One cannot talk about top fishing lodges in Alaska without mentioning Alaska West. Admittedly we take a little bit of credit for, in our opinion, the best Tent Camp lodge in the state but we also know to give credit where credit is due. The main reason Alaska West is so special is because of the legendary Kanektok River. Here are 10 Reason the Kanektok River is so special.
- The Fish. The river is often described as “a fish factory” and we think that is an accurate description. Our season on the river is short, but an insane number of fish and fish of different species are available from mid June to the end of August.
- Swinging for Kings. It is no secret that we love to swing flies and there may be no fish we like to target more with a two handed rod than the mighty King Salmon. The King Run on the Kanektok is similar to swinging for steelhead except there are more of them, and they are bigger and stronger.
- The Salmon Grand Slam. Kings, Chums, Sockeyes, Pinks, and Silvers, all on flies and all on the same day! If you still have energy after that, go chase a rainbow, dolly or grayling to see how large your number for the day can get!
- Giant Leopard Rainbow Trout. Not only are they gorgeous but they can be targeted with a range of tactics from swinging flies to casting rodents.
- Clowned Up Dolly Varden. When these fish get dressed up in their spawning colors, there is no cooler looking fish on the planet. We have these fish around, lots of them..
- It is remote, but easy to get to. All you have to do is arrive into Anchorage and we take care of the rest. We will charter a plane from Anchorage to Quinhagak, right at the mouth of the river.
- Far from Bristol Bay Lodges. Following up with point 6 in regards to location. We charter a plane to get you from Anchorage to the river but it is too far for the lodges of Bristol Bay to reach with their float planes. This helps greatly reduce the overall pressure.
- 18 Miles of River. We cover a large amount of the river meaning there is plenty of water for everyone. Most of those 18 miles of river are braided furthering the amount of fishable water.
- Side Channels. Speaking of those braided sections, we love fishing the smaller side channels they create. They are all filled with fish and offer a different type of fishing experience when compared to the larger, main branch.
- The River Hardly Ever Blows Out. The surrounding tundra does a great job of absorbing extra rain water. That combined with the low gradient means the river rarely gets blown out.
Those are some of the reasons we are so grateful to call the Kanektok River home. Want to learn more? Reach out here!
More From Alaska West:
Gentlemen, I am trying but failing to find a comparison of the Kanektok and Goodnews rivers. I have an opportunity to float/fish either (Kanektok in early/mid July; Goodnews in late July/early August), but I can find little useful information to make a decision. For what it’s worth, I’m more interested in Trout/Dollies/Grayling than Salmon and more interested in smaller salmon species than King.
Any advice you can offer would be most appreciated.