By Pete Gray
It was a long 2020, we were all ready to get out, and one of the Let’s Talk Hookup trips that I was fortunate enough to host this year with Harold Davis was Katmai Lodge in Alaska. I have been to Katmai several times, dating back to the “Marty Milner” era. He was the one that introduced me to this amazing destination, and I will always be grateful. It is truly a must visit place!
After arriving in Anchorage, we overnighted preparing for our flight to the lodge the next morning. The flight is part of the adventure- landing on the 5000-foot gravel runway in a 16-passenger twin prop plane right at the lodge! We were delayed a few hours due to fog at the lodge, but still managed to get a few hours on the river on day one producing a limit of sockeye salmon and a few king salmon. What a great start! Most of the group also had success.
Day 2 it was more of the same. Our day started with limits
of sockeye. I fished with my guide Adam and joined Harold Davis and his buddy Gary and their guide Jamie. We caught our 10 fish limits each in less than two hours, and we were done with sockeye! Our 50-pound boxes were full.
The variety of fish at Katmai Lodge during our Let’s Talk Hookup trip is amazing. You can target sockeye salmon, king salmon, chum salmon, (during even years add pink salmon), trout and grayling. Our next target was king salmon then trout and grayling. I personally love the trout fishing in th
e Alagnak River. They are big, strong native rainbow trout and can be a challenge to catch. My personal best in the river is a 28-inch rainbow. Unfortunately, the trout fishing was much slower that normal due to the early start of the sockeye salmon run, so no big ones for me th
is year. Many of the trout follow the sockeye up the river to their spawning grounds 70 miles up to famous rivers like the Moraine and American. This is the target for anglers at Katmai Lodge on fly out trip in August and early September. There were several of our group that caught some big rainbows, mostly on spinners. I did manage to catch a few trout on “mouse patterns” (like surface iron fishing on a fly rod- exciting) as well as spinners and jigs. We also caught several artic graylings on dry flies which was super fun!
Many people have the idea that Katmai Lodge is a fly fishing only destination, and nothing could be further from the truth! For most of the fishing spinning tackle can be way more effective. Covering more ground and targeting bigger fish. The powerful strikes by the big king salmon on a light spinning rod is amazing.
Katmai Lodge own
er Bob Kantor has taken Katmai Lodge to the next level. The food is amazing- I gained 5 pounds! Hard to believe that this remote location can produce fresh and fantastic meals day after day. Laura and the rest of the staff are fantastic. Bob is also the float plane pilot and will take you on an adventure to the famous Brooks Falls to see brown bears, or the upper rivers to target huge trout. The wildlife along the river is a real treat. Brown bears a abundant, along with moose, huge Alaskan beavers, otters and tons of bald eagles. It’s not just a fishing trip, it is truly a great adventure into one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the world.
Join us in 2022 for our Let’s Talk Hookup/Davis Boats trip. Dates are July 16 to 23, 2022. There is a 4 day package and a 7 day package. Details are on the trips page of www.letstalkhookup.com. Katmai Lodge gave our group a very special rate only good for our trip. Book now as most of the spots they set aside for our group are already taken! Check katmai.com or give them a call at 800-330-0326.
