Included / Not Included: –
Included: Accommodations and meals at the lodge, wine and beer with meals, guiding, round-trip transportation between Sitka and the lodge, all saltwater fishing equipment including waders and wet weather gear (except small sizes), municipal rents, user fees, and sales taxes. Lodge will clean, package and freeze one box of fish per guest to take home. Travel fish box is provided.
Not Included: Airfare to/from Sitka, accommodations and meals in Sitka, fly fishing equipment, staff & guide gratuities, fishing licenses, hard alcohol, and logo clothing and gifts. Note: Fish box storage at charter company is about $10 per box.
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information: To get to Baranof Wilderness Lodge you need to make flight arrangements to Sitka, AK. All guests need to arrive in Sitka the evening before your fly-in day to the lodge and overnight. (Hotel not included in package.)
Getting to the Lodge: The following morning you will take a float plane flight from Sitka to the lodge. Get settled in and go fishing.
Departure Information: On your departure day you will fish for a half day and then take a chartered boat tour back to Sitka, arriving in the late afternoon. All guests will need to overnight in Sitka. (Hotel not included in package.) Depart for home the next day.
Documentation Requirements:
To participate in the activities of Baranof Wilderness Lodge, guests will be required to sign a Waiver and Release Agreement on-site.
Travel Cash:
Baranof Lodge does NOT accept credit cards so you will need to pay for all your additional expenses in cash. We recommend traveling with a minimum of $600 -$1,000 for gratuities, gifts, alcoholic beverages.
Gratuities:
We recommend guide and staff gratuities of approximately 10% of your package price. Tips are pooled and can be given to the lodge owner/manager, Mike Trotter, at the end of your stay. Cash and checks are accepted.
Fishing Licenses:
You will need a valid Alaska fishing license. Fishing licenses are not included in your package price. While they can be purchased at the lodge (cash only), we recommend that you purchase them online ahead of time. You will likely need both a freshwater and saltwater license and we anticipate that this will cost about $60 cash on-site.
Climate:
The weather in Southeast Alaska is highly variable. While southeast Alaska can experience warm blue bird days in the summer time anglers should always come prepared for cold rainy conditions. Typical daytime temperatures range from 45-70 degrees.
Medical Facilities:
The nearest medical facilities are in Sitka which is about a 20 minute flight from the lodge
Power and Communications:
There is 24 hour electricity from the lodge’s own hydroelectric plant. Guests can use their own cell phones from most places once out in the bay, and some work at the lodge. Wi-fi internet service is also available in the cabins.
Water:
Tap water is potable and excellent.
Clothing:
Typical freshwater fishing clothing consists of synthetic long underwear, fleece jacket and pants, hooded sweatshirt, stocking foot waders and felt or rubber soled boots, and a good fishing rain jacket. Fingerless gloves are nice for cold mornings, and bring along a warm hat for early and late season fishing. For anglers made particularly uncomfortable by biting insects, pack along a mosquito head net if visiting during the first half of the season. Dress at the lodge is always informal.
When saltwater fishing, most anglers wear rubber boots, bib and slickers. The lodge has a good supple of these, but if you are traveling with children under 12, we recommend that you bring fishing clothing/equipment in their respective sizes.
Laundry:
Laundry service is not available at the lodge so please bring everything you will need for your stay.
Beverages/Alcohol:
Wine and beer is served with meals. There are typically 2-4 wines available each evening as well as plenty of beer. Beer is also packed into the boat lockers. Guests are welcome to bring their own hard alcohol.
Tackle/Equipment List:
Rods: Trout: 8-9 ft. 4-6 wt. rods; Salmon: 9-10 ft. 7-8 wt. rods.
Reels: Any well-made reel with at least 100 yards of backing
Lines: Trout: Weight forward floating lines are the norm, but a 10 ft. sink tip can also prove handy. Salmon: Weight forward floaters are the most common but bring along at least one of the following if you are deliberately targeting salmon in the salt: 10-24 ft. fast sinking sink tip or shooting heads such as the Teeny 200 or 300 grain lines-intermediate.
Leaders/Tippet: Trout: 7-9 ft. tapered leaders in 2-4X and tippet to match. Salmon: 7-9 ft. tapered leaders in 1-0X and tippet to match for floating lines and short 4-5 leaders in 10-14 pound test for saltwater. Note: these leaders can be simple loop to loop sections of single diameter material as opposed to pre-made tapered leaders. For coho a spool of 12 pound maxima is handy.
Flies: The lodge has an assortment of flies but we would recommend that you bring your own favorites if convenient.
Trout: Standard trout dries such as Adams, Royal Wulff, elk hair caddis, stimulator, and humpies in sizes 10-14. For wet flies we recommend assorted glo bugs in 6-8, black and purple egg sucking leaches in #2-4, assorted woolley buggers, assorted smolt patters such as the Morrish Small Fry, big eye smolt, blue smolt and small clouser minnows in sizes 6-10.
Salmon: Some of the following are also productive: Cook’s Popsicle, pink pollywog, flash flies, deceivers, assorted saltwater baitfish patterns, bright bunny leaches, and Clouser minnows in sizes 1/0-2. When the Dolly fishing is on, having some mid-size flies that skate/strip well on the surface is a lot of fun. Note: The lodge is happy to provide all flies at no additional cost.
Waders & Boots: Chest high breathable and or neoprene waders with felt soled/rubber wading boots. No studs or cleats please, as they can damage the boats.
Miscellaneous: Polaroid fishing glasses, needle nose pliers or hemostats for releasing fish, nippers, camera and lots of film, insect repellent and a head net if you are sensitive to bugs, sunscreen, a waterproof bag for your day gear, hat, bandana, split shot, and tape measure.
Note: The lodge stocks a complete set of waders, wading boots, as well as rods and reels if you should need them.
