1. Book Early – The best lodges in Alaska have incredibly high return rates. Usually, guests have the first right of refusal for returning the same time next year, which means there can be few openings for new anglers. Your best chance to get a high-demand date is to book 6-12 months in advance. Send an Email to Fly Out for available dates and booking information. You can also contact lodges directly through the Fly Out Directory. 

2. Choosing a Type of Operation to Fit Your Goals – There are many types of adventure offerings in Alaska that can fit almost any budget. Below is a general summary of your options.

Fly Out Lodge ($$$) – The most exclusive way to see and fish Alaska. These operations fly to different remote rivers, lakes and streams everyday. A fly-out option allows you to experience the wonderful variety of Alaska. The views from the air and the flight experience alone are worth the price of admission. Extraordinary accommodations and dining will make you forget that you are amidst the remote wilderness of Alaska.

River Lodge ($$) – Located on the rivers and streams, these lodges are only accessible by the air. They provide world-class fishing, comfortable accommodations, and delicious meals at a great value. These lodges operate jet boats, and the anglers get the opportunity to experience everything that a single fishery has to offer.

Float Trips ($) – A classic Alaska adventure focusing on a genuine wilderness experience, self-reliance, and incredible fishing. Despite the roughing-it nature of a float trip, most outfitters provide accommodations that are surprisingly comfortable, and the food always tastes good after a long day on the river.{gallery}BlogContent/January2011/Lodge_Gallery{/gallery}

More amazing photos from Todd Moen and Brian O'Keefe's Catch Magazine! Check out Alaska - Part 3 - Fish and Wildlife. These are shots from member lodges Riversong Lodge, Kulik Lodge, and Royal Wolf Lodge. Check them out.  

Also, our friends at Trout Underground published an interesting article about the future of Catch Magazine and other e-Magazines here. Tell us what you think. Feel free to write a comment below.

2 professional skiers, 1 professional photographer and there passion of fly fishing during the off season. Some great Alaska footage from John Spriggs, Darcy Bacha, and Dane Tudor. 

On July 9, 2011 6 participants gathered together in Dillingham, Alaska to launch a fly fishing expedition into the Wilderness of Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. Our goals were much the same as other Alaska wilderness enthusiasts who fly out in small float planes loaded with rafts and camping gear to float and fish wild Alaskan rivers. Our commitment was: "to be prepared mentally, physically, and with proper equipment to be self supporting in the wilderness". We would be dropped off at a lake beyond the tree line to navigate shallow tundra river channels, to float, fish, and camp among the notable Alaskan Brown Bears of the region. Two of the participants were especially motivated by their commitment to live the Alaska wilderness experience to the fullest! For them as each day passes their physical abilities and health are compromised by MS, Multiple Sclerosis. A third participant with a prosthetic leg, Malcolm Daly, co-led this annual Paradox Sports trip. Karen Daly and Olly Merrill and I signed on as support.

{gallery}WildRiverGuides{/gallery}The trip fulfills an ongoing commitment shared by outdoorsmen John Merritt, Malcolm Daly, and Mark Rutherford, to make truly significant, bona fide, Alaskan wilderness expeditions accessible to significantly disabled campers. We believe that if Erik Weihenmayer, totally blind, can summit Mt. Everest and that Mark Wellman, a paraplegic, can climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, that others with disabilities will consider taking on expeditionary challenges. In this case to undertake a self propelled adventure across a vast Alaskan landscape. We undertook the first self propelled Alaska expedition with paraplegic fly fisherman Vijay Viswanathon and angler Malcolm Daly with his prosthetic leg, in 2009. In 2010 we completed a second adventure with 5 disabled participants. In 2011, to honor John Merritt's extraordinary vision we devoted the Alaska wilderness fly-fishing expedition to participants with Multiple Sclerosis. John Merritt has secondary progressive MS and his prior adventures exploring remote Alaskan fisheries are spoken of around many campfires. 

 Just Click on the Image to Shop  

1. GoPro Hero 2 - $299.99 - GoPro cameras are used by more professional athletes, sports filmmakers and core enthusiasts than any other camera in the world. The HD HERO2: Outdoor Edition is the most advanced GoPro camera yet.

2. Zg Helios Fly Rod - $775.00 - Orvis set out on an adventure to make the world's lightest fly fishing rod. Along the way, they may have made the world's best. The new patent pending Helios is so innovative and, frankly, so far ahead of all other fly rods it skips generations in how a fly rod should feel, cast, and fish. It is so sublimely light, incredibly responsive, deadly accurate, and just plain easy and enjoyable to cast. A perfect trout rod for Alaska.

3. The Alaska Chronicles: An Unwashed View of Life, Work, and Fly Fishing - $24.95 - For seventeen weeks, Nolte had used his laptop and a satellite Internet connection to transmit his semi-daily account of what it's really like to be a fly fishing guide on a remote Alaskan river. Now published into a book, this candid account gives an interesting perspective on guide life in Alaska.

4. Filson Original Briefcase - $215.00 - A dependable, everyday briefcase, appropriate for the field. Inside is a wide carrying compartment, two full-length open pockets and sewn-on compartments for calculator, business cards, pencils and pens. Narrow pockets on both ends and full-length outer pockets on both sides.

5. Bozeman Watch Company Cutthroat - $6,675.00 - This stunning watch has been designed and made with the addition of a 24 hour time zone or GMT function so its proud wearer will always know what time it is in the mountains of Montana (or Alaska) where his/her favorite catch lies in waiting.

6. Mount McKinley Flight Seeing Trip with Talkeetna Air Taxi - Starting at $195.00 - Consider a Gift Certificate for a Denali flight seeing tour and see one of the last wilderness areas untouched by modern man: over six million acres of open alpine tundra, wildlife, mile high granite gorges, ancient blue glaciers and endless icy peaks.

7. A Bob White Print: An Outside Chance - $160 to $800 - Take a look at this signed & Numbered Limited Edition Giclee Print. A good fit for the sportsman's living room or office. We are happy to have such a talented artist and fly fishing guide as a Guide Ambassador with Fly Out.

8. Save Bristol Bay - $ Donation - 'Tis the season of giving! This is the perfect gift for mother nature. Walk the walk, and donate to help protect Bristol Bay.

9. Subscribe to The Drake Magazine – 18.00/year - The Drake is our favorite fly fishing publication, period. The quality of articles and content is unmatched. Although the magazine is quarterly, you are not likely to be disappointed.

10. An Alaska Fly Out Adventure - Go back to your favorite lodge or find a new adventure via our directory at AlaskaFlyOut.com. Email the lodges directly through the listings to inquire about specials and/or holiday pricing. See our list of Fly Out Lodges here. Or, contact the Fly Out team at [email protected] for booking advice. We're the Alaska experts.