Riffles - Katmai National Park, Alaska

Just 100 yards downstream from Brooks Falls, the riffles of the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska, are a different kind of fishing ground. This stretch is a favorite of mother bears, their cubs, and young sub-adults, and the live camera stays with that slightly quieter, often more intimate side of the salmon season.

The riffles do not have the same fame as the falls, and that is their charm. Bears work the shallower, broken water, cubs stay close or make their first serious attempts at fishing, and younger animals figure out the river without always standing in the middle of a crowd. You can watch technique, caution, and play in the same frame, with the Brooks River moving through the scene the whole time. The stream is raw and unscripted, the natural world unfolding as it happens rather than as a highlight reel.

Even a short visit can catch a family in the water. A longer one shows why so many bears, especially mothers with young, like this particular hundred yards.

The stream is provided by Explore Bears. Spend some time just below the falls, and the riffles may become your favorite Katmai view.