Zachar Bay Lodge at Kodiak Island

Zachar Bay Lodge

Let the adventure begin!

You can fulfill all of your fishing fantasies at Zachar Bay Lodge, located in the heart of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. We have the equipment and knowledge to provide you with the best possible fishing experience on Kodiak Island, for both seasoned fisherman and eager novices, alike. Whether you are flying in our Found Bush Hawk floatplane, hiking into the Zachar River, rafting a remote river, or boating for halibut, all of the areas that we fish are less than 30 minutes away from the Lodge!

Kodiak Island is home to two very productive King Salmon Rivers - the Karluk and Ayakulik. Over 10,000 King Salmon return to each river system throughout the summer and we can provide you daily access into these rivers with our Found Bush Hawk aircraft. Trips into the Karluk and Ayakulik are unguided but our guides will prepare you at the lodge with the equipment and knowledge to be successful. Red Salmon is also a popular destination fishery on Kodiak. The Karluk, Frazer and Red Lakes together produce an average annual escapement of over 1 million red salmon! The Frazer River system is unique because the reds are continuously entering the river from the sea throughout the summer. This allows you to catch silver or bright red salmon.

Our expert guides will take you on an adventure - whether it is fishing remote lakes and river systems for salmon or jigging for halibut in the protected waters of Zachar Bay. We also offer Kayaking to view the seal estuary, sea lions, whales and otters. Experience a guided Floatplane tour for viewing the Kodiak Brown bears.

For the adventurous, take a guided overnight river-rafting trip. The fishing, wildlife and bird viewing are abundant and the six sets of white water rapids will give you the thrill of a lifetime!

June 1 - July 15 ... Fishing at Zachar Bay
Kodiak Island, Alaska

Highlights:
June 1st - July 15th is our Fly-out salmon fishing season. We utilize our floatplanes to fly you out to various lakes and river systems to fish for either Red or King Salmon for the day with your guide. If you are interested in saltwater fishing - the King Salmon trolling and Halibut fishing are excellent during this time period. This tends to be a popular time period for our guests that return strictly for the Halibut!

July 5 - August 15 ... Fishing at Zachar Bay
Kodiak Island, Alaska

At Zachar Bay Lodge, we fish the Zachar and Spiridon Rivers for Chums from July 15 until August 15. Peak season for this salmon in our area is around August 1st. This fish averages between 8 to 12 pounds.

In the past, this salmon has been more apt to strike a fly in a streamer pattern or polar shrimp, but small spinners, spoons and jigs seem to work almost as well. It takes patience to hook into one, but once the hook is set, you are in for at least twenty minutes of fight!

The Chum is not a highly preferred salmon for eating, but it is quite good if you catch an ocean fresh fish. Pink Salmon are also running in the bays and streams during the Chum season, and this time period is our best fishing if you just want to catch and release a lot of fish!

Pink Salmon (Humpy Salmon) are the most abundant of all the salmon species and can be found in almost any little tributary around Kodiak Island. Pound for pound, the pink salmon is probobly the best fighters and sportfish in part of there large numbers.

Hike up the Zachar River to the fishing holes, trollong for pinks or shoreline fishing are all options when it comes to fishing pink salmon. The peak time for pink salmon in the rivers is between July 15 and August 15. These salmon average about three pounds and may get up to about seven pounds. They are easily caught with spinners or flies and just about anything you want to throw into the water. At times the stream gets so thick with pinks it looks as if you could catch one with your bare hands!

July 5 - August 15 ... Fishing at Zachar Bay
Kodiak Island, Alaska

Highlights:
Silver Salmon (Coho Salmon) are a fantastic sport fish in all aspects. They are a sportsmans dream - numerous and active, while still great for the dinner table! Silvers have the size, strength and flexibility to make an exciting fight.

Freshwater Opportunities:
There is strong silver run in both the Zachar and Spiridon River systems. Fishing the Zachar River is only a forty-minute walk from the head of the bay, which is less than five minutes from the lodge by boat. Fish silvers all day till your arms ache, and then relax back at the lodge!

Also available during this time is a scenic raft trip down the Spiridon River.

August 1 - September 30 ... Fishing at Zachar Bay
Kodiak Island, Alaska

Highlights:
Silver Salmon (Coho Salmon) are a fantastic sport fish in all aspects. They are a sportsmans dream - numerous and active, while still great for the dinner table! Silvers have the size, strength and flexibility to make an exciting fight.

Halibut and Saltwater Fishing at Zachar Bay
Kodiak Island, Alaska

Halibut fishing at Zachar Bay Lodge is very different than the usual preconceived idea of "deep sea fishing". We stay relatively close to shore and fish in only 50 to 150 feet of water - No Deeper! We like using light to medium weight tackle, keeping the fun in fishing. Our jigs vary from 3-12 ounces in size and we use salted or frozen herring as bait.

Halibut are scavengers that live on the ocean floor. These fish have been known to reach 400 pounds, but most fish are between fifteen and twenty pounds. The huge ones are fairly uncommon, but you can expect to catch your fill of smaller fish until your arms ache! Be prepared to take some halibut home for many dinners...

The halibut are in the bays all summer. The most successful time for catching a lot of fish is usually earlier in the summer, since the halibut are hungry from a winter spent in the abyss.

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