If you are interested in staying at a fishing lodge in Alaska, you have probably stumbled upon a lodge being ‘self-guided’ or ‘fully-guided’. While you’re trying to wrap your head around which one is right for you, we have had the opportunity to experience both types of lodges and would love to share our learnings with you.
Self-Guided Fishing Lodges
Generally speaking, a self-guided fishing lodge will provide lodging, meals, fishing equipment/tackle, and a boat to use during your stay. Whether you only want to fish a few hours per day or prefer to stay out from sunrise to sunset, you are free to come and go as you please. By definition, a self-guided fishing experience does not include a guide or deckhand. You may be provided navigational maps or some verbal tips about general fishing areas, but by law self-guided lodges are not able to direct you to exact fishing spots.
Key Characteristics of Self-Guided:
- Adventurous: If you are adventurous and take pride in figuring out fishing spots, tides, which jigs/lures/bait to use, etc., than self-guided might be right for you.
- Flexibility: You craft your own schedule and can come and go as you please.
- Gear/Tactics/etc.: You can use whatever gear you would like to use.
- Limits: Depending on the fish species and time of year, self-guided anglers usually have a higher legal limit for the amount of fish they can keep. For example – in Petersburg, AK, a self-guided angler can keep 2 halibut per person per day whereas a fully-guided angler can only keep 1 halibut of a specific size per person per day.
- Affordability: The rate for a fishing day is less expensive than fully-guided.
- Duration: Typical stay is a full week.
- Accumulated benefit: Frequently guests spend the first year learning the local area and fishing tactics and then choose to return in subsequent years so they can “hit the ground running” with their knowledge of how and where to catch fish.
Fully-Guided Fishing Lodges
Generally speaking, a fully-guided fishing lodge will provide everything you need for a successful trip. In addition to meals and lodging, a fully-guided lodge will provide a knowledgeable charter captain and deckhand who have extensive experience fishing the local waters. They will typically be equipped with top-of-the-line fishing gear and well-appointed boats. The Captain’s responsibility is to take you to the best fishing locations in the area and make sure you catch fish. The deckhand will prepare your rods, bait your hook and help wherever needed – such as netting your trophy salmon!
Key Characteristics of Fully-Guided:
- Time: If you have a limited amount of time, fishing with a captain who already knows the local area and fishing spots may help you catch more fish.
- Safety & Guest Comfort: Since your Captain knows the water quite well, if the weather picks up, the captain will let you know how rough the ocean may be for that particular day. Captains will know the most productive and comfortable fishing locations based on specific weather patterns. If conditions are still too rough for you, most lodges have alternative activities that you can participate in such as hiking, spa treatments or river fishing.
- No Hassle: Your captain and deckhand will take care of everything on-board. You do not have to worry about catching bait, locating productive fishing spots, cleaning your fish or scrubbing down the boat after a long day on the water.
- Flexibility: First and foremost, the captain’s job is to deliver an enjoyable experience for your specific group (not one size fits all). Some groups prefer intense fishing the entire time, while others may prefer to take whale watching or wildlife viewing breaks.