Rates
We have 2 different trip options
5 Day 4 Night Float Trip: $5,700 Per Person in June and July, $6,000 p/p in August
6 Day 5 Night Float Trip: $6,000 p/p in June and July, $7,000 p/p in August
When we have solo anglers we will try and combine their trips with another group in to complete a group of 4 anglers or combine solo anglers together.
Gratuities and Travel to location are not included in this price
FAQs
Is a float trip right for me?
If you have been to Alaska you know that there are lots of lodges that fish the same water. Get away from the crowds and book a float trip.
Float trips offer a great diversity of water and the best access to angling all day. If your primary focus is angling time on the water a float trip can’t be beat. You can fish sun up to sun down and beyond if your stamina allows. Float trips are also better for less mobile people contrary to what most anglers think. A normal fly out experience might include miles of walking and wading. Often times a float trip requires minimal walking as rafts are utilized to access all water. People who like to walk and wade can expand their horizons by accessing more are.
What are the top reasons to go?
- This trip is an opportunity to fly fish in remote Alaska, catching trophy rainbow trout without the competition of the tourists and other anglers.
- Mousing for trophy rainbow trout all day long, not just at night. This experience is unique to the American River!
- Enjoy sight fishing big rainbows with Dry Flies, Nymphs, and more.
- Float the American River with experienced guides, who know the river and eating home cooked meals while basking in the midnight sun.
Who is best suited to this destination?
Anyone who is looking to get away from crowds and experience the Alaskan Bush will love this trip. Near the end of July and all throughout August, you will be sharing the river with bears for the salmon run. This river does get quite a bit of wind, which can make casting a bit more technical, but it tends to keep the bugs away!
We provide meals with an Alaskan flare and can accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions.
Young and old are welcome, even with the sometimes tough wading, our guides are here to assist clients around the river. Clients will also need to be comfortable spending 4-5 nights on a cot.
How do I get there?
Booking travel to King Salmon is easy! Alaska Airlines flies directly from Anchorage to King Salmon, so you can book all of your travel in the same booking. If you don’t want to use Alaska Airlines, there are several other charters that fly from Anchorage to King Salmon.
You will spend the night before your trip in King Salmon and then we will take a bush plane ride to the lake to begin floating down the river of your choice.
When should I go?
Trout Fishing season runs from June 8 – Mid September. Prime time for Mousing and Dry Flies is June 8th thru July 31st, while Beading and Red Salmon fishing runs Aug 1st – Mid September. So depending on what type of fishing you are looking for, that will change when you should book your trip.
June 8th – July 31st you can catch Rainbows on mice and dries, lower chance of running into bears, and less chance of rain.
Aug 1- Mid September during bead season we are sharing the river with a lot of bears. On average, we will see 10-15 bears a day. Our guides are trained to handle fishing around the bears and we have never had an issue. During this time period, we are only fishing beads.
How will I fish?
During our June-July time frame we are using mouse patterns, dry flies, nymphs, and a large assortment of streamers. A lot of the fishermen who come with us really want to catch a rainbow on the mouse pattern, so we will go out in the evenings and fish along the banks to give them that opportunity.
In August we are using a nymphing technique where we will be fishing with hand painted beads to catch the rainbows that are sitting behind the spawning sockeye salmon.
We have one guide per two anglers and provide fly rods, beads, and flies. While we are primarily wading in the river, there will be some opportunities to fish from the boat.
Is there wade fishing?
The best fishing on these rivers is knee deep in the water! We use the rafts as our transportation from hole to hole, but spend most of our time in the river up close with the trout.
Where will I fish?
For 5-6 days we will float about 40-65 miles of river, depending on the river, stopping at different holes along the way. While we only float one river during your trip, we cover a lot of area.
The American is the river that we fish all season long (starting with mouse patterns and dries then switching to beads), but there are a few other good rivers in the area if you are interested in something else.
The Alagnak is a multi-species river that is prime during July, or opening week when the smolt and fry run out of the lakes. The Moraine and Funnel Creek fish best in August and September when the salmon are spawning. This is more of a wade fishery where we camp and will walk 1-5 miles in a day fishing different sections of the river.
How long does it take to reach the fishing grounds?
We camp on a fishing hole each night and you will be able to take breaks and go back to fishing whenever you like. We catch multiple 28 inch fish every year within view of our tent! We do fish a little from the rafts, but the most fishing is done in the holes wading.
What type(s) of fish will I catch?
On American Creek trips we catch trout and Arctic Char. Alagnak River trips we catch trout, Grayling, Sockeye Salmon, Incidental King Salmon, Chum Salmon, and Pink Salmon with a chance to catch some Silver Salmon in August. Moraine and Funnel Creek Trips we catch Rainbow Trout and Arctic Grayling.
How many fish will I catch?
During our June-July trips on American Creek our anglers will catch 5-15 fish over 20 inches a day.During August, 10-20 fish over 20 inches a day. Everyone who has ever fished on American creek with us has caught a 24 inch Rainbow Trout.
Will I see other anglers?
If you don’t want to see other anglers we have a river that is perfect for you. We are one of the few outfits that float the American river and the only ones who float it for the whole season. This means we are in tune with what is going on with the river in regards to fishing and the flow. On some of our other rivers we do have higher traffic from day trippers who will fly in and fish just for the day; this lets us have the river to ourselves after 3-5 PM.
What are the guides like?
Our guides are experienced fishermen and professional guides. They can teach beginners how to fish as well as help more experienced fishermen on the river. We use a 2×1 approach, with 2 clients per 1 guide so you will have near constant access to them for help with netting and photographing your biggest catches, or you can go on your own and get help when you need it. Our guides are English speaking.
What are the physical demands?
We are able to adjust our trip to any physical demand. We do lots of wading as we use the rafts to move from fishing hole to fishing hole. Need to be able to get in and out of the raft, walk to shore, and sleep multiple nights on a cot.
What is the weather like? Weather FAQs
Weather greatly varies across the angling season and the location of your trip. Some generalizations though are that June is normally the driest and warmest month. July can be a mix of light rain and sunny days. August and September are generally wetter and windier with nice days mixed in. October and November see the first snows and days are notable shorter. A good way to sum up an Alaskan summer day is 2-3 days of partly sunny, 2-3 days of cloudy and 2-3 days of rain. Plan on a temperature range of 35-65.
Are there any special skills required?
No special skills are required. We have first time fly fishermen come with us every year!
Does the lodge provide equipment?
We provide everything besides personal clothing/hygiene, waders, boots, sleeping bags, and fishing licenses. We provide six man tents for every 2 Anglers with cots and pads for sleeping. We have a screen tent that we eat in, which keeps us out of the rain and bugs even the sun on sunny days.
We provide rods, reels, and flies but you can bring your own fishing equipment if you prefer.
What is your favorite setup for the trip?
The best setup for this trip is a 7 weight with weight forward floating line. We like the 7 because you can throw mice patterns, streamers and dries and won’t need to switch between a 6 and a 8 weight rod. If you don’t have a 7, stiffer 6s or 8 weights will work.
What are the top flies?
In June and July our go to option is a Mr. Hanky mouse pattern. You can fish these all day long, not just at night. Black and White Dolly Llama is a great streamer pattern that we can throw all year long. Olive Elk Hair Caddis size 12, Grey Hare’s Ear nymphs, and Prince Nymphs size 10-12 are also very successful flies. Come August, we switch over to beads. Our preferred modeled bead is Peach Pearl in size 6mm and 8mm, but we use a bunch of hand painted type beads as well.
What are the options if water conditions become challenging?
If the weather gets tough or the water is too wild, we will take a break on the side of the river and set up the screen tent to get us out of the elements. Even when the river blows out there are still spots we can fish so we will work those spots heavily.
What is a typical day like?
We have coffee/hot drinks available around 7-7:30 AM and hot breakfast at 8:00 AM. We start breaking down our campsite between 9-10:00 AM. We are always camped on good fishing water, so clients will fish at the campsite while the guides break down camp. We usually start our float between 10-11AM. We will stop for lunch around 12-2 PM just depending on how fishing is going. We will stop and start setting up camp around 6 PM in time to get dinner cooking.
What is the general vibe, atmosphere and style of the lodge?
We are all about fishing and making memories. When you come on a trip with Hooked on Alaska, we want to make each trip special and cater to our clients expectations. Since running out of daylight is not an obstacle, you can fish until midnight if you find a good hole that just keeps hitting. Our primary goal is to make this trip one to remember. Big fish, good food, beautiful scenery, great company, and good times!
Is there an on-site owner, manager or other point-person at the lodge?
Your guide is trained to handle all scenarios needed for your trip. Being on the river and moving everyday creates a variable of situations your head guide understands and can deal with all of these situations safely and ensure that the anglers will have opportunities at fish daily.
Where do we eat, and what are the meals like?
We have an 8 person screen tent that can get us out of the wind, rain, or 24 hr sunshine. We set up small portable chairs inside on the bad days and outside on the warm sunny days to enjoy the view. Our menu is a combination of different Alaskan dishes depending on what is available. We serve sockeye salmon, halibut, ribeyes and an assortment of other Alaskan dishes depending on people’s diets.
What is the alcohol policy?
We do not provide any alcohol, but you are free to bring your own. There are usually places to buy alcohol from the night before or day of the trip.
Where do we stay, and what are the accommodations like?
You will be required to find your own lodging in King Salmon before and after your trip. I have a few recommendations for accommodations upon request.
On the river, we will be sleeping in six man tents (2 guests per tent) with cots and sleeping pads. Our tents are large enough for you to stand up inside them if you are 6 ft tall. There is enough room inside of your tent to comfortably go through all your gear. A dry bag will be provided for you to keep your gear from getting wet in the raft.
Is there internet and/or cell service?
There is no cell phone service or internet service on this trip. The guides have remote satellite two way communcation devices for emergency purposes.
Are there other activities?
We can help arrange a bear viewing trip to Brooks Falls if the season allows. Usually people see enough bears on their fishing trip that they don’t feel the need to see anymore bears. But our trips are all about the fish.
Are there any other expenses?
What is not included in your trip is waders, a sleeping bag, fishing license, flights to the village, hotels on non fishing days, and food on non fishing days. Once your trip has started all expenses are covered.
Do I need a visa?
No Visa is needed if you are traveling from the US. If you are traveling from outside of the US, you will need to follow any rules required for travel from your home country.
Are there any health concerns, dangers or annoyances?
We recommend that guests always consult with the U.S. Department of State and the Center For Disease Control websites for general travel information and guidelines. Please communicate food allergies and any limitations when booking your trip.
Included in the quoted price is all the accommodation on the trip, flights, meals, flies, gear, taxes, permits and guiding. Customers are responsible for Airfare to Alaska, alcohol, guide gratuities, waders, sleeping bag, fishing licenses. The price we quote at the time of booking is the price you pay. We DO NOT have any hidden fees or additional taxes at the conclusion of your trip.
