Fishing Trip in Alaska for a Senior Citizen
Replies: 14 - Last Post: Mar 3, 2013 9:34 PM Last Post By: akerinkaye
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1
Contact the lodges directly...by email or web site...They should have that info for you... Alaska is a rugged place and good sidewalks are probably not common in the bush...
Obviously some help will be needed... I'm sure there is some way to do it...
4
I think it's great that your father wishes to do that at his age ... great. But I agree with the above - you really need to contact the lodge or tour providers directly, and be very specific and detailed (even if it looks boringly detailed) about your needs and expectations, so it is all clear before you go.5
Try this place http://yakutatlodge.com/6
Try this place http://yakutatlodge.com/
Those are some big fish!
7
Try Homer -- known as the Halibut Fishing Capitol of the World. Try Land's End Lodge on Homer Spit, next to the marina with all of the charter fishing boats. Also try the Homer Chamber of Commerce or Homer Visitors Center/Business Bureau for a list of recommended charter boat companies. They probably will not take your father if he is not accompanied by you or another able bodies adult who can tend to him.Yakutat is way too remote -- it is an Indian village off of the road system -- fly-in or by ferry from Juneau en route to Whittier. It is beautiful, but on the open ocean. Homer is also on the open ocean, but closer to civilization and hospitals. Homer is 200 miles south of Anchorage and reachable by shuttlebus and airplane or car.
9
Yes trekker, but Yakutat has a jetport with connecting flights through Juneau to Seattle, Anchorage and points beyond. Also, the lodge is close to the air strip (as is most everything in Yakutat) and as you note, the surrounding scenery is magnificent (when it's not raining). Not to mention, the fishing is also excellent with tours for salmon and bottomfish - tour companies package your fish in insulated icepacks for shipment out with you on your exiting flight. It is this convenience why I recommended it to the OP as his father isn't very mobile.But, I wouldn't discourage anyone from going to Homer either - nice place.
10
I'm not sure what your budget is: many Alaska fishing lodges are quite pricey. The upside of that is that they are very used to dealing with all kinds of clientele and can accomodate your needs.My wife and I spent a few days at Rapids Camp Lodge (near King Salmon) in late August. There is so much fantastic fishing around Bristol Bay that they can find something to accomodate you and your father. They fly out to a different spot every day, and you choose where you go, what you fish for, etc. The halibut fishing is from a boat in a protected harbor area--it is very easy. There is silver salmon fishing from the banks of rivers--you only have to step a few feet off the plane and you're in the midst of salmon.
The Great Alaska Adventure Lodge on the Kenai Peninsula costs quite a bit less but also has plenty of great fishing. Most of it is in drift boats so if your dad can sit in a boat for a few hours he can have great fishing. There is also fishing right in front of the lodge, and a guide is there to assist.
Alaska is the ultimate destination for an angler. Have a great time.
11
The clients who go out on charter fishing boats do have their catch, whether halibut or salmon, cleaned and processed and packaged in dry ice ready for the client's flight back home. Otherwise, those fishermen who do not have fishing guides, do have several options in Homer and near Ninilchik and also in Seward for taking their catch to fish processors to have them cleaned and readied for shipment by air back home. Remember, some halibut that are caught may be more than 100 lbs weight. King/chinook salmon can also be quite heavy.I did work for 3 summer seasons next to Glacier Bay, just south of Yakutat, and also had several Tlingit Indian co-workers from Yakutat. I do not know if Yakutat does have radar for its airport runway -- Gustavus and Excursion Inlet do not.
13
If he doesn't stay and fish with a lodge, here is my take on day chartering:He'll want to go with somebody with a bigger boat for comfort and to have room on the deck for him to sit. Any of the major charter destinations (Homer, Seward, Whittier, Yakutat, the Panhandle towns) should have an operator that can accommodate him and those harbors will all be ADA compliant (maybe not Yak).
Alaska Airlines 737s make daily stops at Yakutat.
Seward operators have been very active with the Wounded Warrior program so I would expect a higher percentage of them will be experienced working with customers in wheelchairs.
I would avoid Ninilchik or Anchor Point because those boats usually launch from the beach and that would be tricky for somebody in a wheelchair.
I get the locals' special with Tim Berg's charters and always have a good trip. Two of their boats are pretty big, and they have boats in Seward and Homer, so that is one specific operator for you to contact (and definitely contact them directly and explain the situation before you book).
I took my 70+yo uncle out last summer for a day fishing for halibut and lings near montague island (with Tim Berg's). It's a bit of a work out and it kicked his ass. Realing up even a chicken halibut is a bit of work out - make sure your dad is either ready for it or that the crew is.
14
I would suggest booking a trip on the Kenai Peninsula. A 3-4 hour drive from Anchorage will get you there. You'll have tons of access to accommodations, grocery, medical, etc.Out of Soldotna, Kenai, Ninilchik or Homer(75 miles from Soldotna to Homer) there are literally hundreds if not thousands of operators who can give you recommendations if they are unable to accommodate his needs. Check with Ninilchik Charters, my friends father came up here last summer and that's who they went with. Have fun!
