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Over the 33-year history of Bristol Bay Lodge we have been able to assess exactly what our guests want and we have designed and fine tuned a fishing program that maximizes the opportunities in terms of variety of rivers fished, species caught and even methods of fishing during any given week. If you want to catch the same species all week long, we are not the lodge for you because our program does not provide for this.
 Most acclaimed of Alaskan lodges, Bristol Bay Lodge represents the classic Alaskan experience. Nestled around Bristol Bay Lodge are cozy cedar cabins, set among tall fir trees. All overlook majestic Lake Aleknagik and through the huge panoramic window guests will witness a breathtaking scene as the sun rises and sets over the mountains. The walls of the lodge are decorated with great trophies caught by a myriad of fishermen over thirty years, set among impressions and photographs of every animal that roams the surrounding wilderness, clues to what experiences await.
Waiting serenely dockside are three immaculately maintained DeHavilland Beaver floatplanes, ready to roar into life taking smiling, expectant fishermen into the wilderness that Bristol Bay Lodge guests can access so easily. Adjacent to the floatplanes, rest the fleet of jet boats, patiently nodding on Aleknagik’s morning ripples, ready to explore the lake and its diverse rivers.
Just when the comforts and care of the lodge and the gentle scent of cedar make you question if this really is the wilderness, there is a chance for just four, or perhaps six fishermen, to overnight in the heart of the wilderness and have a real Alaskan adventure. Bristol Bay Lodge’s legendary Outpost Camps, so famous for the extraordinary fishing that they provide all season long, offer the chance to fish all day and under the midnight sun, then sit around the campfire and truly relax. Not only are the Outpost Camps set on prolific and uniquely private waters, but they also indulge guests in wonderful comfort with delicious cuisine . . .but nobody back home needs to know that part of the “ wilderness experience!”
Location
Founded in 1972, Bristol Bay Lodge sits on a wooded rise overlooking Lake Aleknagik and the surrounding mountains of Wood-TikChik Park. The lodge presides over a quiet scenic bay some 40 air miles northwest of the small, remote town of Dillingham, 300 miles west of the nearest connecting northwest road system.
Bristol Bay Lodge is Alaska’s premier world-class wilderness fishing lodge. Strategically located in the heart of America’s largest state park, Bristol Bay Lodge has the distinct advantage of being utterly surrounded by pristine wilderness. The lodge’s proximity to the watersheds within Wood-TikChik Park and Togiak National Wildlife Refuge means more fishing and less travel time, with flights averaging only 30 minutes. Abundant home water fishing is also minutes from the lodge. Just a short boat ride from the lodge’s front door is the world-famous Agulowak River, celebrated for its productive fishing for rainbows, grayling, char, dolly varden, and sockeye salmon.
Accommodations
Catering to up to 26 guests per week who desire the finest freshwater angling available, the lodge’s well-appointed facility offers casually elegant wilderness living filled with creature comforts and an atmosphere of camaraderie. The main lodge houses our completely equipped professional kitchen, the dining room, our large living room with bar area, the library and a huge fly tying bench laden with everything one needs to tie quality flies suited to the surrounding rivers. The famous see-through fireplace is fronted by a panoramic view of Lake Aleknagik.
We have eight bedrooms in the main lodge as well as a fully equipped fly and tackle shop. Our guests can arrive with nothing but a waterproof jacket and be fully outfitted. In warm weather the lodge’s decks are the favorite gathering places for appetizers, cocktails and weekly barbecues. The hot tub and sauna get lots of use after fishing – relaxing sore muscles. Set around the lodge, but private in every regard, are four cedar cabins, often used for small groups or families. Each cabin is different offering its own character, yet all offer scenic views of Lake Aleknagik, slightly fragrant with the scent of cedar as you would expect of true wilderness cabins.
Travel to Bristol Bay
If your reservation at the lodge is a Saturday-to-Saturday stay, you need to be in Anchorage on Friday in order to make the departing flight to Dillingham on Saturday morning. If your reservation for the lodge is Monday to Monday, you must be in Anchorage by Sunday in order to make the departing flight to Dillingham on Monday morning. This is a must for both domestic and international guests. It is imperative that you are on the following flights detailed below in order to connect with the scheduled transfers to and from the lodge on your days of arrival and departure.
Outpost Camps
Although we believe Bristol Bay Lodge to be among the finest, if not the finest, Alaskan lodges, there is no question that is a claim that could be made by others. Equally, there can be no argument that Alaska has some of the finest and most productive fishing on the planet; we are lucky enough to enjoy a piece of it. Where we are totally unique is in providing the opportunity for our guests to enjoy two intimate, comfortable (recently upgraded) outpost camps on what amounts to very rare private water. Imagine just four guests, or six from time to time if an intact group, enjoying the comfort of a private camp on private water with incredible fishing. You can fish all night under the midnight sun or just enjoy sitting around the campfire in the middle of nowhere but with a full staff and full communications in case of emergency. It does not get better than this and this is what Bristol Bay Lodge and Shackleton, with its international experience in remote operations, do best. Guests fish other rivers during the day, rotate into one of the outpost camps at about 5 pm, spend 24 hours there, then return to the lodge the following evening.
Bristol Bay Lodge maintains exclusive leases on the two most exceptional river fisheries in all of the Bristol Bay Region. Northwest of the lodge is Birch Creek Camp. Directly west of the lodge is Rainbo Camp, located on the tidewater/confluence of two exceptional rivers. This overnight experience is often what is remembered as one of the highlights in a trip of a lifetime.
To describe these outpost camps as just “great fishing” would be to ignore what is possibly the best overall wilderness experience in Alaska today. Picture yourself witnessing phenomenal scenery and wildlife below as you come in to land on the pond that services the camp facilities. Once landed, your guides will take hold of the airplane’s guide ropes and smoothly tail it up on shore. You unload and spend a few minutes chatting with the outgoing group about the spectacular fishing they have experienced just that day. You take a moment to look around at the stunning beauty and the serenity inherent in all of remote Alaska, then continue to the camp thinking about the amazing fishing you have already experienced that day while day dreaming about the fishing to come. You turn just in time to see the pilot lift off the water, bank and turn away from you and across a cloudless blue sky; the smile on your face is one of anticipation. You arrive at the intimate camp perched on the banks of the river and begin to chat with the guides who already are planning your next fishing adventure.
Both camps have fixed beds with fresh linens warm full sized sleeping bags, fleece liners, heaters, running water, and full service lavatory. Each camp also has three guests tents that accommodate two fishermen per tent, as well as a main cook tent that is used for serving breakfast and dinner plus a central meeting place for sharing fishing stories, often filled the scene of laughter well into the night. Both camps are staffed with two experienced guides as well as a camp chef to take care of all of your needs.
Facilities at Outpost Camp
Each of the camps has a unique charm and distinctly different types of fishing but both are equipped with heated ‘Weatherport’ tents built on stable wooden platforms. With fully framed beds, proper mattresses, high-quality sleeping bags with sheet liners and fleece blankets, high-quality pillows and linens, the nights are cozy, warm and comfortable. The dining tents are spacious (for pre-dinner gathering, after-dinner fly tying or cards) and contain all necessities for the preparation of hearty meals. There is also a hot-water shower and flush WC facility. Each camp has its own boats and motors and radio and satellite communication as well as a fully experienced resident staff of two guides and a chef. Both camps have and will be visited by all guests each week. Waterproof bags will be provided to guests to use for the week for storage while traveling to our day and overnight excursions.
The Fishing at Bristol Bay
After spending an evening at the lodge, you will depart for one of two fishing destinations that will later involve an overnight experience at one of BBL’s two outpost camps. Spending the first day fishing one location, you will then be transferred by plane to either Birch or Rainbo Camp. Planes and passengers depart the lodge at 7:45 am to either the Togiak or Kemuk for the day. Between 4 and 4:30 pm (pilots will determine exact departure time) guests will be transferred to one of the overnight outpost camps. Upon arrival at Birch or Rainbo Camp, you will be greeted by a permanent staff consisting of two guides and a cook who will offer you a light snack and beverages. Dinner is typically served at 7 pm, allowing for several hours of fishing time before dinner if you are so inclined. After a meal served in the dining tent, guests can enjoy some time to relax or make a few last casts on the river that runs only yards in front of camp.
Species to Catch
s possible until ice fills your rod guides in late October. The resident freshwater fish, rainbow trout, arctic char, dolly varden, lake trout and northern pike -- are available all season long. The salmon return to the rivers of their birth to spawn and die at varying times during the summer beginning with the chinook (king) and the chum (dog) in June, the sockeye (red) and the pink (humpy) in July, and the coho (silver) in August. The anadromous dolly varden run in our rivers in June, July, August and September. Twelve species of fish either inhabit the waters or return here to spawn, making the Wood-TikChik/Togiak area a true angler’s paradise with good, reliable fishing at all times during the season. The salmon are normally running fresh for 5- to 6-week periods, making it possible to fish for more than one anadromous species during many weeks of the season.
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