Dining at the Lodge

It was great experience the fishing was great staff was excellent, would recommend this trip.

Trip of a Lifetime at Alaska’s Bear Claw Lodge I took my family of six, my nephew, and three friends to Bear Claw Lodge in August 2025, and it was truly the trip of a lifetime. Every single one of us caught trophy rainbows, arctic char, graylings, and salmon—day after day of unbelievable fishing. The fly fishing was world-class, the guides were top-notch, and the food was absolutely fantastic.

I’ve fished all over—Rocky Mountains (my home base near Yellowstone, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming), seven trips to Alaska, Canada, Mexico, deep sea off California, and even Brazil for peacock bass in the Amazon—and I can honestly say this ranks among the very best experiences anywhere.

The fishing, lodging, guiding, and meals were all five-star quality. The entire experience was delightful from start to finish. If you’re thinking about fishing Alaska, stop thinking and just book it. You want to go here. I absolutely will be returning.

I have had many trips to Bear Claw Lodge and were excellent times. The fishing was fantastic the accommodations wonderful in the middle of bush Alaska. The guides take their time and quite patient with the fisherman. I have hunted and fished different lodges in the lower 48 and in Chile but what stands out from the other lodges is you are taken care of from pick up at the Dillingham airport until you are dropped back off at the airport. Every aspect is explained and your expectation is set as to when you will eat every morning and evening to what time you will meet your guide to start you day fishing. Your arrival back at the lodge is also a known time so you have no surprises. The food is great and very attentive to your likes, dislikes or special diet concerns.

World Class Trout and Salmon Fishing with Budget Pricing My father and I have visited Bearclaw Lodge annually for the past dozen years or more. Although we’ve fished across the lower 48 and in other key destinations (Europe, New Zealand) there is simply nothing that compares with bush Alaska, the Wood-Tikchik river system, or Bearclaw Lodge. When they say 100+ fish days, they actually mean it. We’ve had back-to-back doubles for an hour straight in June. We’ve had days with non-stop dry fly action in July. We’ve seen bead action in August that would blow your mind. We’ve caught boatloads of 24”+ rainbows in a week. We’ve seen the SW Alaska June grand slam (char, dolly, bows, grayling, kings, sockeye) numerous times from clients ranging from beginner to expert. All of this is thanks to Rob, Lisa, and the incomparable guide team they maintain year after year. When additionally viewed through the filter of price, Bearclaw is a value you can’t beat almost anywhere in the world. Highly recommended.

A Great Fishing Experience This was my wife's and my second visit to Bear Claw Lodge on Lake Aleknagik near Dillingham Alaska. Rob Fuentes, the owner, and two of his guides, Brad and Chad, met us at the Dillingham airport in the lodge van for the short drive to Aleknagik village, where we caught his new boat to the lodge, about 30 minutes away.

We spent the next two days fishing for arctic char, Dolly Vardens, rainbow trout, grayling and sliver salmon in good weather, while my wife accompanied me in the boat with her photographic equipment. She got some great bear photos of one of the brown bears that haunt the river banks this time of the year bulking up on the last salmon of the season as they get ready to hibernate.

We had a large room at the top of the stairs across the hall from the bathroom. The only other guests, two from the Netherlands and one from the Washington State had rooms on the first floor, which also had the kitchen, dining room, and lounge area. The food and hospitallity were once again exceptional.