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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 14, 2016 - 12:05pm PT
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Need some help here. Promised my bro in law a trip to AK. Wondering about a fly in cabin, but he may prefer a lodge type thing. Any ideas?
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SethKane
Ice climber
Bozeman, MT
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Feb 14, 2016 - 12:16pm PT
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Depends on what you're looking to do and what part of the state but from the lodge at black rapids you'd be really close to some mountaineering in the Delta range, hiking off the Denali highway, and within striking range of Valdez or Kenticott. Never actually stayed there but I've eaten there a few times and it's always been good- not fly in but really remote for being on a highway
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 12:21pm PT
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Pretty much looking at fishing. And nice views,
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Feb 14, 2016 - 01:08pm PT
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Black Rapids is a Beautiful area.. Mindblowingly Beautiful. Lived about 50 miles up the road from there for 4 years.
Wish I could help ya..But I never did the fly in fishing thing. Just sorta grew up fishing Alaska wherever you could reach from a road. I would imagine Its pretty hard to go wrong though. Any reputable outfit should be able to easily exceed you stated expectations. Alaska is for real and hard to overstate how great the fishing and views are.
I'd also recommend Hope a little town across Turnagain Arm from Anchorage if you want to drive somewhere. Probably crowded nowadays...didn't use to be though..cause everyone would go to Kenai for the combat fishing...so maybe it's still quiet and awesome. Best Salmon Fishing I ever did was in Hope.. have an old video of me catching like 6 or 7 in a row as fast as I could cast reel in and release em. Not a one time occurrence there..It's where I always took friends who wanted to fish. There was a little store/restaurant..but no "lodge" That I knew of anyway.
That kinda spoiled me for fishing down here in the Lower 48.. sigh.
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cyndiebransford
climber
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Feb 14, 2016 - 01:16pm PT
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Great fishing and lots of lodges to choose from on the Kenai River. Fantastic scenery, nice hiking and close to Homer if you want to go Halibut fishing too.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 01:48pm PT
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Thanks all. Any more ideas?
mmm. Halibut!
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 01:55pm PT
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Shirely!
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Gilroy
Social climber
Bolderado
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Feb 14, 2016 - 01:58pm PT
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locker, you sew funny.
johntp - check with maldaly. He has worked a summer for a fishing lodge in AK that is not on a road. Last I heard he and his wife are going back this summer. And if Malcolm is cooking, you're eating good. Always an entertaining fellow too.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Feb 14, 2016 - 02:01pm PT
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What kind of fish?
What part of the state?
What time of year?
You only really have to answer the first question...
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 02:06pm PT
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Take half the stuff, twice the money and spend four times the time!
Yeehaw!
Do they use dollars up there?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Feb 14, 2016 - 02:17pm PT
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The current conditions near Juneau
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 02:19pm PT
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Love the inside passage ferry. Did that years ago from Kechtican to Wrangell. Good times.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Feb 14, 2016 - 02:23pm PT
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I'd spend the money renting a raft or drift boat before I spent it on a lodge...
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 02:28pm PT
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Salmon, halibut.
Trout, char.
I'm open as to part of the state. Prefer something more remote as to tourista. But I think my brother in law would prefer a lodge setting, so I'm looking at something in between.
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feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
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Feb 14, 2016 - 02:28pm PT
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Oh, Homer for halibut, and Holly van Pelt has cabins for rent down there.
You can reach Holly through http://www.alaskancottages(dot)com and she also knows about fishing, as Rex runs (ran?) a custom fishing catamaran out of Homer.
ff
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2016 - 02:48pm PT
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I remember getting off the ferry in Wrangell. My Friend and I were carrying 70 lb. packs as we walked into the the diner. Turned a few heads.
We ended up golfing at the Warngell course. Really messed those folks up.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Feb 14, 2016 - 02:58pm PT
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Thanks all. Any more ideas
Not an Alaskan but I've been there several times by car or sailboat.
If you drive....first order get the Alaska Milepost. It gives you a blow by blow for every mile of highway in Alaska.
Our favorite route is to drive to Alaska and take the ferry back from Haines to Bellingham. Make reservations early!
Try to avoid August...frequently called "Fogust"
So much to see and do. I don't think you can really absorb it in one trip.
Talkeetna for sure...but then there is so much coastline stuff to do.
Fishing....very good
Have a blast! I'm hoping for a sailing trip up there this summer.
Susan
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Feb 14, 2016 - 03:03pm PT
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Rainbow Touut
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cyndiebransford
climber
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Feb 14, 2016 - 06:18pm PT
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On the Kenai you can fish for salmon and trout. There are lakes close by where you can get trout, grayling and others. It is crowded here in July, but it is easy to get away from the crowds.
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climbingcoastie
Ice climber
Sacramento, CA
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Feb 14, 2016 - 08:27pm PT
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Kodiak has some great remote lodges that you can fish for salmon or halibut. It's a bit more work to get to them, so their usually not as touristy. Only thing is bring some good rain gear and plan extra days getting there and headed home.
If you have the time DRIVE to Alaska. I'll be making my 6th trip up the AlCan this summer. Absolutely love the drive. Check out a book called The Milepost. More info on Alaska and driving to Alaska in that book than anywhere.
Edit: guess I should of looked at page 2 before posting about the Milepost.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Feb 15, 2016 - 01:10am PT
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If fishing is the goal, either Southeast or Kodiak. Prince of Whales has some good lodges and charters. You can split it up between salt and fresh water.
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Climberdude
Trad climber
Clovis, CA
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Feb 15, 2016 - 06:16am PT
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John,
When I was growing up, my family used to go to two Forest Service cabins on Salmon Lake on Prince of Wales Island west of Ketachan. Now I understand there is a lottery to get these cabins, but at the time you just contacted the Forest Service to get them, which were reservable for up to a week at a time. We would time it when the salmon were running up the creek to the lake. You have to fly into the lake, but all of the bush pilot services in Ketachan know where this place is. One of the cabins was built by the original founder of the company that became Alaska Airlines. You have to fly in your supplies, but you have a roof over your head and usually people leave food that they cannot eat. Once the previous guest left us a case of beer, which was great. By the end of the trips I was always sick of eating salmon.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2016 - 12:10pm PT
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Thanks folks. Anyone ever been to Swan Lake out of Petersburg?
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Feb 15, 2016 - 01:33pm PT
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Ditto Kodiak. Great water, not a lot of folks. Spent a couple weeks there a few years back. Good to go during a strong salmon run to keep the locals busy. Them bears are HUGE. We rented a small inflatable with an outboard motor that our bush pilot tossed in for us. Really made it nice to get from one end of a lake to the other (inlet v outlet fishing) without gettin' worked over by the alder, etc.
POW (Prince of Wales). Plenty of options. Lots of lodges. Primitive, plush. Take the ferry over from Ketchikan and rent a car.
Yakutat or Cordova. Yakutat has good steelhead fishing and easily accessible from town.
ABC's have plenty of options. I've fished out of Tenakee Springs. No rubbing shoulders with other folks in some of those locations. Helps to have access to a boat.
Plenty of pricey lodge options in SW out of Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon...etc. On my list of spots to visit.
Alaska is a big place. Almost impossible to pick a spot, its so huge. I try to target a salmon run I want to fish then figure out a remote area with jet service to a bigger town, then, bush flight or boat access from there.
Yeah, take rain gear. I wouldn't go in the height of skeeter season to the interior...but...not sure the fun/great fishing is there anyhow (middle of the Brooks range does have good grayling fishing though...ha ha).
May/June for kings, end of Aug/Sep for silvers? Something like that.
Fun!
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 15, 2016 - 02:48pm PT
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Hey johntp,
Ran into Guillory at McGukins and he gave me the head's up on you wanting Alaska Info.
Karen and I manage the Big Ku lodge, located smack dab in the middle of some of the best Rainbow water on the planet. It's not the place to go if your goal is to bring home a cooler full of salmon or halibut though. The Big Ku, and all the other lodges within Katmai National Park and Preserve are C&R only. They're also far enough upstream that the salmon are pretty spawned out and mealy by the time they get up to us.
Some general advice:
1) Don't spend any money reserving a place at a lodge that specializes in King or Chinook Salmon. Those runs have been getting sketchy and 2 years ago they cancelled the entire season.
2) Best eating salmon is the sockeye ( I think) followed by Kings then Silvers (Coho). Don't bother going after Chum Salmon: it's what they use for dog food, fish oil and a lot of the canned salmon you get.
3) 2016 will be an on year for the Pinks which is a bummer for the the other species. They tend to dominate the fishery and push the other species out.
4) Redoubt Mountain Lodge has a ton of great flexible packages that run from one day fly-ins to week long stays. You call it for how many days you want to go there. Most of the remote lodges are week-long stays only.
5) www.wildriverguides.com is an awesome way to fish Alaska. Fly to Dillingham, then fly out to the headwaters of one of the rivers that start in the Togiak Wildlife Refuge. Blow up a raft then float down for 5-7 days. Again, you'll eat salmon every day but you won't be bringing a cooler of it home.
6) Fishing for salmon with a rod is really really boring. Unless you hook one.
7) Going to Alaska to bring home a cooler of salmon is, by far, the most expensive way to feed yourself. It's much cheaper to buy in-season Sockeye at CostCo and put it in your freezer. It's also better quality. Buy it frozen because that's the way it leaves Alaska. The "fresh" stuff you see in the lower 48 was frozen within 24 hours of it being caught, shipped to CostCo (or wherever) then thawed and displayed on ice. If you buy a bunch of "fresh" and bring it home to freeze, that is the second time it's been frozen.
PM me if you have any other questions.
Mal
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