It is not often you get invited to have a week's flyfishing in Alaska for half price. Very short notice but I grabbed it willingly. The Bristol Bay Lodge was 90 min from Dillingham, part bus and part boat, and situated on Lake Aleknagik. There is no road access to Dillingham which was approx 500km SW of Anchorage. That section was done by an included charter flight. The lodge, the organization, the staff, the food, and the fishing were fantastic, In fact, really superb. We had two nights at distant camps , one of which was over an hour away by float plane. These were also beautifully equipped and a great adventure in themselves. Everything was provided; waders, rods and reels, all the flies needed, and, anywhere, anytime, alcohol, was available at no extra cost. Beer on tap if required at the lodge. Usually it was one guide to two of us fishing. Sometimes the guide would walk us down the fast flowing river when we were chasing trout. On several occasions we stopped for lunch on a river bank and the boats guides would cook a beautiful lunch of fresh salmon and chips. At the lodge, every dinner was four course, and after each day's fishing the bar at the end of the dock was open and staffed by an ever-smiling lass. Nothing like a rummy an coke, or three, after a long day in the field.
So please enjoy the following pics. Unfortunately, photos through a small plane's windows is not always so successful, but the scenery was so magnificent.
Not my photo but seen everywhere - sockeye salmon having swawned, turned red, and now dying
1st day washed out by horrendous "tempest" - not ever the floating dock could survive
First day on the river
Ready for lunch
Flying to an outer camp
We reach the Bering Sea - could't see Russia
Moving away from Russia. We had take a long way round because of turbulence in the mountain areas
Finally, the camp and we landed in a lake behind, and not in the river below
