Included / Not Included: –
Included: Accommodations and meals at the lodge, transportation between Igiugig and the lodge, daily fly-outs (weather permitting), personal guides and/or pilot, fishing licenses, flies, use of boats and rafts, and soft drinks and mixers.
Not Included: Airfare to and from Igiugig, Alaska, accommodations and meals in Anchorage, hard liquor (please feel free to bring your own bottle), fishing gear equipment, staff and guide gratuities.
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information: To get to Royal Wolf Lodge you need to make flight arrangements to Anchorage, Alaska. The lodge itinerary is Friday to Friday. All guests will need to arrive in Anchorage on Thursday and overnight. (Hotel not included in package.)
Getting to the Lodge: Friday morning you will be scheduled on a charter flight from Anchorage to Igiugig (not included). In Igiugig you will take the lodge float plane to Royal Wolf Lodge.
Departure Information: On your departure day (Friday) you will take the float plane to Igiugig and a charter flight from Igiugig to Anchorage. Please refer to your itinerary as to whether an overnight in Anchorage will be required/recommended.
Travel Cash:
As a guideline we recommend that each guest travel with approximately $800-$900 for staff & guide gratuities and alcohol. You may pay the lodge for your charter flight with cash or check. The lodge does NOT accept credit cards.
Gratuities:
We recommend staff gratuities of approximately 10% of your package price. This can be given to the head guide at the end of your stay. Cash is preferred.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are included in the package price and will be issued on-site.
Climate:
The weather in Southwest Alaska is highly variable. Anglers should always come prepared for cold rainy conditions, especially early and late in the season. Typical daytime temperatures range from 45-80 degrees.
Medical Facilities:
The closest medical facility is in Naknek, approximately a ½ hour flight from the lodge. The closest hospital is in Anchorage. The lodge stocks a fairly large amount of medical supplies that can handle numerous medical situations. In emergency situations, a charter flight may required to reach a medical facility and guests may want to consider medical evacuation coverage. We recommend Global Rescue coverage. Guests have the responsibility to disclose any special medical, physical, or dietary needs to the lodge ahead of time.
Power and Communications:
Cell phones do not work at the lodge, however, portable satellite phones may be brought, if needed. Satellite internet is available if you want to bring a wireless laptop.
Water:
All water at Royal Wolf Lodge is pumped and filtered and very good for drinking.
Clothing:
As the climate is extremely changeable and a wide range of temperatures and conditions can be expected, we recommend layering clothes. Typical fishing clothing consists of synthetic long underwear, fleece jacket and pants, hooded sweatshirt, 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 casual.
Laundry:
Laundry service is not available. Please bring enough clothing to last your amount of stay. They can handle emergency situations to provide dry clothing if needed.
Beverages/Alcohol:
The lodge provides soft drinks and mixers. Guests may bring in their own hard alcohol.
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“I just wanted to thank you again for a great week at Royal Wolf. We all had a ball! You two run a wonderful operation - the accommodations are exceptional; the guides are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly; your entire staff is warm and efficient; and the meals were gourmet. And to top it all, the fishing was outstanding! Thanks again from all of us.” R.S., CA
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Tackle/Equipment List:
Rods: A 7 or 8 weight graphite rod is your day-in/day-out best option for the rivers around the Katmai region. These rods will allow you to throw big flies and sinking lines, as well as have the power to play big fish in a reasonable and safe manner. Even on some of the smaller rivers we fish you will find that a 7 or 8 weight is essential on windy days. A second rod to consider is a 5 or 6 weight in the event that you chose to do some small stream fishing for grayling or small trout. Particularly because of our hiking destinations, 4 or 5 piece rods are very nice, though not essential. We are also big proponents of 2-handed rods as many of the rivers we fish, particularly through July and again in September, can be fished much more effectively with the big rods. Again, if you chose to bring one, a 7 or 8 weight is a great option.
Reels: Any well-made reel with at least 100 yards of backing.
Lines: A good floating line is a must for your week at Royal Wolf. However, depending on the time of year that you are here, it is very likely that you will also use sink-tip lines for a good portion of your week. 15’ tips with sink rates between 3-6 inches are the best. For instance a Rio 15’ type III or type VI is an excellent option. In all but the highest of water, 24’ “Teeny” type sinking lines tend to be too heavy to be fished in all of our sinking line destinations. If you have a 24’ sink-tip line that you really want to use, we recommend cutting the tip back to approximately 12-15ft to make it fish more effectively under normal conditions. A good line option to consider for your week is a Rio Versi-Tip. This system includes a floating tip as well as several sinking tips that are quickly interchanged using a loop connections system. The obvious benefit of a Versi-Tip system is that you need only 1 reel and no extra spools to accommodate all your possible line needs for the week. For your 2-handed rod we strongly recommend Rio Skagit lines for a variety of reasons. Contact us here at Fly Water Travel for assistance in matching the appropriate Skagit-type spey line to your rod.
Leaders/Tippet: Trout; 9-10 ft tapered leaders in 2X- 5X (four or five of each) and tippet to match. Note that you can go light on leaders and the guides will often build you a simple leader of their liking. Tippet of choice is 6-12 pound Maxima Ultra Green.
Flies: The lodge has an excellent program in which flies are included. With that said, we recommend that you come with some of your favorite patterns as well. During August and much of September beads that closely resemble salmon spawn will be the primary patterns and the guides have that stuff very much under control. If you tire of that technique, we like to have several Morrish Mice, or some big leaches and or sculpins on hand to mix things up.
Waders & Boots: Chest high breathable and or neoprene waders with felt soled wading boots. No studs or cleats please, as they damage the aircrafts and 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.
