Fly-Out Trips
One of the benefits of our local fisheries on the Kenai Peninsula is that
they are road accessible, and thus very convenient and quite affordable.
But every now and then, guests thirst for a more remote site that offers a
little extra adventure! That’s where our fly-out day trips come in! As you
can imagine, having a custom floatplane and private pilot will open many
doors and provide much opportunity for the adventurous visitor!
Rest assured that EZ Limit’s fly-out trips will be of the highest quality
possible, with the safest veteran bush pilots and the finest floatplanes
in the state! The flight alone is worth the price of admission, but when
you combine spectacular scenery, awesome fishing and up-close-and-personal
bear viewing opportunities, well…lets just say it’s an experience that you
will not forget!
As I said, float planes open many doors, therefore we have a myriad of
fisheries and destinations to choose from, so be sure to inquire about all
the possibilities. At various times of year, different destinations and
species are available;
contact us and we will be
happy to explain the options. We can set-up just about anything you
desire, but our personal favorite (and most affordable) fly-out trips are
Big River Lake and Kustatan River. These two extraordinary silver salmon
fisheries generally occur from late July through late August. Come with me
now as I describe these incredible experiences!
Driving 25 minutes north to Nikiski, we take off from a small local lake
aboard a chartered de Havilland Beaver, turbine Beaver, or turbine Otter
on floats, depending on party number. We fly 25-35 minutes due West over
Cook Inlet towards the Alaska Range. It is truly gorgeous scenery;
described by some as a strange combination of vistas from Africa to
Florida. With high snow-capped mountains complete with small glaciers
visible in the distance and a big open marshy-flat in the foreground, it
is downright breathtaking. Arriving at Big River Lake or the Kustatan
River, depending on which destination you choose, we land and board a Jon
boat with a Yamaha outboard.
We run the boat for 5-10 minutes to various fishing holes that have proved
successful over the years. The limit here is 3 per person, and the fishing
is either very good (10-20 silvers caught daily) or great (30 plus
daily!), depending on time of year and run strength. These salmon
generally average 7-12 lbs, but occasionally one will be a bit bigger.
They are usually very bright and full of fight-we use very light gear and
the water is quite shallow, so they often go crazy when hooked. Primary
methods are casting spinners and/or eggs under a float or even 'plunked'
on bottom, although the occasional fly fisherman has done well here also.
On Big River Lake, fishing is done from the 21 foot boat; the bank is
steep, heavily wooded and full of bears. On the Kustatan, we use the boat
solely for transportation, fishing from the bank or in the shallow,
glaciated water of this small river. After we catch our limit, we head to
a floating marsh island where I fillet the catch, bagging prime fillets
and throwing all carcasses in the lake.
We then take a spin to some reliable haunts to look for black bear and big
brown (i.e. coastal Grizzly) bears. At BRL, I would say that our guides
can locate bears about 75% of the time. The Kustatan, however, is not
nearly as reliable for bear viewing. It provides great scenery and superb
fishing, but if bear viewing is desired, then BRL is a better overall
choice. These wild bears are fairly accustomed to seeing boaters, that is
to say they allow us to get quite close to them while going about their
daily routine, which consists of fishing, eating, playing and of course
sleeping. It is a photographers dream! After viewing, I clean the boat,
head back to our island and await pick up by our float plane for the 25-35
minute flight home. Total trip is usually 6-7 hrs, or thereabouts.
These are VERY special trips-once in a lifetime for most visitors, except
for my growing list of repeat customers who simply MUST go on a fly-out
day trip, or two, EVERY year!
Check out more Fly-Out photos from EZ Limit.
