Dining at the Lodge

The experience of a lifetime! Rob, Lisa and everyone at the lodge are incredible. We have gone to Bearclaw twice now and we have a third trip booked. Exceptional guides, food and accommodations in a family-friendly environment. The fishing and scenery is exceptional, with multiple species, and big fish. The hardest-working, most personable and talented guides you will find. The gear is great. The lodge accommodations are excellent, and the food is marvelous. We will continue our trips, and we look forward to a new amazing adventure each time.

I stayed at Bearclaw Lodge last August with 9 other friends and had a great time The accommodations were nice. I shared a comfortable room w/a fellow angler. The guides were very good and we caught a lot of trophy sized fish. …

Another Incredible Visit! Booked next year too!! Rob and Lisa Fuentes have perfected the southwestern Alaska lodge adventure! We are headed back for our fifth visit this year and we cannot wait to return. This exceptional, comfortable lodge is located on a 14 acre peninsula in the natural beauty of the Wood-Tikchik Park Lake Aleknagik area. The amazing, pristine lakes and rivers are teeming with many species of salmon and native fish. You can catch silver or pink salmon on the fly or with a spin cast, or lure nice big rainbows, grayling, dolly varden or Arctic char on a dry fly, or lure some voracious northern pike on the fly. Stay in the well-equipped Hog Island boats ( very stable, with grippy decks for excellent footing and a front support stand for fishermen to enjoy extra stability. if you choose, or get out and wade either the river, or hike a creek and enjoy some of the best sight casting round. The accommodations and food at the lodge are superb. Every comfort you could want in a wilderness lodge. The incredibly quiet generators and on-demand limitless hot water are great. Internet and phone service is available to keep up with the outside world. The guides are very hardworking, highly skilled professionals committed to ensuring your safety and to providing a world class fishing experience. The high quality Simms waders, boots and fishing gear are top notch. The chef-prepared food is amazing, and the lodge hospitality and ambience is exceptional.

What to take: Gore-Tex rain jacket, layers of clothing since you could have the 70s or rain and the 50s, fingerless gloves, Buff or similar face mask, polarized sunglasses, slip on lodge shoes, ankle high rubber boots

Note to mobility-challenged people like me: if you have 70 degrees of knee flexibility and can walk with a trekking pole and stand for an hour at a time, this trip is very doable. Everything from arriving in Dillingham, boarding the comfortable small transport bus for a 40 minute drive to the large jet boat, then a 30-minute boat ride to the lodge and a 125 yard walk up a gently sloping groomed trail to the lodge ( which has a ramp.) Guest rooms are located on the first or second floor.

A dozen or fewer guests at a time allow you to get to know some very interesting people and to learn how Rob and his crew responsibly operate this lodge in an environmentally responsible manner, with a small footprint. You can also go on flyout trips offered by a highly experienced, top pilot, either to the equally amazing Kingfishers camp to fish for king salmon, or to a remote creek for a chance to catch the rainbow of a lifetime!

Fantastic Fishing My wife, a nature photographer, and I, an avid fly fisherman, visited Bear Claw Lodge in early September after meeting the owners, Rob and Lisa Fuentes, at the Safari Club International annual meeting in Houston, Texas, in 2010. They made all the arrangements for us, including our air travel from Anchorage to Dillingham on Penair, where we were met by two guides from the lodge for the van and boat trip to the lodge on Lake Aleknagik just inland from Bristol Bay in SW Alaska. The lodge has spectacular views across the lake, a comfortable lounge and dining room. Our room at the top of the stairs was spacious and next to the bathroom.

Although the lodge was in the process of closing during our stay, we were made to feel right at home by Rob, his staff of six guides, and the cooks. The meals were hearty and delicious - just the thing after a day in the field. The fishing was more than I could have wished for. I drift fished the Alekinak River that runs into the Lake and waded Sunshine Creek at the far end of the Lake. In addition to rainbow trout, which I had caught before in the Lower 48, I caught my first grayling, arctic char, Dolly Varden, sockeye, and silver salmon during my three day stay. My wife had plenty of opportunities to photograph eagles and the spectacular landscapes around the lake. Due to it being late in the season, there were few bears around - which was OK with me as a fisherman.

By the time we left, we felt like we were old friends with the staff. This was a highlight of our trip to Alaska.

Best fly fishing ever. Great staff and great guides. Beautiful peaceful scenery. We will be visiting again next year.