BRISTOL BAY LODGE | SALMON FLY FISHING | ALASKA

Stephen

Richard

Brilliant trip! Best yet with plenty of Kings!

Flight delayed from Heathrow, but were looked after very well. Paid for single accommodation, but was not bothered as i fished alone all week. Second hosted trip, but as yet to fish with host, however, i had my own guide for the week, so i had a real personal touch. A fantastic trip, fully recommended!

Vinny

I must say it was my first time to Alaska and the hosted trip was first class regarding the fishing I have been to Scotland 6 times and never caught a fish. Not the case in Alaska plenty of salmon.

The lodge is first class and the staff are very helpful

Miles

A great trip all round as always and great company.

Thanks to Sportquest again for everything. If I had one criticism it would be about the standard of fishing tackle (Rods n Reels) at the lodge. They are not of the highest of standards as you would expect from such a high class lodge.

My suggestion is if you like top quality rods n reels take your own. If you a new to this the lodge equipment will be ok, but for more experienced anglers better and faster rods would allow you to fish much better.

Carlo

Hi Peter,

A brief note to thank you for the trip of a lifetime - it was everything I thought it would be and more.
As you know, this was my first foray into fly fishing and the few lessons I had before going proved very worthwhile. Having said that, all the guides were fantastic and most of my catches were down to their incredible enthusiasm and advice. I caught 40 fish in total, including 4 20lb+ Kings (one of which I caught twice - thanks Luke!). Needless to say the fishing is amazing, especially for a novice, but there are many other other pluses:

All the staff at Bristol Bay are hard working and enthusiastic and really go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your holiday - they genuinely make you feel special which is really nice.
The accommodation is very comfortable, even at the outcamps, and the main lodge couldn't be nicer.
The food is great everywhere, particularly considering the basic cooking facilities at the outcamps.
The scenery, especially from the air, is awesome - as is the wildlife.
All in all, an unforgettable holiday and I shall certainly be booking a second visit at some point!

Just a minor gripe : a 5 hour transfer (that turned into 6 hours) in Frankfurt was unnecessary and having to pay for a second bag in Anchorage, despite 2 bags being included on our tickets, was a little underhand.

Kind Regards,
Carlo Fossaluzza

Paul

What a fantastic trip yet again.

Ideally I would like 2 days at Rainbow, 2 days at Birch and 2 days on Togiak River, but I am sure all fishermen would like this option.

I do not enjoy to much the fishing on the wok for Sockeye Salmon.

It would be nice if there was opportunity to fish more with the double handed rod than just a couple of places.

Thanks to everyone from staff in the office to guides on the bank.

Stewart

What a great holiday, good company, wonderful fishing for 6 different species. First class guides, good food.

I caught the biggest fish of my life a 40" inch King between 38 to 40LB what an amazing fight.

Thanks to everyone and Sportquest for all the organising & managing.

Michael

Just a great fishing holiday which was the second year with my son to Alaska at 38 years old.

Really appreciated the whole experience as it is an idea Dad & Lad holidays for 5.5 salmon fishing days.

As the Salmon fishing was so good we caught so many fish that on the last day we spent the whole day Trout Fishing and had a farther & son competition. I did not quite make landing 100 fish but I did manage to beat the boy with a 7 fish lead, so very happy.

Great service from Sportquest Holidays as normal.

Miles

Peter, just to let you know we had great trip thank you.

It was better than last year, which is partly due to returning for a second time, I believe you are more prepared and know what to expect.

Also this year the guiding was first class, some of the new guides from last year have really improved.

In total I have around 35 Salmon, plus tons of Trout, Char and Grayling.

Thanks to everyone involved.

The ONLY negative point on the whole trip was British Airways, who first tried to bump me down from Club to WTP, then the cabin service was poor, then to top it all off the damaged my bags as they did last year. I know you have no control over them as nobody does, therefore I scored the flights as poor.

Khan

Last year at BBL was my first ever fly fishing experience. The second year was even better.

Great Lodge, outstanding guides, different fishing locations each day, remarkable food, (considering locations)

I am working out how to make the transition from a "Trip of a lifetime" to an annual event.

Many thanks to Robert and all the Sportquest staff for their help. everything from casting sessions to organising the logistics.

Ken

The whole trip was great, the staff at BBL were amazing. great new hosts, cooks and nice to see old faces again with the guides.

We all had an amazing adventure so many fish this year and one of the best ever. I have Chums to over 20LB and King Salmon to 35LB

I could not have asked for more.

We also liked the flights with Condor as the route feels more direct and we arrive at Anchorage at a better time of day.

Robert

We arrived via Frankfurt and over the North Pole which was spectacular Condor air is not the best but suited our timetable which gave my 2 "newboys" a chance to see Anchorage which is always changing and interesting we obviously took them to marvel at the huge sport supermarkets which still amaze me with millions of £ worth of stock!

The other half of the group came later via Seattle which surprised everyone by the speed of clearing customs.

The new private charter to Dillingham ran like clockwork .

We then started the final transport via bus and boat, the excitement was tangible now. The Lodge came into sight after 20 miles of high speed boat trip to reveal several improvements a new dock, new roofs all around.

I have been going to BBL for 14 years and without doubt this was the best yet.

Good Staff, good food and amazing fishing.

Alastair

The holiday was brilliant and very memorable – exceeding expectations – which were in any case very high.

Phil has been encouraging Fergus and myself to do this for many years and we finally got organised to do it. Great decision and thanks to Phil. Going on “Phil’s week” was an excellent choice for us – both to hit the maximum variety of fish and fishing techniques and also to have Phil to look after us in Anchorage and to meet with him and rest of his team at the lodge throughout the holiday. Travelling as a group of 4 good friends was also perfect – as Phil had advised – so we went everywhere together as a four and shared boats in pairs. Some risk if you went on your own or even as a two.

There were two things in particular that exceeded expectations so dramatically for me.
The first was the stunning beauty of the scenery, rivers and variety of remote wilderness we could access by plane. I had not expected this at all. I thought we would get great fishing but most likely in rather flat, exposed and featureless rivers. Maybe this was fault of Phil’s photos which of course concentrated on large fish! The camps were a highlight. We also saw exceptional wild life – bears jumping on fish, eagles of many types taking fish from the river etc. This all converted the holiday from simply catching large numbers to a real treat and adventure.

The second was the great variety of fish, fishing techniques, rivers and types of water, changing every day. Always learning something new and enjoying trying it out and always catching fish with it. Sticking with one or two only would have much diminished the richness of the experience.
Of course we caught lots of fish – 296 between the four of us – but it was the striking and playing of such energetic fish with small rods that stood out for me – though with different techniques from Atlantics which took a little to adjust to. I think we lost 2-3 fish to every one we landed. We broke 2 rods and lost at least 2 lines to energetic fish. If I was to be picky and try to find a fault it would only be that the fly casting required was not very skilful or pleasurable when compared with Atlantics.
No problems with mosquitos – a real bonus as I had expected this to be a major irritation.

Steve runs an exceptional operation. Very well disciplined logistics to move everyone and all their kit around every day, charming staff in the Lodge – notably Genessa, Dawson, Christina and Rose – and some great guides. Buzz on the Togiak and Wok and Tyler and Joe at Rainbo were outstanding for me. Professional, knowledgeable, ever-helpful, and good company. The great beard of Buzz will be remembered. Our day of “hopping” by plane with Dan - and his delicious tartar sauce on the bank of the Togiak – was a highlight and very memorable too.

It was also entertaining to meet some of the other American guests – particularly a couple of guys from South Carolina with great turns of phrase, unapologetic political incorrectness and with views way to the right of anything! (They offered to give us Obama, Clinton – and anyone else in the democrats we wanted - in exchange for Cameron. Don’t think they quite got it on how far left Cameron is).

The Lodge was perfect for us – not grand but comfortable, great food, charming staff and nice touches like the drinks reception on the jetty at the end of a day. The camps were exceptional - really giving the feeling of being out in the wilderness and with much of the best fishing – we were lucky to be shut-in for a second day at Birch. Any attempt to smarten these up should be resisted. Brian the cook at Birch was charming, interesting - and a good cook.

Mel’s admin and instruction notes etc from Sportquest were very good.

Is there anything we could have changed to make it even better…………..?

1. Alaskan airlines were catastrophic. They lost Fergus’ and my bookings on the return flight and had to put us on a later flight with tight turn around to catch BA from Seattle. Both our bags missed the London flight and had to be loaded the following day. The 25lb of frozen salmon the Lodge had packed up for each of us took 3 extra days to get home and had to be tipped in the bin. My other bag was mis-loaded at Seattle and went to Denver on another Alaskan Airlines flight – it did finally get home but not without much anxiety of losing all my photographs! Some of the exhilaration of arriving home from such a great holiday was lost with the anxiety of chasing down delayed and lost baggage.

2. Better shower – or better still hot bath – in chalet at the lodge would have been nice.

3. We chose to make use entirely of the lodges waders, tackle etc – a great service to avoid carrying all one’s own stuff. Only a little surprised for such a well-run organisation that on two occasions, or was it three, fish were lost through line breaking at the backing, the backing breaking or the backing simply running free off the end of the reel. Reels, Waders and boots were good.

4. Hotel in Anchorage not great – noisy at night and no proper breakfast – but ok in my view so not a serious problem.

5. We were probably a touch late on the King salmon run and only caught one really big fish – Fergus got a 45lb fish in first 10mins on Togiak. May be an excuse for another trip!

We have of course buckets of photos and will be putting together an album. I am sure there are some we would happily share which might be of use for you. I can get together with Fergus and send you some.

kenneth

This was my 5th trip to Bristol Bay Lodge and as always the fishing was great as was the service we received at the lodge.

The accommodation at the lodge was very good, but the staff are the people that make the whole thing work so well. Nothing is ever to much trouble and they go out of their way to make your stay a great experience.

The fishing guides are brilliant and again they do everything they can to make sure you catch fish and enjoy the whole experience of fishing on great rivers and in fantastic surroundings and wonderful scenery.

I had a great weeks fishing and hope to be back next year.

Eric

The trip was a contrast of two half’s, the first part of the week was very disorganised and it all depended what guides you got. Some of the guides where very very good, some of the new guides were terrible.

Unfortunately for the first 2.5 days we did not get to fish what we wanted to fish for.

The second half of the week once we made it clear we only wanted to fly fish and swing flies we caught lots of Salmon.

Fergus

A truly wonderful fishing experience.

If you are frustrated from catching near to zero in Scottish rivers then look no further than Bristol Bay Lodge.

Steve and Janessa with all their attentive staff make your stay comfortable and extremely well organised.

The fishing guides are all first class but remember to ask and listen to how you should fish the different rivers and salmon.

The techniques are different and fascinating to learn and once you get them bang on,the results can be very productive.

I managed to catch over a hundred fish in the 6 and half days fishing and our group caught 12 different species of fish including a tiny flounder and gudgeon!!

Bad bits
The Old Anchorage hotel is noisy. Ear plugs a must and try to book rooms at the back.
Alaskan Airways...too many mistakes.
I lost my luggage for 3 days on my return flight so that all the lovely salmon that BBL had packed up for me went bad and when I eventually got my luggage back I had to throw it all away.

Our host Phil Barker was right about everything and the whole trip was even better than he described. Thanks Phil.

Race

Overall an excellent trip

Best: arrangements at Bristol Bay Lodge to get to and from fishing.

Staff and guides gave excellent service.

Tip for anyone staying at the Historic Anchorage, request rooms at the back of the hotel as they are much quieter.

Richard

Bristol bay is a very comfortable and well run lodge with two outdoor camps which are adequate.

I was not aware that we would be fishing with single handed rods as well as double handed rods. I should have spoken to Robbert more about the trip beforehand.

The lodge does struggle with getting and retaining decent guides to the river which for some 1st timers is essential. The guidance they give is very poor, one time we went to the river and only told we could do spinning very unenjoyable, but the next time we had perfect fly water.

All in all it was a great adventure but with a bit more detail before we travelled could have been an extra ordinary fishing trip.

We were with Robert Sheriff party who knows the ropes but i did struggle withe the fishing concepts.

Robert

Great adventure the flights in float planes over the Tundra are stunning, the fishing is incredible for the most part although the Pak fished well on one day and poorly on the second day. I guess that's fishing!

The flights from UK are long but I can still get to Anchorage quicker than the North of Scotland! The holiday works out cheaper than a week on for example The Helmsdale and price per fish caught bares no comparison .I personally lost count of Salmon caught but around 30 would be fair not to mention Dolly varden big Grayling over 2 lbs and Rainbows up to 4 lbs !

The lodge is homely the out camps remarkable for what they are with 2 guides and a chef for 4 rods Having said that one camp is a little primitive but way better than a tent!

The staff are very good with only one guide below standard the lodge staff very helpful and friendly.

The transport is excellent with fast boats and very good aircraft! and I believe 27 staff for 24 rods!

The Hotel in Anchorage is quiet and adequate I have stayed at better downtown but the noise of trains and traffic is relentless all night.

I wish there was a flight out on Saturday afternoon as once you head for home its best to keep going!

I think 2 nights before the adventure would be better as Anchorage has so much to offer.

Jeremy

Bristol bay lodge is in a wonderful setting, but a fair way to go. Some of the rooms are a bit tired, and some of the meals were not as we would have expected.

The guides were helpful and on the whole knew what they were doing, However in certain areas it was vital to have the right guide if you wished to have the best fishing, They were a bit stuck in their ways, and so on the first couple of days until we had worked it out we fished methods we did not particularly enjoy.

The rods and reels provided were fine, however they only had a basic tip, those who had their own tips, enjoyed far more success as the flies could be presented at the right depth, without adding lead weights.

I had expected to fish mainly for salmon with the fly, but as it turned out I had in order, I days mainly salmon fishing, followed by half a day throwing weighted fly lines for sockeye, and half a day pike (1-3lbs), 1 day trout and grayling and pike fishing, I day spinning with eggs for king salmon, I day fly fishing for salmon and to finish half a day fly fishing for salmon and half a day trout fishing. So in total only 2.5 days fly fishing for salmon. One other party had 5 days fly fishing for salmon.

I have to say despite a few problems with some bad weather, and despite the lack of fly fishing for salmon, I did enjoy the trip, the pilots and float planes were excellent, the scenery stunning it was an amazing experience, I would go back but only on the guarantee I only did one days fishing on the pak and one on the wok.

Although the lodge provides fly fishing tackle I think it is far better to take your own rods and reels and lines.

Paul

Really enjoyed the fishing. Some excellent fly water and interesting to catch such a variety of different species .

The lodge was very comfortable and the staff extremely willing to please.

Would be great if there was a flight that would go direct to Anchorage, rather than have to change at Seattle, which is really tedious. Only negative note is that some of the guides lacked experience.

John

The seaplane journeys were a real experience.

The lodge staff and guides were excellent. The out camps were well set up and comfortable. The food was excellent with a multiple choice at every meal.

There was a large variety and numbers of fish Pike , Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling, Jacks, Sockeye, Chum and Kings.

I most enjoyed using the double handle rod with skagit head and sink tip. Most of the fish were close to the bank almost at your feet so the fishing was with a lure , split shot,weight and egg imitation. The fish could be seen and were moving past in shoals most of the day.

All in all a very good trip and one to be done again.

Michael

Another amazing trip

Better food this year

Best part definitely was catching 56 king salmon plus 2 chum salmon in a 4hour session with my son
Who had never picked a fishing rod up until the day before!!!

Love to go back

Miles

All round, it was an excellent trip with some fantastic fishing. A few points practical points ...

Immigration into the US is a nightmare, which ever port / airport you enter through. Seattle is no exception. It took 1.5 hours but you need to allow plenty of time for connecting flight to Anchorage. Once you get through this nightmare you are then queuing for customs and then for security. Wouldn't allow less than three hours next time.

The perception is that Alaska is freezing cold all year round but in July the weather is more akin to Scotland in Summer. Layers are the key. Having said this it was 80 degrees the month before our arrival and a fire ban was in place so covering all bases is the key. As much of the good fishing is accessed by float plane the weather is clearly an important issue. Rain and wind are not so significant but fog is a show stopper. Its Alaska afterall, so weather disruption is a possibility any week and this does cause fishing rotation problems.

At BBL you can arrive with literally no gear at all and they will have you fully equipped. This is a real benefit when flying with so many connections as not taking waders, boots etc. cuts down on weight and bulk. All the advice was you have to take hiking boots (if only to get across the infamously muddy Dillingham Airport car park). In reality this is not the case and they are re not needed at all. They take up valuable space and can be left at home. There are only a relatively small number of spey rods available for those who want to fish with double handers as all of the fishing is with single handed rods.

The fishing is not just about big salmon in numbers. It is just as much about catching wild rainbows on dries (stunning fun), nymphing for grayling and pursuing other species such as Dollies and Char.

Alaska is not Scotland on steroids. Yes there are many more fish, they are bigger fish and there are more species and although the principal and outcome is the same the process is more ‘industrial’ but we found that the guides were responsive if we said we were not enjoying a particular style of fishing on a particular beat they were more than happy to move on and try something different. Apparently, it is only the British who don’t like using shot on their floating lines but if you want to catch fish then you have to get that fly down! Some of the methods would not suit a true salmon purist !

The only gripe with BBL, (apart from the shower – Every Lodge must have good showers) were the guides. It seemed to be a mix of very experienced guides who had fished the waters for years (the minority) with the majority being ‘rookie’ guides. They were very experienced guides in their own right but didn’t have the extensive local knowledge one would expect in a destination of this caliber. There was certainly a very strong correlation between guide experience and number of fish caught. Having said this, they were all polite, enthusiastic, friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

Overall, it was a great trip with some fantastic fishing, a real experience for the first timer not only in terms of fishing but in terms of seeing amazing wildlife and experiencing something truly different.

Graham

Thank you for a great holiday and my first trip to Alaska. Both your organisation and that of the lodge staff was excellent. Everyone works hard including the guides who certainly know what they are doing. So a big thanks to everyone.

Personally as this was my first trip to Alaska I did prefer the camps to the lodge as it is nice to be able to carry on fishing after dinner and a few drinks. I also found the fishing to be of a better standard at the remote camps. Only points I could mention that was the food was not as high as I expected, there was plenty of it just thought it could of been at a higher standard for a lodge that is considered as one of the best fly fishing lodges in the world. Also areas of the lodge are starting to get a bit tired but I understand this year the lodge is going to have some work completing.

Having said that overall I thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip and look forward to anther trip to Alaska soon.

Michael

Another amazing trip to Bristol Bay Lodge, great company and lots of Salmon.

This is my second trip and I will be back for more, there is only one thing I could possibly say on a negative view was, personally I do not think the food at the lodge and one of the camps was to the same standard as the previous year. Having said that all the services runs like clockwork and the guides are excellent and thats what we go for.

Philip

Travelling: Started really well with 5 out of 8 upgraded from premium economy to Business. Quite a few missed the connection at Seattle but were on the next plane soon afterwards so caught up. On the way home, 2 people were bumped off the flight for which we had reservations. They were put on the next flight so all ended well.

The lodge was great and the fishing was full on, you need a rest once you return.

Richard

Fantastic trip great fishing and hospitality I really couldn't fault it.

Worth every penny defiantly a trip of a lifetime.

Hanz

The organisation has to be seen to be believed, I would go back just for the experience. Although the aim of my trip was to target the Kings the other fishing available did sway me away on some days, after all who could refuse the huge rainbows. Thanks Peter I took a little persuading but boy am I glad I listened.

Paul

Another amazing trip this time we fished for the Silvers, the shear numbers of fish was mind blowing.

Andrew

Along with Dollys, Graylings and Char. The char shore lunch was excellent. These guys run a top notch operation. Steve Laurent does a great job making every guest feel at home and the pilots and guides all want you to be successful and have a great journey. I saw moose, caribou, eagles, and a bear or too. It was a blast!

Michael

Transfers, fishing, guides and accommodation all first class could not fault. A dream trip door to door. Only negative point is the flight connections are long but I know you can not do anything about it.