Yellowstone
Angler Hosted Trips
George Anderson's
Hosted Trip to
Alaska's
Enchanted Lake Lodge
September
16-23, 2012
Trip
Itinerary | Trip Newsletter | Streams
We'll Fish
Lodge
Details | Travel Details | Jamie's 2005 Photo Essay
The
Itinerary
Sept. 15 (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. There are several good hotels close to the airport . More on this later.
Sept. 16 (Sunday)
Fly from Anchorage to King Salmon
on Peninsula Airways. The Pen Air flight we normally take leaves Anchorage
at about 1:00 PM. and arrives King Salmon 2:20. This past Sept. they had all of us fly on a later flight, but hopefully in 2012 they will revert to their earlier schedule. In any eventGeorge will make reservations for everyone in our group
on these Pen Air flights but then each person needs to pay for this flight by credit card at least two weeks prior to the flight to King Salmon. The cost in 2011 was $450 RT. 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. 17-22nd (Monday
- Saturday)
Six days of fishing and adventure
in the Alaskan wilderness with luxurious accommodations at Enchanted Lake
Lodge.
Sept. 23 (Sunday)
8 AM - Fly to King Salmon in the floatplanes.
9:30 AM - Fly from King Salmon to
Anchorage on PenAir #202, arriving in Anchorage about 11 AM. Book your departure
for home at any time after 1:00 PM on the 25th. There are several
flights later that afternoon and evening. Some of us may want to
overnight again in Anchorage on the 25th and fly home early the next day,
the 26th.
All the Important Stuff You
Need to Know
- The cost: $8750 per person - no increase from 2011
- 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 $4375.00. 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 2012 Alaska adventure and I really do hope
that you can join us! This will be my 22nd 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!
Mid to 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!
A re-cap on our fishing this past fall of 2011
Moraine Creek, which is normally terrific fishing each fall, was hit with late rains and high water, making it unfishable this year since the high water from the rains had blown out the remaining salmon. Once this happens, most of the big rainbows head back down into Kukakaik lake.
In a normal year this is one stream that you can catch enough 25 inch plus rainbows to make your arm weary!
This is "egg" fishing at its best with beads, and many huge
fish are hooked, some lost and some landed. In addition, a lot of this is sight fishing for big fish
in low, clear water, when the sun was out.
Usually with some sockeyes still
left in Upper Moraine, there are nice bows everywhere. The most
consistent run to pound out the real hogs on both egg patterns and streamers
is the "Low Cut Bank" run, a mile down from crosswind lake.
Some really big fish are always caught here, with anglers often landing fish in the 27-28 inch class.
The confluence pool, and the pools below, near the hight cut bank produce usually produce lots of 27-29 inch fish with an occasioinal 30 inch fat hog.
I'm counting on Moraine Creek being it's old self again in 2012, and for us being able to fish this with the kind of success we have had in the past.
The Battle River kicked out plenty of fat fish as usual, like the one above that Steve Flood is holding. Last year Steve had one 28 and two 29's in one run on the lower Battle! This fall we didn't get those huge fish but we did find enought fat 25-27 inch bows to keep us busy.
The sockeye run was less intense as usual, but there were still lots of nice fish at both the upper end just where Battle flows out of the lake and then at the lower end, where there are several braids and good holding water for big fish. The Battle was very high this past fall, and that made for more difficult wading and many of the runs we like to fish were just tougher to fish. Still, it is always a fun day fishing the Battle, and this is another stream where you can catch a 10 pound fish on your next cast!
This is a stream where we are sight fishing to fish with beads, and one where you want to go slowly and look for big fish. Often you'll find a fish that looks as long as your leg, and it might take fifty casts over the fish to get a grab, but then the excitement begins!
The Big KU produced
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. This year I caught a fat 27 inch fish there on one of my first casts, that would have gone close to 8 pounds. Our best fishing for big fish was farther downriver in the main straightaway and in 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.
This year the Big Ku didn't produce the huge 29 and 30 inch fish like Jerry Phillips is holding above, but we all caught lots of fat fish in the 24-27 inch class on streamers.
This is 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.
Right at the end of our float, Rick Hirsch hooked this beautiful 27 inch rainbow! 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 on the Big Ku make for a special day.
Jeff Carder with a nice bow from the Kulik
The Kulik River was
outstanding as always
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!
Huge numbers of Sockeye salmon spawn in the Kulik River
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 fat rainbows here in a day, with some that will really scream the line off your reel.
This year the Kulik was stacked with nice rainbows, like the one that Mike Orcutt is holding above. In many runs the fish seemed to average 20-23 inches with a few 24-25 inch fish that kept everyone busy with their rod bent. This is one stream that we can count on day in and day out to produce lots of nice rainbows, even for beginning anglers. Expert anglers will catch so many fish here that it's pretty easy to go over a hundred fish if they really wanted to count 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 is the largest river we fish, and flows out of huge Lake Iliamna. There is a chance for huge fish here, and everyone talks about the chances for hooking that twenty-pound rainbow here. Many of the fish we catch are straight out of lake Iliamna, and are chrome bright fish, much like steelhead. Even the smaller fish give you a terrific fight.
The fishing is done from jet boats, two anglers and one guide to row the boat as we drift different stretches that have proven to be the best fishing over the past few days or weeks. Most of the fishing here is done with a floating line, indicators and beads. In some spots we'll fish streamers too with good results.
This year we had some hot fishing with beads, and this is one place that you just don't know what you will come up with - it might be a 14 inch rainbow or a 10 pounder, and it takes a few seconds to find out. The larger fish we caught this last fall were in the 6-8 pound class but you just knew that a double digit bow was out there somewhere waiting for you next cast!
The Brooks River was loaded with hogs this past Sept!
The best fishing we had this past Sept. ended up being the Brooks River. Both the lower and upper river were excellent and by late in September, when we were there, there were few other anglers. The lower river was absolutely stacked with huge fish, and lots were in the 24-26 inch class with several that would go 28 and 29 inches. These are always fat fish and they will give you a great fight.
The lower river is mostly bead fishing, as there are lots of sockeyes still spawning. This is sight fishing at its best as many of the big fish are in water that is only a foot deep, even less. To make things even better, these fish were easy to catch, dispite the normally heavy fishing pressure. At times it seemed like you were hooking big fish on almost every other cast!
Although there were other anglers, our guides knew how to lock up the select spots and then we just pounded the fish at will, except when we had to give way to the many big bears that wanted a crack at the fish too. If the bears get too close, say within a hundred feet, we back off and let them fish through.
On the upper river anglers caught a lot of fish swinging streamers. The fish are normally a bit smaller up above the falls, but there is also less fishing pressure and you often have the river to yourself. The fish are even easier to catch, and you can often catch any fish that you can see!
The fishing was so crazy good that everyone wanted another crack at going back to fish the Brooks one more day.
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 look to Fish this next September
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 of salmon 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.
George and the bears fishing together on the Kulik
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 below 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.
Here is guide Alec, holding one of Steve Flood's 29 inch bows from our 2010 fall trip.
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!
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
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 good to excellent. 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.
The Kvichak is one stream that you hook up and not know for a few moments 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!
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 newly refurbished 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.
2012 Rate includes almost everything
Unlike many other Alaska lodges, the
all inclusive rate of $8750 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 $4375.00. 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). I will e-mail everyone with the exact details, flight times and our Pen Air reservation number confirmation code and the Pen Air phone number. Then you can call Pen Air, give them your credit card to pay for these flights. The rate in 2011 was in the $450 range Round trip from Anchorage. We must pay for this two weeks in advance of our trip, so plan on getting this done by say late August.
After our return back into Anchorage on the Pen Air flight
at 11 AM on Sunday, Sept. 23rd, some 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. 15th. 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, and several
like our choice, the Millennium, are out near the near the airport. Room rates vary a lot depending on the season but expect to pay $100-200 for a double room. 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 Best Western,
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 can either call for a hotel shuttle or just grab a cab. Most of us will need to book the night of Sept. 15th
and depending on your airline schedule you may want to stay in Anchorage
the night of the 23rd 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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