By Pete Gray
I Have been going to Katmai Lodge for over 20 years, and this amazing place never disappoints. This trip with our Let’s Talk Hookup/Davis Boats group was no exception.
We started in Anchorage and unfortunately hit a bad window of weather on our departure day, Saturday. Heavy rain and fog delayed our Ace Charter flight to the lodge all day and we finally made it in the late afternoon but missed our first ½ day of fishing. . It gave us time to settle into our room and get fitted with waders and boots. That turned out ok, because the next 6 days were amazing.
My fishing partner Billy and guide Jamie started out hitting the deep holes for king salmon. This is super fun fishing bouncing jigs or throwing spinners on light 40
00 size Shimano spinning reels and G-loomis rods, all supplied by Katmai Lodge. When the king hits they really slam it. You know fast if it is a big one. The larger kings will stay deep, and it feels like you hung a tree! We caught King salmon on this trip from 2 pounds 
to 30 pounds! They put the kings in 3 categories, the smaller fish less than 20 inches are Jacks, the fish that are 20 to 28 inches are considered Magnums and those over 28 inches are adults. You can keep the jacks and magnums if you want but they encourage you to release the adults. We didn’t keep any as we were counting on filling our box with fresh sockeye. So, our next stop was to fish from shore with fly rods for sockeye. These salmon run close to shore as they make their way to the upper rivers 70 miles away to spawn. The technique is to toss the weighted egg and hook out about 10 feet and let it drift until one of the sockeyes runs into it. Once you hook one the fight is on. These super fresh salmon are bright and energetic, having just come in from the ocean just hours before. Some even have 
sea lice still on them. These bright fish make great table fare, and we had our limit of 10 each in less than 2 hours. We went back to hunting kings and finished by 5 pm and headed back to the lodge. Our second day was spent much the same. Kings, then limits of sockeye, then kings Another successful day in great weather. As the week progressed, the weather kept getting better. We had 3 days that the temperature hit 74 degrees!
We spent our 3rd day in the upper Alagnak River chasing trout and grayling on the fly rod. This is the ideal Alaska wilderness experience, with brown bears, moose, giant beavers and bald eagles. The Alaskan rainbow trout fishery in the Alagnak is not what is used to be. We used to have days of 20 to 50 big fish. Now you are lucky to get a couple of nice ones and several small fish. Speculation is that due to the lack of Chum salmon returning to the river, the huge population of trout that used to be in the Alagnak migrated to the upper rivers and followed the sockeye. Sockeye spawn in the upper rivers that are great fly out destinations in August. Katmai Lodge does have their own Otter float plane to take anglers to these rivers. I have done these, and it is amazing. The Chum and Kings spawned in the gravel beds of the Alagnak, and the numbers of Chum were incredible, so the numbers of rainbow trout were great too. Probably due to over commercial fishing in Bristol Bay, decimated the Chum numbers. Hopefully, they come back but the state of Alaska needs to re
vise their regulations to make this h
appen.
We did catch a few rainbow trout and had lots of fun catching Artic Grayling 6 to 15 inches on dry flies.
Katmai Lodge is a super remote lodge that has many advantages over other Alaska fishing destinations. It is located on the prime spot of the Alagnak River in Katmai National Park with several outboard powered boats at your disposal. Prop boats for fishing down river and jet boats for upriver. You can choose the adventure you want. Many remote lodges are “fly out only” and subject to weather. If the weather is bad, you are stuck at the lodge. Not at Katmai Lodge- you walk down to the boats and go fishing. They also have their own float plane for a fly out option, or to visit Brooks Falls for brown bear viewing. They have their own runway, which allows a charter flight right into the lodge. The rooms are super comfortable, the food is great, and the guides and equipment are first rate. Bob and Ida Kantor are amazing hosts and deliver an exceptional Alaska wilderness experience. Katmai Lodge is extremely popular, and books up fast. If you want to go in 2024, check katmai.com for more information and give them a call to check availability. We will be back next July!
