Papa Bear Adventures

Papa Bear Adventures outfits do-it-yourself fishing and moose hunting trips out of Bethel in Southwest Alaska. Karl Powers started the operation in the mid-1990s as a one-plane outfit running a handful of float trips a season; his brother Steve, a retired major from the 101st Airborne, joined as co-owner, and together they grew it to three aircraft serving 400-plus clients a year.

Current owner Justin Essian, a professional pilot in Bethel since 2009, grew up in Bad Axe, Michigan, interned at Papa Bear under the Powers brothers, and spent twelve years at Hageland Air Service, rising to assistant chief pilot, before taking over the business in 2018. Trips cover the Kwethluk, Kisaralik, Kanektok, Goodnews, Aniak, Holitna, and other area rivers for all five salmon species, rainbow trout, char, and grayling — the pitch is no crowds, no combat fishing.