gomer
09-09-2008, 11:10 AM
Well, as some of you may know, I got a job guiding for a lodge in Alaska for the summer and I thought I would share a bit of my experience with everyone here.
My summer officially started on memorial day, when I made the 7 hour nonstop flight from Detroit to Anchorage. I spent the first week in Anchorage in a hotel with the other guides while we took a class in order to get our "6 pack"s. Which for those of you who don't know what that is, is a coast guard certification that guides need in order to operate boats in Southwest Alaska. After what seemed like the longest week of my life, I flew out to Lake Marie Lodge, which is a 100 mile bush plane ride from Anchorage and is about 50 miles from the base of Mount McKinley. Here I spent two weeks with the other guides building an addition on the lodge and getting it ready for the first clients of the year. Lake Marie Lodge is mainly known for its king fishery, but unfortunately not many had shown up yet while I was there for the first 2 weeks in June.
Here is a picture of Mount McKinley (right) and Mount Foraker (left) from the lodge at 2am.
http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953148_7359.jpg
There are a lot of bears in area around Lake Marie Lodge, both black and browns. We didn't have too many problems with them while I was there, but a blackie did get into one of the guide cabins one morning and the lodge owner had to shoot it (he did have a tag for the record).
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953143_5784.jpg
The fishing was slow the two weeks I spent at Lake Marie, but I got into a few kings while fishing for trout, however, they were a bit smaller than I expected. :lol:
http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953149_7661.jpg
Finally, after being in Alaska for three weeks, I was shipped out to a different lodge, called Alaska's Clearwater Lodge, which is ran by the same owner as Lake Marie. Clearwater Lodge is near Bristol Bay on the Kvichak River. The Kvichak (pronounced "Kwee-jack") is the outflow of Lake Iliamna, which is a huge 90 mile by 30 mile lake. It is known mainly for its big rainbows and it gets the largest run of sockeye salmon in the world. Aside from one short week or so break in the middle of July, I guided every single day until the end of August.
The Sockeyes start running at the end of June and peak in the beginning of July. It was basically solid fish swimming along the shore past the lodge every day for almost three weeks.
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953160_1123.jpg
They were all bright silver out of the ocean and fought like crazy, but sockeyes don't really hit anything until they start to hold up near spawning areas. However, lining is an excepted and legal practice out there for sockeyes. The clients loved it, but I must say it felt funny teaching people the most effective way to floss fish...:lol:
During our short break from clients in the middle of July the fishing was kind of slow because it was in between runs. The streamer and mouse fishing for rainbows was pretty good though and the last few days the silvers started showing up along with quite a few chums. The chums were super aggressive when they were fresh and would chase down streamers big time.
Typical fresh chum
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953190_1279.jpg
Nice bow
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953154_9213.jpg
The bows really liked white bunny leaches and for good reason, check out these crazy things
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953166_3066.jpg
My summer officially started on memorial day, when I made the 7 hour nonstop flight from Detroit to Anchorage. I spent the first week in Anchorage in a hotel with the other guides while we took a class in order to get our "6 pack"s. Which for those of you who don't know what that is, is a coast guard certification that guides need in order to operate boats in Southwest Alaska. After what seemed like the longest week of my life, I flew out to Lake Marie Lodge, which is a 100 mile bush plane ride from Anchorage and is about 50 miles from the base of Mount McKinley. Here I spent two weeks with the other guides building an addition on the lodge and getting it ready for the first clients of the year. Lake Marie Lodge is mainly known for its king fishery, but unfortunately not many had shown up yet while I was there for the first 2 weeks in June.
Here is a picture of Mount McKinley (right) and Mount Foraker (left) from the lodge at 2am.
http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953148_7359.jpg
There are a lot of bears in area around Lake Marie Lodge, both black and browns. We didn't have too many problems with them while I was there, but a blackie did get into one of the guide cabins one morning and the lodge owner had to shoot it (he did have a tag for the record).
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953143_5784.jpg
The fishing was slow the two weeks I spent at Lake Marie, but I got into a few kings while fishing for trout, however, they were a bit smaller than I expected. :lol:
http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953149_7661.jpg
Finally, after being in Alaska for three weeks, I was shipped out to a different lodge, called Alaska's Clearwater Lodge, which is ran by the same owner as Lake Marie. Clearwater Lodge is near Bristol Bay on the Kvichak River. The Kvichak (pronounced "Kwee-jack") is the outflow of Lake Iliamna, which is a huge 90 mile by 30 mile lake. It is known mainly for its big rainbows and it gets the largest run of sockeye salmon in the world. Aside from one short week or so break in the middle of July, I guided every single day until the end of August.
The Sockeyes start running at the end of June and peak in the beginning of July. It was basically solid fish swimming along the shore past the lodge every day for almost three weeks.
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953160_1123.jpg
They were all bright silver out of the ocean and fought like crazy, but sockeyes don't really hit anything until they start to hold up near spawning areas. However, lining is an excepted and legal practice out there for sockeyes. The clients loved it, but I must say it felt funny teaching people the most effective way to floss fish...:lol:
During our short break from clients in the middle of July the fishing was kind of slow because it was in between runs. The streamer and mouse fishing for rainbows was pretty good though and the last few days the silvers started showing up along with quite a few chums. The chums were super aggressive when they were fresh and would chase down streamers big time.
Typical fresh chum
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953190_1279.jpg
Nice bow
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953154_9213.jpg
The bows really liked white bunny leaches and for good reason, check out these crazy things
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v313/226/16/40004918/n40004918_32953166_3066.jpg