Alaska, Is It In Your Budget

[Bill Babler]

Guys and gals, I want to throw this out for some serious feedback. As you all know Phil and I fish and guide Alaska every year. Looking at the near future an current financial climate, for a one week fishing adventure trip to the last frontier, what do you think would be a realistic price per person with this as a senerio as far as lodging, meals and guide service, ie a turn key trip. What price would you say, man I can do that, for what I'm getting, that is a very serious, good deal.

If its to low, its not realistic and people will really doubt the sincerity and quality. Make this what you think it should be.

5 days, 6 nights lodging; Fully furnished Cedar Cabin with complete ammenities, and shower faculities in the cabin. Really self contained to house 2 guests per cabin. 1st. class, cabin sits with-in a rock throw of the number 1 salmon and rainbow river in Alaska.

3000 sq. ft lodge with full meal service including evening cocktails. Lodge features dining area over looking the river with living room and fireplace with gathering room. All meals are of course included.

5 days of guide service either salmon hardware or fly fishing, and rainbow arctic char and grayling on the fly. Salmon cleaned and packaged to take home.

Bear viewing and sight seeing.

This is a complete turn key trip to one of the best fishing destinations in North America. Your only responsibility is airfare to and from the Lodge. Usually about a Thousand.

Just give me a price of two or ask me any question you like.

Would love to hear from everyone on this

Thanks Bill

[duckydoty]

$4200 If a flyout is included to Ugashik Narrows and one guaranteed charging by a sow with cubs.

[Micheal Kyle]

I have a couple of questions

What River system, town is this located near or in.

Do we fly to Anchorage then drive or fly out and if we fly out who do we fly out with. This info would be nice so that I may check airline price for myself and my wife.

Michael

[Gavin]

Bill, when my wife and I go out West, it usually runs around $200 a day for lodging, food, etc. Guide fees usually run $450, plus tip on the days that we have a guide. So lets do the math...5 daysof guided fishing for two x $650, plus $200 for the extra night=$3,450 for two people, plus tip. and airfare.

Sounds like a great tip..but I've been to AK several times, and I'd be reluctant to book a trip that only features one river. Are fly outs for fishing and bear viewing availble at extra cost? Are wilderness raft trips available at a lower cost?

Gavin

[Bill Babler]

OK boys, a little more info. Lets say we are either looking at the Kvichak or the Naknek. Both are accessable from King Salmon, so your responsible flights would be to King Salmon from your home base.

Why these two rivers. First and formost, they are the absolute top rainbow rivers in Alaska. If you go, your chance of catching a 10 pound rainbow, is just about 100 percent, at the right time on the Naknek. and about 70 percent on the kvichak. They are also two of the top red salmon rivers in alaska for the salmon catchers. Both have numbers of Kings, Chums, and Pinks, but are really not a huge factor, however the lower Naknek around the Big Creek area can be outstanding, in mid to late june to mid-july, especially on hardware.

Nither of these rivers blow out, thanks to being drainages from huge lakes. Very little chance of a flood or muddy water. Both have multiple tributaries that are accessable by boat from the lodge, to make multiple fishing opportunities, for multiple species. ie grayling and char. These trips would be offered on a daily basis.

Both being on Bristol Bay have a multitude of fantastic fly out possibilities, usually at under 400 per person per day.

Duane, no flyouts are included, but would be available. I want to see some numbers, and if you have a reason behind your numbers, let me know.

Again, remember this is a first class lodge with complete private quarters including full baths, with an outstanding lodge. internet and satalite TV in the main lodge.

All boats and equipment will be new in 2009, and the guides will be very experenced on the river.

Either of these lodges will look very similar to my lodge in missouri www.whiteriverlodgebb.com Just not as large, but very similar. The only difference is our guest here stay in the lodge and in Alaska, you will be in private cabins within a couple of hundred feet of the lodge.

Get back at it, and let me know. Remember, Alaska is way different logistically from the western U.S. as far as just getting supplies for day to day operation.

Give me your best guess for a great package price on either of these rivers, with the accomodations described.

[duckydoty]

OK boys, a little more info. Lets say we are either looking at the Kvichak or the Naknek. Both are accessable from King Salmon, so your responsible flights would be to King Salmon from your home base.

Why these two rivers. First and formost, they are the absolute top rainbow rivers in Alaska. If you go, your chance of catching a 10 pound rainbow, is just about 100 percent, at the right time on the Naknek. and about 70 percent on the kvichak. They are also two of the top red salmon rivers in alaska for the salmon catchers. Both have numbers of Kings, Chums, and Pinks, but are really not a huge factor, however the lower Naknek around the Big Creek area can be outstanding, in mid to late june to mid-july, especially on hardware.

Nither of these rivers blow out, thanks to being drainages from huge lakes. Very little chance of a flood or muddy water. Both have multiple tributaries that are accessable by boat from the lodge, to make multiple fishing opportunities, for multiple species. ie grayling and char. These trips would be offered on a daily basis.

Both being on Bristol Bay have a multitude of fantastic fly out possibilities, usually at under 400 per person per day.

Duane, no flyouts are included, but would be available. I want to see some numbers, and if you have a reason behind your numbers, let me know.

Again, remember this is a first class lodge with complete private quarters including full baths, with an outstanding lodge. internet and satalite TV in the main lodge.

All boats and equipment will be new in 2009, and the guides will be very experenced on the river.

Either of these lodges will look very similar to my lodge in missouri www.whiteriverlodgebb.com Just not as large, but very similar. The only difference is our guest here stay in the lodge and in Alaska, you will be in private cabins within a couple of hundred feet of the lodge.

Get back at it, and let me know. Remember, Alaska is way different logistically from the western U.S. as far as just getting supplies for day to day operation.

Give me your best guess for a great package price on either of these rivers, with the accomodations described.

2005 pricing at Rainbow Bend for a week in cabins on the Naknek river and a hired daily guide at 2005 rates would have cost $2635 per week and that does not include any meals. Add about $100 per day to eat at Kinko's or Eddies brings up to $3235 per week.

Factor in getting to eat at a nice dinning lodge and a little for the cost increases over the past 4 years and $3900 is sounding like a pretty good deal. Deduct $300 for the fly out that I requested from the original $4200 I stated and you get the $3900.

Now you asked for what would sound like a good deal and that sounds pretty good to me. It is not the cheapest thing in the area but also not the roughest trip you can take either. The more comforts the more the price should go up.

One of the highest end Lodges in the area is $8700 per person per week. That they are top notch with 5 star restraunt and flyouts every day. That is too much for my blood but definately a nice place to stay and a great trip. Most of us laymen can not afford a place like that but most of us would be willing to pay a little more than $2500 per week if it meant being comfortable, feeling safe, and eating good.

Just my thoughts and where I came up with numbers from

duckydoty

[Bill Babler]

We have had over 140 views of this topic, and only really 3 responses. If you look at it let us know. This is no big deal only an opinion and we really would like to hear from you. Thanks Bill

[jjtroutbum]

We have had over 140 views of this topic, and only really 3 responses. If you look at it let us know. This is no big deal only an opinion and we really would like to hear from you. Thanks Bill

Oh I'm looking at it and will get up there someday. But its gonna be a long ways off. Unless someone needed a wood chopping dish washing ect. ect. ....lol

[fishinwrench]

The reasonable (do-able) figure I come up with is 3600.00 for 2 people. Much more than that and I could never even consider it....unless I hit the lottery.

Personally I would not figure in extra for "seeing a bear", matter of fact I'd throw in a extra 20, if I could, to insure I didn't see one. LOL

And no meal is worth more that 40.00 to me, regardless who cooks it or where I'm sitting at when I eat it.

A guide for a couple of days would be needed to get a feel for things, but after that I'd want to do my own thing at my own pace. That is unless the river in question is one that requires fishing mostly from a boat ?

Bill & Phil, Can you post a google earth image of the stretch of river that you guys guide on ? I'd love to take a birdseye look at it.

[Phil Lilley]

Type in King Salmon, AK. Naknek River runs thru KS NE to Naknek Lake. Follow the only road past Pike Lake (marked) to the end of the road and that's Lake Camp Access. The camp where we operate out of is just downstream less than 1/2 mile from the access. The image isn't the best on GE but you get the idea of the river, lake and surroundings.