When head guide Justin Schillaci made the rounds after dinner, asking each guest where or what they would like to do tomorrow, I was stressed to actually make a decision. Everywhere was great. In fact, just in front of the lodge on the famous Big Ku River were huge rainbows in crystal clear water. To make a long story short, you could do no wrong. There are at least four trophy trout rivers nearby, plus pike hot spots and a fly out, just to complicate your decision. Big Ku Lodge uses prop and jet boats to access the local streams. So if the weather gets nasty, no big deal. You still load up and go, while people at other lodges are waiting for the fog to lift.
Big Ku Lodge doesn’t have a grand piano or yoga classes; it is an angler’s lodge. The guides are great, the food is great, and you will flop into bed with sore muscles from casting, fighting fish and being in the wildest of the wilds of Alaska. Big Ku Lodge could be booked full all fall with bear photographers, but you get that experience for free. There are times when you notice that a bear is not in sight. Even though there are thousands of salmon in every watershed, Big Ku Lodge is a trophy trout destination. Bring your six and seven weight rods, your streamers, mice, egg patterns and flesh flies.
-Brian O’Keefe
“Just in front of the lodge on the famous Big Ku River were huge rainbows in crystal clear water. To make a long story short, you could do no wrong.”
Bottom: Big Ku Lodge and the outlet of Kukaklek Lake at sunrise.
Contributed By
Brian O’Keefe
Have you ever flown in a Cessna Caravan? Personally, I love them. That is what Big Ku Lodge uses to fly anglers from Anchorage, Alaska to the lodge, and, not just any Cessna Caravan, but a rather new, turbo Caravan on floats. So, you travel to Anchorage, overnight, and in the morning, fly for two hours, with amazing scenery, to Lake Kukaklek and Big Ku Lodge. BKL is smack dab in the middle of the best trophy rainbow trout water in Alaska, and maybe the world. Big Ku Lodge is intimate, taking only 6 guests, so it’s great for family and friends. The easiest way to get information or to make a booking is to contact The Fly Shop by phone and ask for Mike Mercer – 800-669-3473, or by email – travel@theflyshop.com. There’s a lot of info at www.theflyshop/travel/alaska and you are always welcome to contact me brianokeefe54@gmail.com.
