Bear Safari
Bear Viewing in Katmai National Park:
With the highest population of brown bears in the world, the Katmai National Park is one of the most prized destinations for wildlife viewing in Alaska. Particularly for seeing large brown bears feeding on fresh run salmon. We have been operating in Alaska for over 25 years and have a clean safety record. Our well-seasoned and knowledgeable guides have developed a strong understanding and respect for bear viewing day trips alaska these wonderful creatures, built up by living and working amongst them.
Our location on the Alagnak is deep in bear country and we often have bears within sight of our lodge. We are able to access the river by jet boat and find perfect spots for camera crews to set up and spend a whole days surrounded by these magnificent creatures. In the height of our season it is not rare to see over 20 bears in a day as well as an array of other wildlife. Our lodge based bear viewing tours, provide clients with comfortable private riverfront cabins, delicious meals and guided jet boat tours in prime bear viewing country. These majestic creatures are an incredible sight to behold. Get your camera ready and take the pictures of a lifetime.
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on fly fishing, bear safari, fly outs, raft trip, steelhead camp, and Alaska tour: https://www.atalodge.com/pages/bear-viewing
Bear Safari
Bear Viewing in Katmai National Park:
With the highest population of brown bears in the world, the Katmai National Park is one of the most prized destinations for wildlife viewing in Alaska. Particularly for seeing large brown bears feeding on fresh run salmon. We have been operating in Alaska for over 25 years and have a clean safety record. Our well-seasoned and knowledgeable guides have developed a strong understanding and respect for these wonderful creatures, built up by living and working amongst them.
Our location on the Alagnak is deep bear viewing day trips alaska in bear country and we often have bears within sight of our lodge. We are able to access the river by jet boat and find perfect spots for camera crews to set up and spend a whole days surrounded by these magnificent creatures. In the height of our season it is not rare to see over 20 bears in a day as well as an array of other wildlife. Our lodge based bear viewing tours, provide clients with comfortable private riverfront cabins, delicious meals and guided jet boat tours in prime bear viewing country. These majestic creatures are an incredible sight to behold. Get your camera ready and take the pictures of a lifetime.
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on fly fishing, bear safari, fly outs, raft trip, steelhead camp, and Alaska tour: https://www.atalodge.com/pages/bear-viewing
Warning: This Article Can Cause Addiction! Alaskan Rainbow Trout Fishing of Bristol Bay on the Alagnak River with ATA Lodge!
RAINBOW TROUT FISHING ON THE ALAGNAK WILD RIVER AT ALASKA TROPHY ADVENTURES LODGE
RAINBOW TROUT FISHING IN ALASKA ENJOYS AN ALMOST CELEBRITY STATUS.
Those that seek them are passionate about catching them! For those “in the know” about what Alaska’s Bristol Bay Region https://www.atalodge.com has to offer, you could say that trout fishing is more like an obsession than a mere passion for these aficionados (or should I say aFISHionados)! They have discovered that there is no better place on Earth to pursue their quarry than the crystal-clear rivers that flow out of the Katmai National Park, in Southwest Alaska where ATA Lodge is located.
AND WHY DO THESE FLY FISHING ENTHUSIASTS GET SO FANATICAL ABOUT CATCHING THE TROUT OF THE KATMAI?
Well it’s quite simple really, it’s because they are more numerous, get bigger and fight harder here than almost anywhere else. Native and wild to our region, they spend their entire life cycle growing strong in the currents of the fast flowing Alagnak River. Also, these fish have a very short window of opportunity when food is available in large amounts. So the time between ice out and the next freeze is when they have to pack on as many calories as possible. That means they are aggressive and insatiable, eager to strike either surface or sub surface food sources.
THERE IS OF COURSE THE THRILL OF FEELING THE INITIAL “TAKE” OF A WELL PRESENTED FLY THAT IS ANOTHER REASON ANGLERS ENJOY TARGETING THESE TROUT.
That take is immediately followed by a series of explosive, line stripping runs and acrobatic leaps that literally causes grown men to “whoop” with excitement. It is euphoric and addictive. You could say that the “tug is the drug” they seek. It is the reason these privileged anglers come back year after year. There are few other places on the planet that can provide that kind of “high”.
It is not only the fact that these voracious trout fight so hard and leap so much that thrills our anglers; but they happen to be the most beautiful rainbow trout on the planet as well. The Alagnak is home to variety of trout known to us as Leopard Rainbow Trout. They are called such because of the fact that they are extra-heavily spotted.
BRISTOL BAY RAINBOW TROUT CAN VARY IN SIZE AND GIRTH, DEPENDING ON WHERE AND WHEN THEY ARE TAKEN.
On the Alagnak River rainbows put on over 20% of their weight during the summer because of the abundance of food. The river is rich in salmon fry, eggs and the flesh from spawned-out salmon carcasses. When you catch one of our older and larger rainbows, you may be tempted to say, “look at the shoulders on that fish.” This is in reference to the large girth of the body of the fish in proportion to its head size during seasons when food is available in abundance. Although our average fish may be around 18 inches in size, many fish are caught up to and over 25 inches; and in some cases they will reach behemoth proportions in excess of 30 inches in length.
WHILE A 6 WEIGHT ROD MAY SUIT TROUT FISHING IN THE LOWER 48, IT IS TOO SMALL FOR THE LARGER FISH YOU WILL ENCOUNTER IN BRISTOL BAY.
Therefore we recommend a 7 weight fly rod as these fish are heavy and currents can be strong requiring heavier rods and tackle. Weight forward lines are preferred as some of our water is large and a longer cast can be of benefit. A sinking tip line will come in handy as well as a floating line which you will also need. When fishing for rainbows on the Alagnak River you will encounter diverse situations as it is a braided river, known by locals as the Branch River for its many channels and streams of varying size, depth and water conditions.
OUR “BOWS” WILL TAKE A VARIETY OF OFFERINGS AS WELL.
Many traditional methods and flies that work “back home” will work in Alaska as well. As the river has diverse and abundant insect life with hatches happening all season long. The exception to that rule is the large rainbows that are found here. These fish are carnivores and they thrive on what the salmon runs produce for them. And as we get the largest runs of pacific salmon in the world in Bristol Bay, that food source is abundant during the summer when the Alagnak is a rich source of salmon eggs, alevins, fry and smolt, not to mention all the rotting flesh of the salmon which die after spawning. They also feed on sculpins, leeches and even mice that sometimes fall into the river from the vegetation along the shoreline. So depending on the time of year, our trout will be focusing on one or more of these different sources of food. Fishermen will need the “match the hatch” and those who come up with imitations of the appropriate type of food that the fish are concentrating on in the moment, will have the best success.
In June, right after the trout have finished spawning and before the salmon arrive, dry fly fishing is very effective, matching insect hatches that are happening on the river. This is also a great time to try out a mouse pattern skated across the surface of the river.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE EXCITING THAN SEEING A BIG LEOPARD RAINBOW TROUT ATTACK A MOUSE IMITATION ON TOP OF THE WATER!
This is also the beginning of the smolt out migration when the young salmon, born in the river, migrate out to sea for the first time. June is a time when leeches in the river are spawning as well. So switching over from surface flies to smolt patterns and big leech streamers are another great way to catch a lot of trout. These fish are not leader shy, and can be extremely aggressive - so you may want to go up in tippet size to ensure these brutes don't break you off,
Once the salmon arrive and start to spawn tactics will change from swinging steamers and casting dry flies to drifting beads and egg imitations along the bottom of the river. This is a sure fire way to catch trout once the salmon have started to drop their eggs. The later in the season after the salmon start to die and rot, we will switch again to swinging streamers that imitate the rotting flesh of the decaying salmon.
ATA Lodge is an ideal place to come and experience the type of fishing described in this article. We are situated at mile 52 from Bristol Bay itself along the banks of the fabled Alagnak Wild and Scenic River. The Alagnak River is made up of our Norther and Southern tributaries.
The Upper Alagnak flows out of Kukaklek Lake 29 miles above our camp which is joined by the Nonvianuk River which flows out of a lake of the same name 20 miles upstream of us. These two twin lakes are true jewels in the Katmai National Park and Preserve. The confluence of these two rivers is only 6 miles above ATA Lodge. So in effect we have over 100 miles of 3 rivers within easy jet boat access to the lodge which we have to choose from. This means that we don’t have to depend upon expensive “fly outs” to keep our clients happy and in to lots of fish. Located at the top of the the Alagnak’s famous “Braids”, where every mile of river represents perhaps 2-3 miles of fishable channels, we have well over 100 miles of accessible water to explore – ensuring that you will rarely see another fisherman and experience a truly wild and remote Alaska that few have the privilege to fish. There is none of the “combat fishing” that fishermen to many other parts of the state have to endure.
And if that weren’t enough, there are even more rivers and streams that you could visit during your stay. The headwaters and tributaries of the Alagnak River System begin their journey to the sea in the Aleutian Mountain Range which is visible from the Lodge. These head waters are home to some other famous trout fishing waters of the Katmai - names the initiated will recognize immediately like Moraine, Funnel, Battle, American, Kulik – names of rivers that fill a trout fisherman’s dreams at night. Fly outs to these as well as “big trout” rivers like the Naknak and Kiviak are only short flights away. So as you sit and read this article, whether on your computer at home or while day dreaming back at the office, I know you already have a smile on your face and have had to wipe the saliva from your mouth just thinking about when your next trip to this trout fisherman’s paradise will be – and to be honest, whenever that is, it can’t come quickly enough!
SO WHEN IT THE BEST TIME TO COME?
FOR THE TROUT FISHING PURIST, I SUGGEST COMING ANY TIME FROM JUNE 8 WHEN THE RIVER OPENS THROUGH TO THE END OF THE MONTH.
As mentioned above, this is a great time for dry fly fishing and using Mouse patterns on the surface, as well as swinging articulated leech and sculpin streamers. The fish haven't been fished in 8 months at that time so are not shy. They have just finished spawning and are ravenously hungry as the salmon haven't arrived yet to start dropping eggs. This is also a time of the year we offer our 3 for the price of 2 special which makes these weeks among the most affordable anywhere in Alaska for the quality of fishing and experience you will have.
ANOTHER GREAT TIME TO COME FOR THE TROUT FISHERMAN WHO HAS ALWAYS DREAMED OF CATCHING A GORGEOUS LEOPARD RAINBOW TROUT IS IN SEPTEMBER.
We call this our trophy trout time as the trout have been gorging on salmon eggs for weeks and their girth will have increased considerably. The trout will be feeding frantically as they sense the bounty is about to end. We will be finishing with the egg patterns soon and switching over to swinging flesh flies now. This is also a beautiful time on the river as well as the colors of autumn have started to set in.
No matter when you choose to come, we'll be waiting with the kettle on! Hope to see you soon!
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on fly fishing, bear safari, fly outs, raft trip, steelhead camp, and Alaska tour: https://www.atalodge.com/blogs/news/warning-this-article-can-cause-addiction-alaskan-rainbow-trout-fishing-of-bristol-bay-on-the-alagnak-river-with-ata-lodge
Black Friday Sale at Alaska Trophy Adventures Lodge - $1,500 Off Our Normal Prices in June and September on the Fabled Alagnak River of Bristol Bay, Alaska!
We have an amazing Black Friday Sale Deal for you!
We are offering $1,500 Off our normal prices during Prime Rainbow Trout as well as Prime Silver Salmon weeks in June and September during the 2018 Season at ATA Lodge!
The offer applies from today Nov 21 through Nov 30th!
The offer is good for the weeks of June 10-17 and June 17-24 of 2018. This is prime time follow this link for Leopard Rainbow Trout and Grayling. These are the opening 2 weeks of the season. That means that the river will not have been fished in 8 months and the trout will have just come off their spawning beds. They are aggressive and ravenous and will chase down a swung streamer. like an articulated leech or sculpin pattern as well as smolt patterns, as this time coincides with the out-migration of the young salmon that are making their way to the ocean.
This is also a great time to fish with dry flies as well as PRIME TIME for Mousing! It is great sport skating a mouse pattern across the surface of the water as well as an exciting way to fish! Watching these hungry trout smash a deer-hair mouse fly on the top of the water is unforgettable! Even our Grayling will hit mice at this time!
Speaking of Grayling, you can spend all day catching one after another on surface flies, sometimes watching them jump entirely out of the water and "pile drive" the fly on their way back down! I am not exaggerating when I say that 100 plus trout and grayling per boat days are a regular event this time of year!
The offer also applies for the weeks of Sept 9-16 and 16 -23 of 2018.
We consider these weeks our Trophy Trout and Char time together with some great Silver Salmon (Coho Salmon) fishing as well. Silver Salmon will be filling every pool on our part of the river by now. They have started their run in earnest by mid-August, but the run continues through most of September with new fresh Silvers coming in to the system every day! The colors of the landscape have started to change dramatically and it is our most beautiful time of year on the river. Moose are regularly seen as the rut has started, and it is not unusual to encounter big bulls as they start to chase the cows around.
By now most of the other 4 species of salmon have mostly finished spawning and have either died or are dying. The Trout, Grayling and Char have been gorging on eggs for a month or more and are big and fat! But the bounty hasn't finished for them yet as they now try to pack on any extra calories they can with the upcoming winter on the horizon. So now we start to switch over from beads and egg imitations to swinging flesh flies as resident fish are now feasting on the decaying salmon flesh as their primary food source. The Arctic Char are in their spawning colors as well and are beautiful to behold and as well as fun to catch.
So, if this sounds like something you don't want to miss, get in touch before November 30th to book your trip to the Wild and Scenic Alagnak River at Alaska Trophy Adventures Lodge and take advantage of this fantastic Black Friday Deal of $1,500 Off for June or September of 2018!
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on marriage, couples, and family:
https://www.atalodge.com/blogs/news/black-friday-sale-at-alaska-trophy-adventures-lodge-1-500-off-our-normal-prices-in-june-and-september-on-the-fabled-alagnak-river-of-bristol-bay-alaska
World Biggest Sockeye Salmon Run in Bristol Bay, Alaska
The World Biggest Sockeye Salmon Run Keeps Getting Bigger! ATA Lodge on the Alagnak Wild River sits poised to experience another Bumper Year in 2018!
The world's biggest sockeye salmon fishery keeps getting bigger. The red run next year at Bristol Bay is projected at 51.3 million fish. That would produce another whopping catch approaching 40 million, 18 percent higher than the 10-year average and 41 percent more than the long-term mean.
Last year's sockeye run to the Bay was in the all-time top five, with record surges to several rivers, especially on the west side. And more of the same is predicted.
Area manager Tim Sands said he believes recent warmer winters are providing better conditions for baby salmon.
"Early ice-out, late ice-in … having extra World Biggest Sockeye Salmon Run in Bristol Bay, Alaska growing time in those higher, upper lakes made those fish healthier, bigger, and more competitive when they got to the ocean," Sands told KDLG in Dillingham.
Biologists admit that predicting Bristol Bay sockeye runs is a tricky science. This past summer, for example, 42 percent more fish returned than projected, yielding a 37 percent higher catch.
Using salmon data from nine river systems in five districts, Bristol Bay managers have had a mean error of 14 percent in harvest forecasts since 2001.
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on marriage, couples, and family: https://www.atalodge.com/blogs/news/the-world-biggest-sockeye-salmon-run-keeps-getting-bigger-ata-lodge-on-the-alagnak-wild-river-sits-poised-to-experience-another-bumper-year-in-2018
Black Friday Sale at Alaska Trophy Adventures Lodge - $1,500 Off Our Normal Prices in June and September on the Fabled Alagnak River of Bristol Bay, Alaska!
We have an amazing Black Friday Sale Deal for you!
We are offering $1,500 Off our normal prices during Prime Rainbow Trout as well as Prime Silver Salmon weeks in June and September during the 2018 Season at ATA Lodge!
The offer applies from today Nov 21 through Nov 30th!
The offer is good for the weeks of June 10-17 and June 17-24 of 2018. This is prime time for Leopard Rainbow Trout and Grayling. These are the opening 2 weeks of the season. That means that the river will not have been fished in 8 months and the trout will have just come off their spawning beds. They follow this link are aggressive and ravenous and will chase down a swung streamer. like an articulated leech or sculpin pattern as well as smolt patterns, as this time coincides with the out-migration of the young salmon that are making their way to the ocean.
This is also a great time to fish with dry flies as well as PRIME TIME for Mousing! It is great sport skating a mouse pattern across the surface of the water as well as an exciting way to fish! Watching these hungry trout smash a deer-hair mouse fly on the top of the water is unforgettable! Even our Grayling will hit mice at this time!
Speaking of Grayling, you can spend all day catching one after another on surface flies, sometimes watching them jump entirely out of the water and "pile drive" the fly on their way back down! I am not exaggerating when I say that 100 plus trout and grayling per boat days are a regular event this time of year!
The offer also applies for the weeks of Sept 9-16 and 16 -23 of 2018.
We consider these weeks our Trophy Trout and Char time together with some great Silver Salmon (Coho Salmon) fishing as well. Silver Salmon will be filling every pool on our part of the river by now. They have started their run in earnest by mid-August, but the run continues through most of September with new fresh Silvers coming in to the system every day! The colors of the landscape have started to change dramatically and it is our most beautiful time of year on the river. Moose are regularly seen as the rut has started, and it is not unusual to encounter big bulls as they start to chase the cows around.
By now most of the other 4 species of salmon have mostly finished spawning and have either died or are dying. The Trout, Grayling and Char have been gorging on eggs for a month or more and are big and fat! But the bounty hasn't finished for them yet as they now try to pack on any extra calories they can with the upcoming winter on the horizon. So now we start to switch over from beads and egg imitations to swinging flesh flies as resident fish are now feasting on the decaying salmon flesh as their primary food source. The Arctic Char are in their spawning colors as well and are beautiful to behold and as well as fun to catch.
So, if this sounds like something you don't want to miss, get in touch before November 30th to book your trip to the Wild and Scenic Alagnak River at Alaska Trophy Adventures Lodge and take advantage of this fantastic Black Friday Deal of $1,500 Off for June or September of 2018!
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on marriage, couples, and family:
https://www.atalodge.com/blogs/news/black-friday-sale-at-alaska-trophy-adventures-lodge-1-500-off-our-normal-prices-in-june-and-september-on-the-fabled-alagnak-river-of-bristol-bay-alaska
The World Biggest Sockeye Salmon Run Keeps Getting Bigger! ATA Lodge on the Alagnak Wild River sits poised to experience another Bumper Year in 2018!
The world's biggest sockeye salmon fishery keeps getting bigger. The red run next year at Bristol Bay is projected at 51.3 million fish. That would produce another whopping catch approaching 40 million, 18 percent higher than the 10-year average and 41 percent more than the long-term mean.
Last year's Browse around this site sockeye run to the Bay was in the all-time top five, with record surges to several rivers, especially on the west side. And more of the same is predicted.
Area manager Tim Sands said he believes recent warmer winters are providing better conditions for baby salmon.
"Early ice-out, late ice-in … having extra growing time in those higher, upper lakes made those fish healthier, bigger, and more competitive when they got to the ocean," Sands told KDLG in Dillingham.
Biologists admit that predicting Bristol Bay sockeye runs is a tricky science. This past summer, for example, 42 percent more fish returned than projected, yielding a 37 percent higher catch.
Using salmon data from nine river systems in five districts, Bristol Bay managers have had a mean error of 14 percent in harvest forecasts since 2001.
Follow and click the link to read more about this article and see many more leading articles on marriage, couples, and family: https://www.atalodge.com/blogs/news/the-world-biggest-sockeye-salmon-run-keeps-getting-bigger-ata-lodge-on-the-alagnak-wild-river-sits-poised-to-experience-another-bumper-year-in-2018
