It has been several years ago, but I have canoed the Gulkana from Sourdough Campground which about where you'd take out if you started at Paxon.

The river from Sourdough Campground to the highway takeout is (was) pretty tame and would be a better choice for new rafters.

There at the time I made the trip was a ADFW fish counting weir a few miles below the campground and was an excellent stop to fish for Chinook in the 20-30 pound range in the stretch that runs for a couple hundred yards below the weir. You would need to check to see if the weir is still there and if fishing is still allowed below it.

Some of them will be pretty dark, but there can be lots of fish it you hit the run right.

June 25th was the recommended time period when I did the trip.

Big Spin & Glos, large Mepps spinners or roe all would be worthwhile offerngs.

You could easily make this trip in five days and have plenty of time fishing.

My editor and I were on a tight schedule doing the trip by canoe so didn't stay for the full 5 days the Boy Scout troop took, we did it in 2-1/2 days. They were all rafting. I don't remember the mileage, so you will need to check on that.

Since it has been probably ten years since I did it, a lot of things could have changed, so you would need to research it well.

Based on my experience, it is a pretty good trip with fairly safe water to navigate, and lots of Chinook when you found pools that held them. Since they are coming upriver to spawn, they may not be holding in every pool you float through.

We didn't see many Sockeye, but may have been to early.

http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/ak/en/prog/nlcs/gulkana_nwr.html