Alaska Travel Advice

Straight advice on Alaska fly fishing destinations, from Sweetwater's own lodges to Katmai rainbows and Southeast steelhead.

In addition to our operations at Copper River Lodge and Royal Coachman Lodge, there are a number of outfitters and lodges we represent in Alaska. If our operations are not right for you, we will tell you. If you simply want to see something different, we understand that too. The truth is that it is fun to see new rivers.

There are several areas in Alaska where we do not operate, but where we know the water, know good partners in the business, and would be happy to help arrange the right Alaska fishing trip. Timing is critical. It is best to book these trips as far out as you can because the lodges we recommend are usually sold out months in advance. Here is the basic overview before we get on the phone with you.

Katmai National Park

For many anglers, Alaska is about one thing: giant rainbow trout. By giant, we mean fish that can average 23 to 26 inches. There is no place on the planet, including Kamchatka, that will deliver so many big trout in so little time.

There are tradeoffs. Think crowded fisheries, a race to the best holes, hook-scarred fish, and plenty of bead fishing. It is not that you will not see some of that elsewhere; it is that it can be 90 percent of what you do in Katmai National Park. That said, the fisheries are mind-blowingly solid and the experience is exactly right for many anglers. A number of our closest friends work and guide in Katmai. The lodges we recommend are predominantly fly-out operations, so you will see a number of great trout fisheries and bears. Lots of bears.

Southeast Alaska

Southeast Alaska is a trickier fishery, and one we will likely do our best to talk you out of. It is absolutely scenic and rich in spring steelhead, but in our view it is not comparable to summer-run British Columbia steelhead. That said, there are a handful of boat-based outfitters we do recommend. If you insist on chasing steelhead in the spring, Southeast Alaska, not BC, is your best option.

Spring steelhead fisheries in Alaska are too depleted for us to recommend them casually to clients. Most rivers have returns that number in the low hundreds. The fish are in and out of the systems in less than three weeks, so the window is as difficult as they come. Add terrible weather and possible floods, and we will likely ask again: why do you want to go steelhead fishing when tarpon are flooding through the Keys, bones are tailing in the Bahamas, or permit are feeding in Belize? That said, if Alaska spring steelhead is on your life list, we will steer you to the best available option.