Why Consider a Luxury Fishing Trip

Luxury fishing lodges in Alaska are not common. The remote location of many lodges makes it difficult to import luxury materials for building and luxury materials for meals, entertaining, and daily life. Those efforts make luxury fishing lodges special. But it is not just the creature comforts that make up a luxury fishing lodge. In this "fishing the good life" blog, we look at why anglers choose luxury when Alaska is full of fishing lodges.

Why Consider a Luxury Lodge?

We count three primary reasons to consider a luxury lodge experience in Alaska - great fishing, accommodations, and service. Anglers choose luxury fishing lodges to enjoy and experience a side of the world that even the richest person might not know or have seen. These are places that blow your mind while allowing you to enjoy fishing in luxury and with people who care that your experience goes beyond the cost and becomes a trip you will always look back on and want to return. That is why anglers choose luxury fishing lodges in Alaska.

"An Alaska fishing trip is costly and often a once in a lifetime experience," notes Allen Walburn of Kodiak Island Resort in Larson Bay, AK. Allen notes that, because of this, luxury lodge guests "want to do everything possible to avoid any unpleasant surprises, so they seek out the best locations and lodges in hopes of assuring a satisfying experience that will supply a lifetime of memories".

Expect excellent meals such as this freshly caught sockeye salmon sushi from Angler's Alibi Lodge

Fishing with a Luxury Lodge

There are two groups of lodges, whether luxury or not - those that specialize and those that offer general fishing. Many luxury lodges specialize in a specific type of fishing or a specific type of fish.

If you are looking for a lodge that only offers fly fishing then you have a number of options. However, if you want a lodge that specializes in fly fishing for Trophy Rainbow Trout, then you likely want a luxury lodge. The reason is that many fishermen are willing to fish for whatever is available. For those who want something specific like fly-out fly fishing trips to spots where the fishing for trophy trout is ridiculously good, then that costs a bit more. What luxury means in this case is access to the best location, the best opportunities, the best guides, and the best equipment. That is what fishing at a luxury lodge is like. It is simply the best.

Luxury fishing is a wide open clear water stream with just the right amount of morphology and not another fisherman for miles around. There is no combat fishing here. There has, potentially, not been another soul here for weeks or months. This is not the Kenai River during peak King Salmon season. This is more like a remote stretch of river that most of us have never heard of because it's too remote.

Luxury fishing is an experience that is difficult to simulate unless you have the skills, knowledge, and resources to put the right person on the right river at the right time. That is luxury. That is one reason anglers choose a luxury fishing lodge.

Beautiful and relaxing main lodge at Kodiak Island Resort

The Accommodations at a Luxury Fishing Lodge

The luxury fishing lodge goes beyond catching fish and includes comfort every minute of the day. This is a place where your downtime is as important as your fishing time. What that means for guests of such a place is comfortable living spaces and comfortable communal places. Many luxury fishing lodges are made using high-grade materials and/or remarkable craftsmanship. Some may be hand built but all of them are classy and comfortable.

Expect to sleep in actual beds with plush mattresses and linen that has a high thread count, designer label, and is soft and comforting. Expect food that is prepared by a trained chef and menu options that are high-end such as prime rib, filet, fresh salmon, and the likes. However, it is not just the main course that is luxury - it is the entire meal. Fresh fruit, veggies, and sides that are not available locally. Expect that every bite you take is heavenly.

Allen of Kodiak Island Resort echoes the thoughts on accommodations, "Our 7000 square foot lodge is a newly constructed log cabin that features six guest suites, each with 2 queen sized beds, Egyptian cotton sheets, a full sized private bath and daily maid service. All of the lodge furnishings are upscale and our chef is professionally trained to provide gourmet meals."

Alaska is a rugged place and to go to the effort to supply food items that are difficult to come by is about caring. Luxury fishing lodges want everything you touch to be quality and that everything that you eat is five-star. This is a place that is used to dealing with people who expect perfection. That is what luxury fishing lodges offer in Alaska - a little piece of heaven that is totally unexpected.

The Service at an Alaska Fishing Lodge

We mentioned the word caring early, and it is the staff, management, and owners who do the caring. Expect service from the moment you log onto a luxury lodge website and step onto their docks. Luxury is about not having to do everything yourself. A lower number of guests allows for greater focus on each guest; Allen says, "Keeping our occupancy level low allows us to provide top flight personal service."

This service is not just about life at the lodge, but also life on the river. Expect guides that know the waters, help you with your gear, and place you on top of trophy fish. Expect them to make this the trip of your lifetime and they will. Don't think the luxury accommodations stop at the docks either. For Kodiak Island Resort at least, they keep the luxury feel up on the water as well. "Our catamaran boats are unsurpassed in comfort," notes Allen. "They are equipped, with top flight electronics, heated cabins, private bathroom and highly experienced full time boat captains who are great fishermen as well as gentlemen."

Luxury Lodge Options

These are the reasons that many anglers consider a luxury experience for their Alaskan fishing trip. If you are considering this type of trip, then review our list of the top ten luxury lodges in Alaska.

SPECIAL THANKS: this informational post was sponsored by Kodiak Island Resort and we appreciate their thoughts on what makes an Alaska fishing trip a luxury one. Allen and his wife were looking for a way to beat the summer heat of south Florida. He owned a fleet of charter fishing boats in Naples and she is a former executive with the Hyatt Corporation, so they it was a logical combination of experiences.