From the Fly Shop Travel Dept:
The Fly Shop has been working with the Branhams for better than 20 years. We helped launch Royal Wolf Lodge fifteen years ago and booked the majority of RWL clients in those early years. Today Royal Wolf has grown strongly into a specialty trophy rainbow lodge. It is considered one of the top five lodges in Alaska, with a broader reputation for excellence in the international industry of flyfishing travel. Needless to say we were honored when the Branhams chose The Fly Shop to represent and market Big Ku Lodge as part of our Signature Destination network.
What makes Big Ku unique is its approach to access in the Katmai/Iliamna Basin. Starting in 2011, Big Ku will operate as a non-fly out lodge, with a fishing program designed around boat-access to four of the most famous and productive trout streams in the region.
1.) The Kukaklek, or “Big Ku,” is the lodge’s home river and is one of the best trophy trout fisheries in Alaska. Being located as it is at the outflow of the Big Ku from Kukaklek Lake, it sits on the only private in-holding in the area and is completely within Katmai National Preserve. The lodge can easily accommodate guests on nearly 7 miles of this amazing fishery.
Utilizing a large, covered, heated, navigation-equipped inboard jet vessel to transport anglers across Kukaklek Lake also gives unique access to:
2.) Little Kuklaklek (5-minutes by boat), a small and shallow walk/wade stream that stacks with big rainbows in the fall.
3.) The mouth and lower stretches the Moraine Creek (30 min) are renowned for numbers of fish in the 3-8 pound range. From the mouth smaller jet-skiffs allow for navigate upstream.
4.) Lastly, we will be able to boat to the bottom of Battle Creek (20 minutes), a short little trout stream connecting Battle Lake with Kukaklek Lake. Battle Creek is regarded as one of the most prolific fisheries in Southwest AK.
In short, Big Ku Lodge is a fresh and innovative approach to trophy trout flyfishing in the Katmai and Iliamna Basin that has been too long overlooked. It is a remote, fly-in, deluxe lodge, where once on-site, guests are treated to expert guiding and the highest quality watercraft equipment. A program designed around watercraft eliminates both the cost and the weather limitations of fixed wing aircraft. When the weather dumps, or the fly-out lodges are waiting for the fog to clear, Big Ku anglers will be first on the water and fishing through the day.
It should be noted that guests at Big Ku will have the option of arranging fly-out fishing days according to demand and weather conditions. This is accommodated by nearby (5 min flight) Royal Wolf Lodge aircraft for a very reasonable rate.
The weekly rate at Big Ku will be $4,650 per week and will include roundtrip flights between Anchorage and the lodge, fishing license, flies, beer, wine, lodging, daily guided fishing – the works. The beautiful, well-appointed wilderness lodge was designed to accommodate a maximum of six guests, though an integral group of four anglers can secure the lodge exclusively for themselves for the week.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give a call or drop an email.
**Digital images available upon request.**
Pat Pendergast: [email protected]
Mike Mercer: [email protected]
Ryan Peterson: [email protected]
Bill Marts: [email protected]
The Fly Shop, Inc.
4140 Churn Creek Road • Redding, California 96002
(530) 222-3555 • (800) 669-3474 • fax: (530) 222-3572
