabin just a few miles outside of Kodiak, which Sherck says is "basically in the middle of nowhere." With the help of Polaris, Warner has in tow four 2005 ATVs: a six-wheel Polaris Ranger, two Sportsman 500s and a Sportsman 700. O'Neal brings his broad knowledge of the surrounding wilderness, hunting and fishing, and Saltery Cove ATV Trail.

Fly Fishing Paradise

It's only 2 miles aboard an ATV to Saltery Creek from the cabin, where gorging bears and spawning fish await the anxious group the following morning. The ATVs are immediately put to the test, as small streams, deep puddles and thick mud litter the trail. And, this is no ordinary ATV trip - gear, fuel and spare tires are loaded on the racks as a 500-pound trailer and a boat are fastened to the ATV's hitches.

Taking in the morning's crisp air aboard the ATVs is a welcomed wake-up as it slowly warms into the 50s by mid-morning. Just a short jaunt down the trail, the creek is abuzz with enormous Kodiak bears and fish acting out ritualistic instincts. The bears are feeding on the huge populations of spawning fish rich in fat, providing a perfect layer for the rapidly approaching hibernation.

Sherck and Clausen are led to a fly fishing location by their two guides, who scout a safe spot on the creek away from bears. The early-morning ATV ride comes to a halt at the edge of fly fishing paradise. After strapping on gear and waders for the chilling creek water, the uneasy anticipation ends with a smooth back-and-forth casting motion: a fly is finally in the water.

Unfortunately, Sherck says, the first two hours of casting yielded no results: not a single silver salmon, steelhead or dolly varden had been hooked. But, thanks to O'Neal's suggestion, that quickly changed. Sherck and Clausen cut off the flies a Kodiak local sold them the night before and tie on bright, shinny spinners. O'Neal's expertise pays off, the fish are swirling and fighting for an opportunity to make the spinner their meal.

"We were literally catching fish every cast after the change," says Sherck. "When the guides told us our wrists and forearms would be sore from catching so many fish, we didn't believe them at first. It didn't take very long to realize they were right."

Sherck, who had the best luck casting in the creek, even surprised the two guides after catching five steelheads - the first steelies either guide had seen all season - during the day, which also had a few tense bear sightings.

With the first day of fishing and nervously watching for Kodiak bears just a memory, the group boarded their ATVs and headed back to the cabin.

On the second morning, the group fired up the six-wheel Ranger and Sportsmans in the cold air and made their way to a different location on the creek. After navigating the Saltery Cove ATV Trail and casting an egg-sucking leech fly in the water, Sherck realized another benefit of having ATVs.

"I hooked a 10- to 12-pound silver salmon and was fighting the fish when I heard a deep groan," Sherck says. "We knew that could only be one thing: a Kodiak bear. The guides scurried up the creek bank and started the ATVs, creating noise that generally keeps bears at bay. All-the-while I'm fighting a fish of a lifetime with bald eagles circling overhead and a large female Kodiak just 20 yards away. It was intense looking over my shoulder for the bear and trying to fish, but the noise from the guides revving the ATVs worked. And I ended up catching the fish."

It was the only time the group used the ATVs as noise protection, as Sherck says they understood that the creek was the bear's backyard. The respect for the Kodiak bears - second largest to the polar bear - feasting and the fish spawning runs deep on Kodiak Island. "It was an important point for our group to back away out of the creek when bears approached and retreat to the comfort of our ATVs," Sherck added.

The time spent on Saltery Creek soon came to a close and the "insane" fly fishing portion of the journey from Alaska's mainland ended with weary fishermen aboard Polaris ATVs.

Exhausting Hunt

The final morning started out much like the previous two, as the group rose early to prepare for a sitka blacktail deer hunting adventure. After climbing onto their ATVs, the two guides led Clausen and Sherck down the Saltery Cove Trail - once an old military road - to their hunting location.

The ride wound through small creeks and the American River, and the Polaris' thundered on with hundreds of pounds of gear in tow. This time, the boat behind the Sportsman 700 would be needed. O'Neal and Warner guided the ride to Saltery lake, there the group would leave their ATVs behind and take a boat ride across the lake to their hunting location.

"It was an exhausting hike and hunt," says Sherck. "We hiked up nearly 1,000 feet and 6 miles trying to scout a blacktail, but we never saw one. It was great being out in the wilderness, though, scouting on unmarred land."

Once again, the four men were cautious of Kodiak bears that might be nestled in the alder and grass fields. If they stumbled upon a bear, the two guides instructed Clausen and Sherck to get downhill from the bear as its weight will pull it rapidly and uncontrollably passed them.

Even with the expertise of O'Neal and Warner, the group never saw a blacktail during their exhausting one-day hunt. They did, however, see several blacktails on racks of other ATVs and truck beds when they made their way back to the cabin.

So Long, Kodiak

The Kodiak Island fly fishing, hunting and ATVing expedition Clausen and Sherck had long dreamed of was now nearly over. A short plane ride to Alaska's mainland was all that awaited the two drained outdoor enthusiasts. "I'd say this trip is at the top of my experiences," Sherck says.

While on their journey, the group saw 15 Kodiak bears, caught fish after fish and rode some of the most scenic ATV trails in the world. If you would like to see the group's adventure, tune into "ATV Magazine Television" on the Outdoor Life Network.

For more information on O'Neal's Kodiak ATV Adventures, e-mail him at fishingfool@gci.net or call (907) 486-3627. To contact Warner call (907) 486-2222. Sherck says both O'Neal and Warner made the trip a memorable experience and are willing to guide ATV groups around the island.

Kodiak Island History

Kodiak Island is rich with Russian culture as Russian colonization of the Kodiak Island Archipelago began in the mid-1700s. The area is still heavily influenced by Russian culture today.

The island is home to Alaska's largest fishing port, as the majority of the world's king crab comes out of Kodiak. Fishermen leave port for weeks at a time to fish the Bearing Strait.

Since Kodiak Island is home to one of the largest fishing ports in the United States, the largest Coast Guard base is stationed here. The Coast Guard operates multiple search and rescue missions from Kodiak throughout the year.

Kodiak Island was also home to a United States military base created to protect from Japanese invasion before World War II. After the war, the island and the rest of southcentral Alaska suffered its largest blow: the 1964 earthquake. The four resulting tsunami's, the last of which cresting at 35 feet above the mean low tide, destroyed much of the fishing port and city of Kodiak.