After 25 or so years of dreaming of big fish and endless nature, I almost made it to Alaska this year. Everyday life and a house remodeling project got in the way and ended my hopes for now - so the dream continues.

I've been thinking about why Alaska is on top of my fishing travel wish list, and I'm not sure how to answer my own question.

Travis Rummel and Ben Knight, producers of the recently released documentary "Red Gold," gave me the answer with one stunning clip near the end of the film. It shows a large pool in the Kvichak River from above, with water that appears red - until the fish start moving. Seeing the sheer numbers of salmon in the picture made obvious the reasons for my drive to get to Alaska.

If salmon are the life-blood of Alaska, and the world for that matter, then Bristol Bay is the heart. I had seen a teaser for "Red Gold" back in March at the Tower Theater during the 2008 Fly Fishing Film Tour. A copy of the final product landed on my desk last week.

The documentary centers on the proposed Pebble Mine at the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers and the inherent danger to its salmon and wildlife and the people who depend on them.

The proposed mine would be as large as Utah's Bingham Canyon Mine - the world's largest, by the way. It is one thing to erase mountains, but an entirely different thing to do it in a place where life could so easily be affected.

Fishery officials say as many as 60 million - yes, million - salmon have returned to these rivers to spawn. Salmon species include king, silver, sockeye, chum and pink. The area also supports abundant resident populations of rainbow trout, char, grayling and dolly varden.

"Red Gold" provides a balanced look at the proposed mine, with footage from mine officials to fisheries biologists to native people whose lives have been intertwined with the salmon for centuries.

That said, the film - which recently earned the Audience and Director's Choice awards at the 2008 Telluride Mountain Film Festival - definitely was intended to get people motivated to fight the mine.

The DVD will be available soon - www.feltsoulmedia.com - but there is plenty of information at www.savebristolbay.org to get you started.

Dave Egdorfs, the owner of a fishing camp featured in the film, probably best sums up my desire to visit Alaska at least once: "I read a book to fantasize. I come here to realize."

Brett Prettyman can be reached at brettp@ sltrib.com.