Yellowstone
Angler Hosted Trips
George Anderson's
Hosted Trip to
Alaska's
Enchanted Lake Lodge
September
14-21, 2008
Trip
Itinerary | Trip Newsletter | Streams
We'll Fish
Lodge
Details | Travel Details | Jamie's 2005 Photo Essay
The
Itinerary
Sept. 13 (Saturday)
Fly from your home to Anchorage.
Most people will have to overnight in Anchorage since our flight to King Salmon departs Anchorage at approx. 1:20 PM. We'll overnight in Anchorage at the hotel of your choice. More on this later.
Sept. 14 (Sunday)
Fly from Anchorage to King Salmon
on Peninsula Airways. The Pen Air flight we normally take leaves Anchorage
at about 1:00 to 1:30 PM. George will make reservations for everyone in our group
on this flight. Everyone will pay for this individually on the day of
our flight. The cost is approx $390 RT, which is a special rate for lodge
guests. We'll save close to $100. When we arrive in King Salmon,
we'll be met by the Enchanted Lake Lodge pilots, load our gear into the
vans. It's a short ride to the docks on the river, where we'll hop into
the Beavers and fly directly to Enchanted Lake, a 30-minute flight.
Sept. 15-20th (Monday
- Saturday)
Six days of fishing and adventure
in the Alaskan wilderness with luxurious accommodations at Enchanted Lake
Lodge.
Sept. 21 (Sunday)
8 AM - Fly to King Salmon in the floatplanes.
9:30 AM - Fly from King Salmon to
Anchorage on PenAir arriving in Anchorage about 11 AM. Book your departure
for home at any time after 1:00 PM on the 21st. There are several
flights later that afternoon and evening. Some of us may want to
overnight again in Anchorage on the 21s and fly home early the next day,
the 22nd.
All the Important Stuff You
Need to Know
- The cost: $7500 per person - $7800 after January
- This is the finest fly-out fly fishing lodge in all of Alaska, and
the best rainbow trout fishing in the world!
- We'll have 12 people on this trip including myself.
- The deposit required to hold your spot - 50%, or $3750.00. Please
make this check to the Yellowstone Angler and send it to us at: P.O.
Box 629, Livingston, Montana 59047.
- There are only a few spots open right now, so if you want in, you need
to contact me ASAP. You can call me at the Yellowstone Angler
at 406-222-7130 or e-mail me at: georgea@yellowstoneangler.com
I know that you guys are busy,
like me, and it's hard to find the time to wade through a newsletter on
the trip, no matter what a great place it is or how fantastic the fishing
might be. I'll just say this—of all the great fishing destinations
I've visited around the world, Enchanted Lake tops them all. ELL combines
a spectacular lodge and extraordinarily fine cuisine with exciting fly
fishing for big rainbows unlike anything in the world. When you have time
to read the "rest of the story", here it is:
Big Bows
in the Wilds of Katmai Country
 I'm
already looking forward to our 2008 Alaska adventure and I really do hope
that you can join us! This will be my 18th year at Enchanted Lake Lodge,
and each trip has been a wonderful experience. Over all these years, the
one thing that has remained constant is the spectacular fly-fishing for
the largest rainbows in the world!
Catch and release and fly fishing
only regulations on many of the streams we fish, has helped to maintain
the quality of the fishing over the past twenty years I've fished Alaska.
Most experienced traveling anglers consider this Bristol Bay area of Alaska
the finest rainbow trout fishing in the world. On many of the streams
we'll fish, the possibility exists that you may hook a ten-pound rainbow
on your next cast! Combine this spectacular fishing with accommodations
at the finest fly-out lodge in Alaska and we are set for one of the best
fishing trips ever!
Late September: My favorite
time to fish for big rainbows in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska.
Over the years, I've tried different time periods but I'm convinced that
mid-September offers the best prospect of catching the largest rainbows,
combined with a nice variety of rivers and streams to fish.
Fishing the "Little Ku" - a small stream full of 5-8 lb. bows
In
some rivers, the late sockeye salmon runs provide exciting sight fishing
to huge rainbows, using salmon egg patterns (beads). The fishing is easy
and the action is fast. This is often sight fishing, where you can hook
a big fish that you see chase down the egg pattern. We'll use yarn indicators
also, to help quickly detect the strikes. On other larger rivers below
the lakes we'll fish streamers like sculpin patterns or leeches with sink
tip lines. This is the chance to catch the REALLY big fish - rainbows
in the 12-20 lb. class.
Enchanted Lake Lodge was Alaska's
first fly-out fishing lodge, and each day we'll make short 10-15 minute
flights in one of the immaculately maintained DeHavilland
Beaver float planes, to the various streams and rivers we'll fish. These
range from small streams like the Upper American and Lower Talarik Creek
to larger rivers like the Big Ku, and Moraine Creek. At some destinations
like the famous Kulik River, our guides will meet the plane with a jet
boat to provide quick and easy access to the river. On other rivers like
Lower Moraine, Battle, and the Big Ku we'll use a raft to float from one
good run to the next and then get out and wade fish. For the guys that
like to hike a little, there are many opportunities to fish some spots
that few people ever get into. Places where the fish are big AND stupid.
My kind of fishing!
Moraine Creek was
red hot fishing again this year, especially the middle section, which
is a pleasant hike and fish day. Few other lodges have this figured
out and the guys pounded them in there every day. Everyone
caught enough 25 inch plus rainbows to make them arm weary!
This was "egg" fishing at its best with beads, and many huge
fish were hooked, some lost and some landed. Everyone had
a blast. In addition, a lot of this was sight fishing for big fish
in low, clear water, when the sun was out.
Upper Moranine was good too
With all the sockeyes still
left in Upper Moraine, there were nice bows everywhere. The most
consistent run to pound out the real hogs on both egg patterns and streamers
was the "Low Cut Bank" run, a mile down from crosswind lake.
Some really big fish were caught here, and lots of anglers had their picture
taken with 8-10 pound fish here.
Always one of our favorite places
to pound out some big fish, the low cut bank or the "leech run"
is is a long bend, with the perfect current speed and an average
depth of 3-4 feet. When the sun is up, you can see ten to
twenty really big fish within casting distance , and sight fishing is
extremely effective in this pool. On cloudy days, running
a leech through on a sink tip line is almost as deadly. This
is one spot where you can catch one 25-27 inch bow after another when
the fish are stacked in there like they were this year.
The Big KU produces
some impressive bows
The Big Ku is normally wonderful
streamer fishing in the fall, and this year it was especially good. The mouth, where the river flows out of Kukaklek lake is always a hotspot, but our best fishing for big fish was farther downriver in the main straightaway and the "fish ghetto", a few miles below the lake.
Group member Jerry Phillips with 30" x 19" rainbow - Big KU!
This year we fished the Big
KU by floating down to the pick-up lake in two small rafts.
You could fish from the rafts but the best bet was to get out and wade
fish the good runs with a sink tip or sinking head line and streamers. Big black streamers are always good, and orange headed "egg sucking leeches" are always a good bet for Mr. Big. Black
string leeches were also hot number for the big boys. Lots of
fish were caught in the 25-30 inch class with a few larger ones lost. One that didn't get away was a huge fish caught by a very happy Jerry Phillips. It's fish like this that bring a guy back year after year!
This was one river where you
can definitely hit a 10 pound fish on your very next cast, so that kept everyone
on their toes, ready to slam the hook into something big.
At the end of the day here you always wish
you had about three more hours to fish,
but the huge fish and wonderful scenery make for a special day.
Jamie Anderson hooks a nice bow feeding on sockeye eggs.
The Kulik River was
great as usual. This smaller river is close to the lodge,
just a five minute ride in the float plane. The guides run up the
big lake in a hard boat and meet the clients when they step off the float
plane. Then we use the jet boat to run up and down the river,
locating anglers in the best spots. The Kulik is the perfect
place to learn Alaska rainbow bead fishing technique, since it is so stacked
with hot rainbows that have followed in the hordes of spawning sockeye
salmon. This is sight fishing , it's easy and it's exciting!
The fishing at Kulik always is fast and furious.
Even the beginners in the group can't miss here on the Kulik, and with
some help from Enchanted Lake's top guides, they are quickly into lots
of big fish. It isn't uncommon for a beginning angler to land
twenty to forty two to three pound plus raiinbows here in a day!
We never see huge rainbows in the Kulik, but the larger rainbows often run in the 5-6 pound class and are hotter than a fire cracker! Fat rainbows like this really peel that line and backing off your reel and will have you running after them.
By the end of the day most
of us were overjoyed when the guides told us we had to quit and head for
the plane. Our arms were weary from casting, playing and releasing one
fish after another.
 The
Kvichak River - Home to huge chrome bows
The Kvichak river drains huge lake Iliamna, and runs about fifty miles to where it pours into the ocean in Bristol Bay. We drift and fish the upper reaches by jet boat, fishing the upper several miles of river. Enchanted Lake Lodge keeps two jet boats on an island close to the outlet of Lake Iliamna, and a half hour's flight gets us over there from the lodge.
Drifting the Kvichak is always
a fun day and an opportunity to catch that rainbow of a lifetime. This past fall everyone had a chance to do fish the "Kweeg" at least one day and the fishing was red hot. The Kvichak is a huge river as you might guess, but it does break up into several smaller channels down in the "braids" where we had our best fishing. Although most of the fishing is drifting and fish egg patterns with an indicator, there are some shallower flats that you can wade fish effectively, fishing egg patterns and lots of runs that you can wade fish while fishing streamers.
The guides row the 16 foot Jon boats as you drift along and two
anglers can fish very effectively. We'll often drift down a mile or more, then crank the jet outboard, run back upriver and drift down through the best water again. It's fun trying the many good looking channels and finding the real hotspots where the fish are stacked in there like cordwood.
This past fall, the fishing was so fast that we didn't go more than a few casts without hooking up. For the first few moments the fish are pulling hard and you don't know if you have a three pounder or ten pounder! There are fish of all sizes but ones we are after are those big brutes, which are often bright chrome much like a fresh run steelhead. These Kvichak rainbows can attain a size of up to twenty pounds, and fish in the ten to fifteen pound range are not uncommon. Sometimes a little small bow of twelve inches will grab your egg pattern, but then on the very next cast you might hook a thirty plus inch fish, so there 's no time to relax until you are in the float plane for the ride back to the lodge!
 "Kvichak
Jack" Honch promptly landed one of the largest fish of the trip here,
two years ago, a beautiful thirty inch plus bow that looked to be in the 12 pound class,
maybe more! Jack's looking forward to a rematch with the big Kvichak bows again this coming September.
Premier Accommodations
in the Wilderness
Those of you that have been
with me in the past know why Enchanted Lake Lodge is called the finest
lodge in Alaska. Located on a small, sheltered lake about 75 miles northeast
from King Salmon, the lodge and cabins overlook Lake Nonvianuk, providing
a spectacular view of the lakes, with the rugged peaks of the Alaska range
as a backdrop.
In a nutshell, Enchanted Lake
has superb accommodations, gourmet cuisine, wonderful (and safe) pilots
flying the best planes in the business (immaculately maintained Beavers),
the best guides in Alaska, and the finest streams and rivers in Alaska
for BIG rainbows. Enchanted Lake Lodge's premier reputation has spread
quickly among fishermen and today the lodge is so popular that returning
guests book up 90% of the available space for the following year.
Making a great lodge
even better
Late in 2001, the Matthews family
sold Enchanted Lake Lodge and the new owners from San Jose did a multi-million dollar remodeling job so now it is better than ever. Daren Erickson, one of the top guides in Alaska, previously the head guide
at Royal Wulff Lodge, is now the new manager and part owner at Enchanted
Lake. I've known Darren for over 20 years, when he
guided me at Rainbow King Lodge. Darren is a great guy, a superb angler
and guide, but more importantly has a lot of experience running other
first class lodges in this part of Alaska. He knows what it takes to get
things done and he's especially attentive to client requests and requirements.
He has also assembled a superb staff of hard working guides, as good as any you will find in Alaska or elsewhere.
One of the best
new things the "new" Enchanted Lake has to offer is a totally
revamped guest and guide program. Enchanted Lake decided to make the lodge
smaller and more intimate for the guests, so they dropped the number of
guests from 16 each week down to a maximum of 12. More importantly, Daren
decided that to do things right, they would have one guide for every two
anglers, rather than one guide for each group of four anglers. Now guests
get far more attention and better one-on-one help from  some of the very
best guides in the business. There is no question in my mind that Enchanted
Lake has the very best guide staff in Alaska right now. These guides are
as good as the very top guides we have working for us here in Montana.
They all know their stuff,have the ability to teach a variety of techniques,
know the waters like the back of their hand, and are pleasant guys to
be out with all day in the field. Reducing the numbers
of guests means fewer trips for the pilots in the Beavers too. We all decide
on where we would like to fish the night before, during cocktails, and in
the morning 4 anglers and 2 guides would fly with the pilot in one of the
Beavers to the selected destination.
Remodeling the Lodge
During May, June and July of
2002, a multi-million dollar remodeling project was underway. Helicopters
flew in building materials from King Salmon and the main lodge was completely
remodeled and enlarged. In addition, 2 new owners cabins were constructed,
to be separate from the normal guest cabins. In the guest cabins, which
were already comfy, all new beds and furniture were added. It's easy to
get a great night's sleep now when you crawl under one of those big down
comforters into a superb bed.The
only thing old guests recognize from the original lodge is the spectacular
dining room, overlooking the lake. The rest of the lodge was torn out
and expanded dramatically. They enlarged the front deck on the west side,
and added another full deck on the east side, with a wonderful view of
the Alaska Range and Kulik Lake. Inside, there is now a very large and comfortable
great room with classy leather sofas and chairs to plop down into at the
end of the fishing day. The East side now has a big open peaked roof and
a fantastic view looking out over Nonvianuk Lake, Kulik Lake and the Alaska
Range. Lots of windows add to the panoramic view.
 A
totally new enlarged kitchen and work quarters complete the project in
the main lodge. Daren Erickson's wife Tracy is the new head chef, bringing
with her many years of experience as head chef at Royal Wulff and other
lodges. The cuisine has always been outstanding at Enchanted Lake, but
with Tracy running the program it has now raised the bar for all
the other Alaska lodges! Some of our favorite things like the popcorn
and hors d'oeuvres during the cocktail hour have remained, and of course
at Enchanted Lake Lodge you have a well-stocked, open bar and there is
no extra charge for any of this. Other thoughtful changes that Daren has
implemented in the new operation is to supply the guests with all their
flies, beads, hooks and terminal tackle - tippet etc. at no extra charge.
Even your Alaska sport fishing licenses are included in the base price.
Streams
We'll Fish This Year
Each year is different, and
we'll make our decisions on the exact streams to fish once we get to the
lodge and get the current reports from the guides. The beauty of fishing
out of a fly out lodge like Enchanted Lake is the fact that we are not
limited to any one river, but we can pick and choose the very best streams
each day. Lots of factors influence this, and the two biggest factors
are the stage of the sockeye runs in each river, and the weather. We are
looking for that perfect match of good water conditions combined with
rivers that still have some spawning sockeye salmon. Big rainbows follow
the salmon up into these rivers when the runs begin in June, and pig out
on the eggs that the different species of salmon spawn throughout the
summer and fall.
The sockeye are the last species
to spawn, and once all the sockeye die off, these big rainbows often move out of the stream quickly, back into the many big lakes where they will
live all winter, feeding on salmon smolts and other small trout and char.
On some rivers like Moraine Creek, the Battle River, Kulik River, and the Little KU,
the end of the sockeye runs will still be in progress and we'll fish
with floating lines and single egg patterns. On other rivers like the
Big Ku, below Kukaklek Lake, where there are very few salmon left spawning,
we'll switch to streamers and be fishing big dark sculpin and eel patterns.
The Big Ku
This large river, about the
size of the Yellowstone, flows out of Kukaklek Lake, and is just a short
15-minute hop in the floatplane from our lodge. We normally land at the
mouth of the river, blow our rafts up there and float about 6 miles to
a pickup point in "Mud Lake", a short hike from the river.
Some of the largest rainbows
in Alaska are found in the Big Ku in mid-September, dropping down into
the river from Kukaklek Lake and other drainages that flow into the lake.
This is one stream where you definitely have a chance to catch that 10
pound rainbow on your next cast! Over the years we have caught lots of
fish in the 7-13 pound class here. This is streamer fishing at its best
with 8-9 weight rods, sink tip lines and stout leaders. This river is one
that always stays in perfect shape, regardless of rain, and we can almost
always fly in and out of the Big Ku, even in the worst weather.
The Kulik River
This picturesque river feeds the upper end of Nonvianuk Lake, just a short
distance from our lodge. In the mornings, the guides run up the lake with
a jet boat and meet the guests at the mouth of the river after the short
5 minute flight in a Beaver. This river is easily wadable, and guaranteed
for some red hot action on rainbows that will average 2-4 pounds, with
some fish right up to 6 pounds.
This is almost entirely "egg" fishing, and the guides will show
you some deadly techniques that make it a cinch for anyone to catch a
lot of fish. By utilizing the jet boat we can move around and fish the
very best water on the river. This makes for an easy, fun day. Even beginning
fishermen will kill them here, and catch 30-40 fish in a day. A good angler
can hit 100 fish in a day. This is often sight fishing, so you can pick
out the larger fish, and make this more challenging by fishing only to
the larger fish. In mid-September, the Kulik is packed with sockeyes but
also with huge numbers of rainbows that are hanging just below the spawning
salmon chowing down on the spawned eggs.
 The
guides know just where to find the best concentrations of big rainbows.
We'll fish with floating lines, indicators and bead patterns that perfectly
imitate the spawned eggs. These specialized techniques Enchanted Lake
Lodge guides have developed over the years are deadly on the Kulik.The
guides will have you catching more rainbows in a day than you would have
ever believed possible!
The Brooks River
This is another fun day of sight
fishing with egg patterns, but for even larger fish than we find in Kulik.
All the tourists have left the Brooks River in September but this is when
the big rainbows show up to hog down all the sockeye spawn. On the lower
river the rainbows often stack up over drop offs behind the salmon, and
it's a 3-5 lb. rainbow on nearly every cast. In other areas you'll find
larger fish spread out where you can work on them, sight fishing inclear
water that is 1-3 feet deep. Six to eight pound fish are common on the
lower Brooks but the fish are a little tougher to catch than in the Kulik.
The upper Brooks, above the falls is fast fishing for rainbows that will
run a bit smaller than those on the lower river, but this a spot that
you can catch a lot of nice fish on streamers as well as egg patterns
and often have the whole place to yourselves.
The Brooks River is famous for
its brown bears as well as the fishing. We'll get to see lots of bears
feeding on the dying salmon here the river below the falls. Be sure to
bring your still camera or video for some fantastic sequences. Fortunately
the bears are not aggressive and get along quite nicely with the visiting
fishermen. We have never found these big brown bears to show any aggressive
tendencies, probably because it is so easy for them to catch salmon, even
so, we give them plenty of room to do their own fishing!
 Moraine
Creek
Moraine Creek is perhaps the
premier rainbow trout fishery in Alaska for really big rainbows- fish
in that 8-15 lb. class, like the one to the right that Jeff Carder is holding.
This drainage gets an early sockeye run, and the best rainbow fishing
occurs from mid-August through mid -September. This is mostly egg fishing
and often sight fishing for huge fish. A river that averages 50-100 feet
in width, it is a very pleasant stream to fish and an easy one to wade.
Many people consider Moraine Creek the finest river in Alaska, and when
it is right, the fishing is simply spectacular! This is one river where
everyone will hook fish in the 6-12 pound class, and usually plenty of
them!
We fish Moraine Creek in several
different ways. Perhaps the easiest is the float trip on the lower end
of the stream. We land the floatplane on a pothole lake close to the river
where the guide blows up a raft and then we float and fish the lower
six miles of river. We just use the raft for transportation, from one
good run to the next where we'll get out and wade fish. The plane picks
us up close to where Moraine dumps into Kukaklek Lake.
Upper Moraine
Another popular stretch we call
Upper Moraine, is hiking and wade fishing, which we access from Crosswind
Lake. From where we land the floatplane, it is a short hike over to some
very nice water just below a high cut bank. This is one spot where we
usually find some late spawning sockeye and some very large rainbows hanging
in with them. On several occasions we have spotted 8-12 pound rainbows
from the top of the high cut bank here, and then leave the guide or another
angler up there to spot, while another angler goes down and catches these
big fish. There is a lot of good water downstream within easy hiking distance
For those anglers that enjoy
hiking and fishing, hiking 2-4 miles down Moraine Creek puts you into
some terrific water that rarely gets fished. The Blue Water run, Gerkins,
the Pinnacle run and Oahu all seem to hold good numbers of big rainbows,
many in the 8-13 lb. class. It's a pleasant hike and exciting fishing
in water that few other anglers ever see or fish.
The Battle River
 The
Battle, like Moraine Creek, is a tributary on the eastern end of Kukaklek
Lake. It is a smaller, tighter stream with more gradient. For some unknown
reason, this stream gets a much later run of sockeyes than Moraine Creek,
so on years when most of the fish have left Moraine Creek, we can usually
count on Battle to be outstanding. In addition, the Battle gets some very
large rainbows, fish right up to 15 pounds.
Enchanted Lake Lodge is closer
to the Battle (as well as Moraine Cr. and Big Ku) than other lodges, so
we are able to get to the prime water on the Battle before other groups
arrive. The majority of Battle gets little fishing pressure, mainly because
most fishermen don't want to walk very far upstream. We fish the Battle
two ways—by landing on Kukaklek lake and hiking up into the lower
reaches, or by landing on Battle Lake and floating the entire 4 mile length
of the Battle, using an inflatable raft for transportation. The pickup at the end of the day is on Kukaklek
Lake. There are several good runs in the upper and middle portion of the
river that are just loaded with big, hot rainbows, many of which are in
the 7-12 lb. class. On a bright day, this is sight fishing at its best.
Indicators are used most of the time, especially in flat light or in the
deeper runs.
 The
Battle is a favorite of the guides as this is one stream where you can
almost always fish over huge rainbows. It's never easy fishing, but with
a good presentation and a drag free drift, you can hook these big boys.
Landing them is another matter!
Lower Talarik Creek
This small stream has always
been famous for its huge rainbows. This is a tributary stream that flows
directly into Lake Iliamna, and we fish the lower couple miles of the
stream. Each September, hundreds of rainbows from 6-18 pounds run up into
this small stream. There is no place in Alaska like it, where you can
see so many huge rainbows when the conditions are right. If we can hit
this just after they have some rain for a day or two, big numbers of fresh
fish will move in from Lake Iliamna, and the fishing can be just unbelievable.
 These
are some of the hottest fish around, chrome silver like a fresh run steelhead,
but heavier fish than the average steelhead. Hook one of these 10-pound
bows and it will jump time and time again, often clearing the water 3-4
feet! It is real easy to get cleaned out here, even on 1x tippet. Talarik
does get a lot of fishing pressure, but if you know the stream well as
do our guides, there are many spots you can find big fish. We try to fly
in early to get the first crack at some of the best water. We have also
found some good spots farther upstream that few of the other lodges are
fishing. This is stream where you won't often catch a lot of fish, but
may well catch that fish of a lifetime! My largest rainbow here was 36"
long and close to 18 pounds. On Lower Talarik you'll get to fish over
10-14 lb. fish every day. Getting them to eat can be frustrating but when
it happens, you often have the fish of a lifetime.
The Upper American River
 Every
year we get a good look at this spectacular stream on the flight into
the lodge from King Salmon. It lies just to the south of the lodge, but
starts up on a high plateau, and then flows through a long, inaccessible
canyon on its way to Colville Lake. The upper river, just below Hamersley
Lake, is a spe ctacular
setting, and can provide some outstanding fly-fishing late in the season.
This is a smaller stream, easy to wade and get around. The rainbows are
red hot, with lots in the 4-6 lb. class and many right up to 8 lb. and
larger. There is a lot of rocky pocket water below the mouth, and this
stream looks more like a typical Western river. Sculpins abound, providing
good streamer fishing. This is one spot where we have gotten some dry
fly fishing, even late in the season.
The upper American is a short flight
from our lodge, just higher up on the plateau above Nonvianuk Lake. Thispast
fall, the fishing was red hot with egg patterns, flesh flies, and even
caddis dries. Everyone had a ball fishing the Upper American and caught
lots of very nice fish. With the great scenery, fish would be a bonus
in a place like this but the fishing was outstanding.
The
Kvichak River
This is the big river that drains
Lake Iliamna. I've fished this river in the past, and the Kvichak has
produced some of the most beautiful, big chrome rainbows that I've ever
caught in Alaska. This is mostly streamer fishing with sink tip lines
or shooting heads. Big water and big fish! Kvichak bows can run right
up to 20 pounds. A lot of guides feel that this is the best place in Alaska
to catch a really huge fish. I can believe it. It seemed that our average
here was a solid 6-8 pounds with fish up to 14 lb.  The lodge keeps a couple
of jet boats there on an island below the mouth. A short run takes us
down to the "braids"where this large river breaks up into a
number of channels that are much easier to wade and fish. With the river
low this past fall, and reports from the guides that there were not that
many big fish in the river we didn't get to fish the Kvichak. Maybe next
year.
Small Streams
There are several smaller streams
that get late sockeye runs often provide spectacular fishing. We fish
one, Meadow Creek (the real name is kept a secret so that other lodges
that obtain a copy of this newsletter will be frustrated) that is especially
good. This is a top-secret place and as yet few other lodges have figured
it out. We get dropped off on a big lake after a half hour flight in the
Beaver, and then hike through the woods and tundra for a couple of miles.
If any other planes fly over, we all dive into the weeds and hide! An
hour's hike puts us into the prime water and if we hit it right it will
be a day to remember. This is nearly all sight fishing with egg patterns
to fish that run 2-7 lb. Catching one 3-5 pound fish after another will
wear you out. These fish don't get any pressure and will race 15 feet
out of their way to gobble up an egg. If you are careful, you can catch
nearly every fish you see. A good angler will catch 30-75 nice fish in
a day. 100 fish, even 150 are not out of the question for a good angler
when the fish are stacked in there. What a great place for less experienced
anglers! Everyone comes away grinning.
The Lodge
at Enchanted Lake
 It
never ceases to amaze me how the people at Enchanted Lake can operate
such a beautiful and comfortable lodge this far out in the boondocks.
Other than Brooks Camp, this is the only lodge inside Katmai National
Park. Attention to little details is evident everywhere—from the
graveled footpaths and flowerbeds to the comfortable log cabins. Everything
is neat, and maintained with care. The large cabins sleep two guests,
have private bathrooms, excellent beds, and individual heating systems.
24 hour electrical power is available now with standard 110V, running
off a large new diesel generator down near the lake—far away from
the cabins to give the guests peace and quiet.
 On
our daily flights back to Enchanted Lake after fishing, the gals meet
us at the dock and hand us a glass of brandy as we step out of the floatplane.
Then it's back to your room for a leisurely hot shower or sauna. Afterwards,
stroll up to the main lodge, smoke a cigar on the back deck or and relax
around the fireplace with a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres while everyone
recounts the day's fishing tales.
A breathtaking view
from the dining room
The main lodge sits high on
a hill, with the picture windows in the dining room overlooking Nonvianuk
Lake and the high, snowcapped peaks of the Alaska Range. One morning,
before breakfast, we watched as a majestic bull moose wandered through
the meadow just below the dining room. Another cow and calf moose fed
along the Shore of Enchanted Lake. Sitting on the deck outside before
dinner we've often watched strings of Canada geese flying along the shores
of Nonvianuk Lake, on their migration south.
With the remodeling project,
the main lodge was expanded dramatically, and now another great room looks
out to the East, towards Kulik Lake. With all the comfortable leather
couches and chairs, this is a great place to relax with a drink before
dinner.
Gourmet cuisine in the
wilds of Alaska
At Enchanted Lake, Daren's lovely
wife Tracy is the head chef, with years of experience at other lodges
including her stint at the head chef at Royal Wulff Lodge. Tracy and her
kitchen staff goes all out to pamper us with varied, delicious, meticulously
prepared entrees. It's like eating at your favorite gourmet restaurant
every night of the week! The gals bake all the bread, rolls, pastries
etc. and come up with some outrageous desserts. Unlike many other lodges,
where you get might get a big steak and heavy meal late in the evening,
you'll find much lighter fare at Enchanted Lake. Of course you can pig
out if you want, and you can usually do it without gaining much weight
since we are burning so many calories each day. Hiking, wading the big
water, and hauling in all those huge rainbows will definitely spark your
appetite. I always think about how much weight I'm going to lose until
I see the fresh oven baked Swedish pastries in the morning or the variety
of tasty hors d' oeuvres served before dinner. Then my willpower breaks
down. At that point, I decide my diet will start on the day after I get
back from Alaska!
 World Class Guides
I think that anyone that has
been to Enchanted Lake would rate their guide staff as one of the finest
anywhere. Over the years they have come up with some very sophisticated
methods of fishing for big rainbows that the other lodges have tried to
imitate, but only with limited success. Head guide Alton will explain
to everyone the outlook for the coming week, and then assign destinations
and guides nightly, depending on where he thinks the best destinations
will be the following day and where the clients would like to fish.
We'll split up into groups of 4 with
2 guides, going to one destination each day. The night before, your guides
will see you after dinner and get you set with the right flies, tackle
and leaders, beads, hooks and toothpicks you'll need for the next day.
They will show you the drill on exactly how to rig your indicators and
beads, and they will also help you do this out on the stream. If you are
going to a stream where we'll fish streamers, they will make sure you
have the right sink tip lines, flies, leaders and tippet.
The guides all carry an extensive
selection of flies and
beads with them each day and they are more than happy to help keep you
rigged up right out on the stream. Remember, there is no charge for all
the flies, beads, leaders or tippet you will be using during the week.
All the guides working for Enchanted
Lake have had extensive experience guiding for other lodges in Alaska
before coming to Enchanted Lake. Each one of these fellows can take a
complete neophyte and have him catching an impressive number of fish.
These guys can also show the expert anglers some new tricks and techniques
that will help them catch the largest rainbows. More importantly they
are great guys to spend some time with in the wilderness. They are outdoorsmen
that you can trust and rely on to get you home safely.
With the changes at Enchanted Lake,
we'll now have one guide for each two anglers. This is a huge improvement
over the old system of 1 guide for 4 anglers. Now everyone gets a lot
more 1-on-1 personal help from the very best fly fishing guides in Alaska.
Planes and Pilots
Enchanted Lake utilizes two
DeHavilland Beavers, which are still the best and safest floatplane ever
made for the bush country. Enchanted Lake's Beavers are 2 of the finest
you'll see anywhere. These Beavers have been worked over by Kenmore, the
firm that does such a perfect job of refurbishing these wonderful old
planes. Enchanted Lake's crew and mechanics take pride in keeping them
in tip-top shape. Enchanted Lake's pilots have been some of the best I've
flown with in Alaska, and with the new changes at the lodge they have
brought in two of the very top pilots in Alaska, one with over 12,000
hours in Beavers! These new pilots are conservative guys that won't take
any chances. They know exactly what they can do in any conditions, and
pride themselves in making everyone feel comfortable in the air and on
the water. You'll feel completely at ease flying with these fellows.
The country we fly, between
King Salmon to Iliamna, is relatively flat, so we don't have to fly through
mountain passes like they do at some of the lodges farther West in the
Wood River country. There is almost never any fog or cloud cover to deal
with, and we have rarely lost any fishing time due to high winds or inclement
weather.
In the dozen years I've been
to Enchanted Lake we have only lost a few half days of fishing because
we couldn't fly. This was nearly always due to high winds, and not bad
visibility. Enchanted Lake Lodge has always taken a very conservative
approach to flying in bad weather conditions. They just don't do it if
the conditions are at all questionable. Sometimes, when it is raining
hard in the morning, or windy, they will postpone departures for an hour
or so- until we get more light and the clouds lift. I've never seen it
socked in tight all day.
2008 Rate includes almost everything
Unlike many other Alaska lodges, the
all inclusive rate of $7500 includes just about everything once we get to
the lodge- the open bar, wine with dinner, our fishing licenses, flies
and bead patterns that we'll use, etc., leaders and other tackle. The
only thing you need to bring cash for are the gratuities for the guides
and staff at the end of our week (a gratuity of 10% is suggested) and
whatever Enchanted Lake Logo clothing you might like to buy like shirts,
fleece tops, hats etc.
Please send me your deposit
ASAP
I'll
need your deposit ASAP in order to hold your space for this trip. Deposits
required are 50%, or $3750.00. Make your check out to the Yellowstone
Angler and send this to us at P.O. Box 629, Livingston Montana, 59047.
Travel
Arrangements
As in the past, I am asking
everyone to make his or her own airline reservations, round trip, to Anchorage.
I will make reservations for everyone in our group from Anchorage to King
Salmon and return, on Peninsula Airways (PenAir). This
way we can save a little money by
getting a group rate. These flights are approx. $390.00 and you can pay
for this on the morning of our flight. Have a credit card or cash on hand
to pay this.
On our return back into Anchorage
at 11 AM on Sunday, Sept. 21st, many people will be able to leave that afternoon or evening
on other flights. Others will get a motel room that night, or you can get the airport to store your bags for several hours and then pick them up for a later flight. For those
of us that don't make an immediate connection, other connecting flights
out are often not until 1:30 AM. For those people staying over, or going
out late, we normally get everyone together and go out for a nice dinner
in downtown Anchorage at one of the locals' favorite spots - Club Paris,
or the great seafood restaurant Simon and Seaforts.
Accommodations in Anchorage
Most of us will need to fly
to Anchorage and overnight there on Saturday Sept. 13th. I'm leaving
it up to everyone to book their own rooms in Anchorage since some of us
may need a room on the way in as well as the way out depending on your
airline schedule. There are several top notch hotels in Anchorage
like the Millennium near the airport and the Captain Cook downtown.
Their room rates are around $200-250 a night for two people. We've
especially enjoyed the Millennium hotel, on Lake Hood, close to the airport.
The accommodations and cuisine are outstanding and they have an airport
shuttle as well as downtown shuttle service. They have a great bar too,
where you can relax and watch the floatplanes returning to Lake Hood.
There are also several other
good, inexpensive, hotels close to the airport, like the Barrett Inn or
the Executive Suites Hotel, the Puffin Inn, and the Lakeshore motel also
on Spenard Road. Most of these other motels run around $100-$130
a night for two. These all have airport shuttle service. The Anchorage
airport is just five minutes away so you are not looking at the half hour
ride and cab fare downtown, which is the case if you want to stay at the
Captain Cook Hotel. Most of us will need to book the night of Sept. 13th
and depending on your airline schedule you may want to stay in Anchorage
the night of the 21st also.
Enchanted Lake Sunset shot by
Jamie Anderson
I'll be glad to answer any questions
you might on our trip have so just give me a call at 406-222-7130. or
e-mail me at : georgea@yellowstoneangler.com
Best regards,
George Anderson
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