Dillingham / Alaska
Tailwaters Fly Fishing TravelALASKA FLY FISHING
Bristol Bay Lodge is one of Alaska’s premier world-class wilderness fishing lodges. Founded in 1972, Bristol Bay Lodge sits on a wooded rise overlooking Lake Aleknagik and the surrounding mountains of Wood-TikChik Park, some 40 air miles northwest of the small and remote town of Dillingham.
Bristol Bay Lodge has the distinct advantage of being utterly surrounded by pristine wilderness and dozens of spectacular fisheries. Their fishing program maximizes the opportunities in terms of variety of rivers fished, species caught, and even methods of fishing during any given week. BBL also offers a totally unique opportunity for guests to enjoy two intimate, comfortable outpost camps on very rare private water during their stay. This overnight experience is often what is remembered as one of the highlights of a trip to Bristol Bay Lodge.
Location: Dillingham, Alaska
Species: Trophy Rainbow Trout, All Five Species of Pacific Salmon, Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, Grayling, Northern Pike, Lake Trout
Seasonality: June - October
Rates: from $14,950, $14,950 Per Angler // 6.5 Days / 7 Nights
If you want the full Alaska experience, seeing lots of different rivers and catching many species in one day (and often as many as you could handle in one day or even a week), BBL is the lodge for you. They have designed a guided fishing program that allows guests to fish a different location each day, and have the opportunity to catch every species available during that week.
BBL has dozens of different and spectacular fishing destinations given their prime location, including the renowned Agulowak and the Agulopak, inside Wood-TikChik Park. These rivers provide productive fishing for rainbows, grayling, char, and dolly varden all summer long. Additionally, two of their fisheries feature their exclusive, luxury, overnight outpost camps where guests can stay the night in true remote, Alaskan wilderness.
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Bristol Bay Lodge is a well-appointed facility that offers comfortable elegance in a wilderness setting, with a breathtaking view you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. The main lodge features a professionally equipped kitchen, spacious dining room, and a great room with sofas, fireplace, and a bar. The lodge’s decks are a favorite gathering place for appetizers, cocktails, and telling fishing stories. Guests can also relax in the hot tub or sauna after a long day of fishing. There are eight bedrooms in the main lodge, and four private cabins set around the grounds.
Bristol Bay Lodge also offers a totally unique opportunity for guests to enjoy two intimate and comfortable outpost camps on very rare private water. Imagine just four guests enjoying the comfort of a private camp on private water with incredible fishing.
Although fishing is the predominant activity at Bristol Bay Lodge, we encourage non-angling companions to visit the lodge as well. Perhaps the best way to see Alaska’s beautiful countryside, wildlife, and wilderness is on a fly-out fishing trip. Wildlife encounters and photographic opportunities are everywhere, including daily sightings of bears, as well as wolves, moose, bald eagles, and other bird life.
BBL is by no means a pretentious “fly fishing only” program. Beginner anglers are welcome and encouraged to use spinning equipment (provided) instead of fly-rods if required to make guests more comfortable and successful.
Before you book
From $14,950 per person. $14,950 Per Angler // 6.5 Days / 7 Nights
Tailwaters Travel must adhere to the cancellation policies of the guides, outfitters and lodges which it represents. Bristol Bay Lodge’s policy follows: A fifty-percent (50%) nonrefundable deposit is required at the time of booking to confirm all reservations. All trips must be paid in full 60 days prior to departure day. All trips booked within 60 days from departure must be paid in full. A deposit may be transferred to another person who is not booked at the lodge for the current season. Deposits are refundable for cancellation only after/if the cancelled space has been filled. Refunds are not granted for non-flying days due to weather or reasons out of the lodge’s control. Refunds of deposits/payments made on credit cards will be charged a 3.5% service charge to fully compensate Tailwaters Travel for all bank charges incurred. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgement that registrant has read and accepts the cancellation, refund, and responsibility clauses.
Given the strict cancellation and refund policies associated with nearly all fishing packages, we cannot stress enough the importance of obtaining travel insurance to protect your investment. Redpoint Travel Protection / Ripcord offers competitive medical/cancellation/interruption coverage to couple with their industry-leading medical evacuation services. Click here to learn more and contact us to generate a quote.
Bristol Bay Lodge operates on a Saturday - Saturday schedule.
The first leg of the trip is accomplished by guests reaching Anchorage, Alaska, which is serviced by numerous commercial carriers. All anglers who plan to use the lodge’s charter to Dillingham must overnight in Anchorage on Friday night. We will provide a number of hotel recommendations for your stay in Anchorage.
PRIVATE CHARTER TO / FROM DILLINGHAM & ANCHORAGE Bristol Bay Lodge organizes charter flights to and from Dillingham and Anchorage. Guests arriving on a Saturday will use the lodge's private charter; guests arriving on any other day will fly Alaska Airlines on a flight booked by the lodge. Upon arrival in Dillingham, guests are met by BBL staff and driven to Lake Aleknagik where they board large, covered boats for the stunning ride to the lodge. The total time from the airport to the lodge is approximately one hour.
On departure day, guests depart the lodge at 7:30am on one of the covered boats for the return trip down the lake to Dillingham, where they then board their return flights to Anchorage. Guests then navigate to their connecting commercial flights home. There are many “red-eye” flights from Anchorage to the Lower 48, so it is possible to continue onward from Anchorage on Saturday evening and arrive at your home city on Sunday morning.
Bristol Bay Lodge is open from early June through early October.
Choosing a date to fish anywhere in Western Alaska depends on which species you would like to target. Fishing is excellent all season, but the conditions and species available vary from month to month and may impact when you decide to visit. All months are excellent for viewing wildlife, and anglers often find themselves sharing the river or stream with multiple grizzly bears doing a little fishing of their own.
The annual salmon run plays a huge role in the productivity and style of fishing. Every summer, millions of Pacific Salmon return to their home streams to spawn and die, contributing in this natural cycle of life that maintains the health and productivity of the fishery.
Contact Tailwaters
Contact our travel team to discuss dates, availability and a trip to Bristol Bay Lodge.
Trip details and availability are confirmed with the travel team.
Packing correctly for an Alaska fly fishing trip can make or break your experience.
With Alaska Fly Fishing Guides Rebecca Milne & Bryson Storie
Bristol Bay, Alaska, is a trout angler’s dream: wild rivers, crystal-clear water, and abundant native rainbow trout. During the salmon spawn, these trout become voracious feeders, targeting salmon eggs drifting downstream.
There’s a magic in Bristol Bay, Alaska, that only comes alive once a year: the salmon run. The rivers swell with life as sockeye, king, coho, pink, and chum salmon make the long journey back home to spawn. But this isn’t just a fish story . . .
Bristol Bay, Alaska, is world-renowned for its wild salmon and trout, breathtaking scenery, and abundant wildlife. Planning a trip here can be overwhelming, especially when deciding how to fish.
Most fly anglers feel the draw to visit Alaska - the remoteness, the float planes, the wildlife, the sense of adventure each day brings, and the variety of wild fish species willing to eat a fly.
Heading up to the Last Frontier this summer or fall? We know that packing for a trip to Alaska can be daunting, but don’t worry, we’ve compiled a short list of “must haves” when heading up North that…
Dillingham, Alaska
Alaska is host to a diverse fishery of native and wild fish, depending on your lodge’s location and the seasonality in which you are visiting. The fish can be much larger than traditional US West trout fishing and the weather can be all over the map. Many lodges in Alaska offer gratis or rental rods, reels, waders, boots, and tackle, though oftentimes anglers traveling to Alaska prefer to bring some of their own gear. All to say, there are nuances to understand when packing your bags for Alaska.
Our Alaska collection of gear, flies, tackle, clothing and accessories is curated by our team of professionals that have guided and fished across multiple lodges and dozens of fisheries in the Last Frontier. Whether it is in-store, online, or through a virtual outfitting appointment, we would love to lend a hand getting your gear organized for a trip to Alaska.
