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A Typical Day at Bear Trail Lodge

Our goal at Bear Trail Lodge is to provide each guest with a quality Alaskan experience each day.

World-Class Fishing, Flight Seeing, Wildlife Viewing, & More


We fish by wading, drifting, casting, or plugging. You can fly fish or use conventional gear. There are streams only for fly fishing, and there are rivers that allow both fly fishing and conventional gear. The type of fishing you do while at our lodge is your choice. Your guide is there to help you and to educate you about the rivers we fish. They will fish you whichever way you enjoy the most. All of the methods are successful.


Prime Location for Fishing Trips in Alaska


The location of the lodge, on the trophy-class Naknek River, assures our guests will have the opportunity to fish every day during their stay at the lodge. Most lodges in this area require you to fly out each day because there is limited fishing where their lodges are located. Alaska weather is unpredictable, however, and can prevent flights from taking off and coming back on schedule, so it is important to choose a lodge that can provide trophy fishing opportunities every day of the season --- even when flying isn't an option.

At Bear Trail Lodge, we have the best of both worlds. The fishing is excellent on our “home” river, and we are very close to many “fly-out rivers,” as well. Many times throughout the season, especially when targeting big rainbow trout, the Naknek is the river of choice. But, throughout the Bristol Bay/Lake Iliamna region there are tremendous fishing opportunities, and we want our guests to have the chance to see and experience the flavor of this great area. With that in mind, our program incorporates fly outs to take guests to different rivers to fish for salmon, Arctic char, and rainbow trout. Our central location makes many of the remote streams accessible and only a short flight away. We are near Katmai National Park and Preserve and have permits to operate on “limited access” rivers.

The benefit of choosing to visit Bear Trail Lodge for fishing trips in Alaska is that whether you decide to fly out to fish a nearby stream or stay and experience the wonders our home river offers, your day will be filled with adventure and excitement. All fly outs are included in the package price.


Alaska Fishing video

What Does a Trip to Bear Trail Lodge Look Like?

Man in a boat reeling in a huge fish

Your Trip - Your Way


  • Feature List Item

    Decide how many nights you will be staying with us.

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    Decide what types of experiences you want to have.


If you are planning to stay with us for five days, our most common package looks like this:


Day 1 : Fishing for salmon or trout on the Naknek River.

Day 2 : Fly out excursion hiking through the tundra to access remote streams.

Day 3 : Bear viewing at the Brooks waterfalls in Katmai National Park.

Day 4 : Fly out excursion to raft down small creeks for char, grayling, and trout.

Day 5 : Fishing for salmon or trout on the Naknek River.


Everything but gratuity is included in your package pricing. There are no additional add-on costs associated with our packages. That means all packages include: accommodations, food and beverages, fly outs, all gear necessary for your adventure.

On each excursion, you'll be accompanied by a guide. We prefer a 2:1 client to guide ratio but are happy to accommodate larger groups should they prefer.


Choose Your Adventure Each Day


Upon arrival, our head guide will meet with you to discuss the type of fishing trip and adventure you would like to have and the options available during your stay. If you find that a specific river or type of fishing fits your desires more so than another, it's important you share that feedback with your guide. Guests are welcome to request a particular guide.

Some adventures are physically strenuous. Know your body's limitations and communicate with your guide. In some cases, anglers could walk several miles through tundra to reach remote locations with limited resources.

Each evening our guides discuss which rivers were hot for fishing and which weren't. This allows all guides to pool their knowledge for the benefit of our clients. The head guide also checks with the pilots for the following day's weather forecast, so they can put together the schedule for the next day and assign guides with clients.

Keep in mind that weather controls our ability, or lack thereof, to accomplish the fly-outs each day so you will have to demonstrate rigid flexibility.


A Typical Day on the Naknek River


If you chose to fish the Naknek River, your guide will have your boat ready and will be waiting for you on the dock each morning. We have fixed times for aircraft departures and mealtimes at the lodges, but other than those, you can work with your guide to plan out whatever fishing schedule you would like.

Itinerary

6:00 a.m. - Breakfast, begins

7:00 a.m - Depart lodge for a day of fishing on the Naknek River

Lunch  - Served riverside by your guide

4:30 p.m. - Back at dock

6:30 p.m. - Cocktails and appetizers in the main lodge

7:00 p.m. - Dinner in the main lodge

Guests are allowed to fish after dinner in June and July, if they wish. However, there is a 9:45 p.m. curfew for the guides at which time they need to have all guests back at the lodge.


A Typical Day on a Fly-out Trip


The first thing to keep in mind about any fly-out activity is that the weather controls everything that we do. We are located in a remote part of the world and we are flying in a rugged wilderness where weather conditions change rapidly and sometimes unexpectedly. We schedule fly-outs the night before based upon weather and fishing conditions.

Itinerary

6:00 a.m. - Breakfast, begins

7 a.m. - Depart lodge for a day of fishing on a remote river or sightseeing

Lunch - Served shoreside by your guide

4:30 p.m. - At pickup location to return to the lodge

6:30 p.m. - Cocktails and appetizers in the main lodge

7:00 p.m. - Dinner in the main lodge

Fly-out fishing trips in Alaska can be rigorous, depending on which excursion you choose. Please communicate with your guide about any physical limitations that you may have and know your personal limits.

Fishing Trips in Alaska: Plan Yours Today!


Request a reservation by calling us at (907) 246-2327 or by filling out the form. We will be in touch to confirm availability and schedule your Alaskan adventure.


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