Alaska, Is It In Your Budget

[AK Guide]

Hi guys, sorry to make this my first post but I have guided in Bristol Bay AK for 10 summers. I have lived on the Kvichak and the Naknak and if you think you can show up on any given day and have a 100% chance of catching a 10 lb bow I have a lot of swamp land I would love to sell you in the mohave desert. These rivers are huge and can kick a good guides butt any day. Better know how to run a boat and be good with the oars.

[duckydoty]

AK Guide is absolutely right, but your chances of catching a 10 lb bow in this area are better than just about anywhere in the world.

Welcome to the forum AK Guide

[Phil Lilley]

Very nice- we have another AK guide on the forum. We welcome your knowledge and experience- look forward to seeing what you have to say.

What lodge did you guide for?

[AK Guide]

When I lived on the kvichak I worked for ron hayes, alaska rainbow lodge, when I lived on the Nak I worked for Rapids Camp which absolutely has the best location bar none. Closest to the rapids. I also worked for another lodge in King Salmon but I spent all my time on the Alagnak or Egegik. I have fished pretty much every river in the tik chik, Iliamna drainage. would say the avg guide maybe guides 2 summers so my 10 would make me an old timer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AK Guide]

Personally you can have the kvichak and the Nak, I would much rather sight fish for big 28 inch bows on the little ku, moraine, funnel, swing big leeches on the big ku or lower American. Float the kulik for 22 inch bows on every cast. So much to do, so little time.

[Bill Babler]

AK, Great to have you on board.

Have guided Alaska since the early 90's guiding the Aniak, Arolik, Goodnews, Kanektok, Kisaralik, and Kwethluk, and Naknek. My clients always did well and we had great trips. Fished streamers for the salmon, swung and stripped leaches for bows. Caught bows on mice and drys, caught tons of bows on egg patterns, and beads dead drifted under an indicator. Grayling, and I mean big grayling and char were also on our pallet.

After 10 years of guiding Alaska, thinking I was doing it as well as any with the results to prove it, I found out how little I knew. I was doing the same thing as every other hard working guide in Alaska, and I mean for the most part, that is doing well beyond the clients expetitions for the most part.

For the last 3 years, our clients fishing world has changed. What we thought we knew, we never do anymore. We catch more 28 to 34 inch fish on the Naknek in a week, than I did in 10 years, before we learned what it takes to catch big, big rainbows.

If we have fly fisherman that will use the equipment and the techniques we want them to, it is amazing, simply amazing what the Naknek will produce. Young, Old, Men, Women or for that matter, We had a 13 year old last year that had, and I will only say, a riduculas number of bows, in the 9 to 12 pound range.

I will tell you this, one of the Naknek River Guides, posting on this site, I'm going to guess he had well over 50 bows over 10 pounds last year for his clients. He may let us know the number, I'm sure its stagering, and if he tells us, it will be less than what it really was.

There is a way to catch them. Rapids Camp is in a great place, but you need to look up from there, and I mean way up. You are right about the dangers of the river, but it is childs play compaired to the Kisarlik, or some of the Kuskowim river drainages, that are class III and IV water. Most class 1 maybe a little

class II at the rapids, or Shawbacks bend.

I will tell you this with all humility, If a guide on the Naknek from August 15th. thru Oct.1st. is not catching lots of 10 pound plus bows, it may not be the clients fault.

Even with all my experence in Alaska, 3 years ago, my clients would not have been catching this type of fish. I did not know how to catch the big ones. No one had told me, and I had not figured it out on my own. None of the other guides or lodges were catching that kind of fish everyday. Yes we did come up with a few during the season, but not ever in this world would I have believed what was available, if I just knew how to do it.

To tell you the truth, I would have never figured it out. I'm from Missouri, ya got to show me. And show me he did, now we know.

Again, Great to have you on board and dito on everything you said about the Bristol Bay flyout rivers.

By the way, what do you figure would be a good price for a week at one of the Naknek River Lodges, Your opinion will really help us here.

Thanks a bunch, look forward to your post on Alaska.

[AK Guide]

Did you work for Mike Gorton on the Goodnews?

Is your secret back trolling with articulated black leeches?

It all depends on the lodge, how many airplanes do they operate. Are they only going to fish the Nak or they going to fly out to the Egekik for silvers, the Nush for kings in June, fly outs is where it gets expensive, driving up the Nak is not that expensive for the lodge. So $8000 a week I am sure is the going rate for 2009, that doesn't include tips, air fare or gear you are going to buy for your trip. Its not a poor mans vacation.

[Bill Babler]

Merry Christmas and God Bless

AK, only on the GN one time, floated from the lake to town. Carl and Steve with Ptarmigan hauled us all over that Bethel area. Had my own raft company. Wonderful wild rivers, and exciting floats with something new and great around every turn.

The Kuskokwim rivers we were on had wonderful rainbow fishing for fantastic lepoard bows. Magnificent in color and covered with spots. Just not the huge Chromers that are in the top 5 miles of the Naknek, from the outlet thru Lake Camp down to the salmon counting station.

There are 3 of us on this board, so glad to have you here. We are Missouri guides and lodge owners, on Taneycomo, a 23 mile Missouri stretch of the White River.

If your living in the mid-west, or even here in Mo. Give me a PM, and we will all get together and tell some war stories.

Looking forward to your knowledge and imput here. We all love Alaska

That $8000.00 figure will scare the Bejeebers out of most of our posters, but it seems, to be a reality more than just guessing. Yesterday afternoon, while trying to sleep off my fat turkey belly, I got to looking at some of the flyout lodges, in Katmai and Bristol Bay. Pretty much $7,600 on the low end to the very highest I found of $9,300 for a week on the water.

As long as folks are plunking down this type of dough, and the lodges are running 70 to 100 percent, it ain't gong to get any cheaper, why should it.

Check out Enchanted Lake Lodge $8,735.00 a week. They have a waiting list. Read in Fish Alaska Magizine you will get put on a list. Usually takes a couple of years on the list to get a spot, Sometimes longer.

[taxidermist]

First question is can I bring a big hickory stick? Just in case I have to whip a bears butt. Joking ok.

Next I would like to be able to pull some molds from grayling, which of course means the fish will die, but the molds can be used over and over for making reproductions.

We dont fly fish so is spinning rods ans assorted gear ok?

After the first day must we have a guide? I have done Canada a few times and really like the no guide plan after the first day.

John

[Phil Lilley]

You can take grayling- there is a limit. You can catch them on small spinners and I'm sure jigs. Rainbows same- jigs are real good (leech imitation).

Fishing on your own- that depends on how much water you want to see. Yes you can get along fine on the Naknek after a day or two of guiding but that's all you'll see - is the Naknek. I know you're used to big river and fast water being on the White. The nakenk is much faster and shallow in the rapids with big boulders... you can get in trouble in a hurry if you're not experienced. I found using a jet on this water is challenging too. I've been in some scary situations on this river. Let's just say I would be very choosey about who I'd let take one of my boats on this river, esp down in the rapids.

I find that most people who make the trip to AK want to see as much different water and scenery as possible and that would take a guide... unless you're very adventuresome.