They spent alot of money getting there, a lot of vacation time and caught very few fish and spent time in crowed rivers. They usally had one thing in Common - Failure to research. They came to Anchorage, rented a car and drove to rivers south, and fished with the crowds. Others have taken a cheaper trip. But it involved many months of planning.
Planning is the key.
I have seen plenty of people that come to Alaska on their own, that did not even understand the Salmon Species and the time that each species run the River.