North Pole Tours
Fairbanks Ice Fishing Expedition in a Heated Cabin with Fish Cookout
5

Fairbanks Ice Fishing Expedition in a Heated Cabin with Fish Cookout

By Rod's Alaskan Guide Service
Recommended by 97% of travelers
97% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
About
If you’ve never been ice fishing in Alaska, you may not know where to start. This ice-fishing expedition takes you to a heated cabin in a remote location just outside Fairbanks. A guide helps you set up all your fishing gear and gives tips to help you catch fish. This ice-fishing tour includes hot cocoa, reindeer sausage, and a fish cookout, too.
from
$169.00
per adult
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 5-85, max of 14 per group
Duration: 4h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • Go ice fishing in a heated cabin, just outside Fairbanks
  • A guide provides fishing gear and tips to successfully ice fish
  • Hot cocoa, reindeer sausage on buns, and a fish cookout are included
  • Choose from multiple tour times to best suit your busy schedule

  • Deluxe ice fishing cabin with electric and heat
  • Hot grilled Reindeer Sausage on bun and drink
  • Your fresh fish, seasoned and grilled
  • Steaming hot cocoa
  • Fishing poles and bait
  • Local guide
  • Entry/Admission - Chena Lake Recreation Area
What's not included
  • Fishing license
  • Transportation to/from attractions

Meet for this ice-fishing expedition at Chena Lake Recreation Area, and get ready for a fun day of fishing. Your guide takes you to a heated cabin, so you stay warm in the cold temperatures. The cabin comes with covers in the floors that are moved for perfect ice-fishing spots. Plus, hot cocoa and reindeer sausage with buns are provided. Your guide gives you all the gear you need to start fishing and even tells you great tips for catching and pulling in a fish from the ice-cold water. Once you catch a fish, enjoy a fish cookout, where you can eat the fish you caught.

Start:
  • Chena Lake Park Boat Launch, North Pole, AK 99705, USA
    The lake does not have a physical address. Please contact us to receive the pin drop for the exact location and driving directions from Fairbanks.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Near public transportation
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 30637P6

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Most travelers can participate
    • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
    • Fishing licenses are required for everyone 16 years old and older.
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 30637P6

    Reserve your spot

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • North Pole, AK 99705, USA
      The lake does not have a physical address. Please contact us to receive the pin drop for the exact location and driving directions from Fairbanks.
    • 1
      Your guide will meet you at the deluxe fishing cabin on the frozen lake and guide you through the process of catching fish through the ice for the lakes bounty of fish.
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Rod's Alaskan Guide Service
      1,785
      Fairbanks, Alaska
      Joined in February 2016
    • Sightsee00210833083
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      My wife said it was the highlight of our entire Alask adventure
      WE had a super time with Tyler and his dogs. Tyler was informative and gave us lots of info on dogs, mushing, racing and the overall experience in Alaska. The ride was great and time with the pups was fun too, Tyler answered any and all questions. We had a terrific experience and would do it again at the drop of a hat.
      Written September 3, 2024
    • Adventure37625418079
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great fun on our first dog sledding ride
      The dog sledding ride was a one of it's kind experience. We really enjoyed our ride by Joe Weber and he was quite accommodating with us considering it was our first time meeting the dogs. Would highly recommend Rod's Alaskan Guide Services
      Written August 26, 2024
    • robdJ9745HI
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Accident
      This girl contacted me to share my experience. First, I want to say this was not the only accident that day. This is my experience: I stayed behind to take a picture and saw her trapped under the snowmobile. She was in severe pain for several minutes before I reached her. I'm glad I could help, but told me she still can't walk properly because she was under the machine for too long. The guide wasn't around and only arrived after I had already assisted her. I hope she recovers soon.
      Written June 25, 2024
    • Ginges_revenge
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Our first experience with dog sledding.
      We had done a lot of research for our Alaskan holiday and Rods guide service repeatedly came up and with good reviews. We drove out to Rods and checked in for our tour. The team kitted us out withe good cold weather gear they have. We then waited for our tour time to arrive and we were paired up with our dog musher who took us out to the dog team. We got to quickly meet the team and then got on the sled. Rods hire local people with there teams of dogs to do the tours. We got on and we were off. You go out halfway and stop, meet the dogs and get to pat them and have photos, then its back on the sled and back to base. It was a really good hour and we loved the experience. It was just a shame we couldn't get onto a longer tour but we had fun anyway. I would highly recommend it.
      Written June 9, 2024
    • Ginges_revenge
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A cool night time experience.
      Ice fishing had always been a bucket list item that I had wanted to do. In researching the holiday for Alaska, Rods guide service always came up with good reviews. We booked in online and paid and got the confirmation with the location / GPS coordinates. You obliviously need to get there at the designated time and being in the dark, we were a little bit worried getting there. The drive from Fairbanks was about 50 minutes on the Motorway and some snowier "B" roads. We followed the car GPS to Chena lake reserve and found the carpark to the lake. The directions on the booking were excellent and we got there easily. We were met on the lake with our cabin guide. He showed us into our cabin on the frozen, snow covered lake. It seated 16, 4 banks of 4 seats. There was a log fire in the middle. The holes for the fishing were pre drilled and covered. They had all the fishing gear on the walls. We had 6 people in our cabin. We started fishing and it was pretty good to start with and then after 30 minutes the fish stopped biting. We only got 1 fish in our cabin and only 3 in the other cabin. We had a dog sled tour stop into our cabin to warm up. The cabin guide made hot drinks for us when we wanted as well. I was going outside every now and again to check for the northern lights. They eventually came out, but not in there full radiance which was a little disappointing. But that's nature. We still got to see the lights again which was good. We really enjoyed the experience and would highly recommend it.
      Written June 9, 2024
    • domenicag419
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      I had an accident and the guide left us behind,
      I had an accident and the guide left us behind, so I was several minutes under the snowmobile machine. After the accident, they did not offer any help, support, information of what hospital attend or first aids. I found this very irresponsible from them.
      Written June 7, 2024
    • Z6897FMmarshab
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Dogsledding in Alaska-Once in a lifetime experience
      Had a fantastic time on tour with Luther. Very informative and loved learning about his team. Was an experiment we won’t forget.
      Written May 4, 2024
    • V259ALlaurenf
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Jimmy's Dogs are the best!
      This is such an excellent and amazing experience. It was so wonderful to find out how much the dogs are cared for and how happy they were to go running. So much fun and great people. Jimmy' Dogs were the best loved spending time with them and Jimmy was so nice and answered all our questions.
      Written May 2, 2024
    • 799danielan
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Feb 2024 ride
      Not the best, not the worst. They have all of the winter gears that was needed for the ride ( no need to bring a bunch of stuff like I did). The place was very crowded to check in, and staff was very nice. Musher was nice, and she was caring for the dogs. We paid $140 for private driver to drive us round trip from Fair Bank to this place in North Pole.
      Written April 27, 2024
    • Luisrj
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Perfect combination
      Tyson made ice fishing so fun and was so super helpful, he was extremely accommodating and toke pictures and videos of the lights and share them with us😊 Thanks for a great experience!
      Written April 16, 2024
    • danw007
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great sled experience
      We had a really nice ride with jimmy and his family of dogs. Is was great to learn about the mushing way of life and how the dogs are part of the family
      Written April 15, 2024
    • danw007
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great snow machine trip
      Very nice easy ride. Victoria was excellent. The trails are nice, equipment is all new and the organization is well run.
      Written April 15, 2024
    • U1747KMnon
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      100% Must Do Dog Sledding - the place to go!
      We cannot recommend our dog sledding with Matt and his dogs. We were a family of three and it was incredible. We went about 10-15min on a ride and took a break to play with the dogs and get some pictures before another 15min returning. 100% you should do this experience through Rod's. Thanks again Matt for a great experience!
      Written April 12, 2024
    • L7410QHkeithb
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Thoroughly enjoyable experience!!
      Really enjoyed our dog sledding adventure!! Everyone was very professional. Our guide was very knowledgeable and I enjoyed talking with him about the sport. Special thanks to Jimmy's dogs for pulling us around!!!
      Written April 10, 2024
    • Odyssey26679619603
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great for beginners!
      A fun accessible 1 hour ride, even for first timers on snowmobile. The groups are not too big in size, the equipment provided perfect to keep you warm on the skidoos and the trail a beautiful and fun mix of wooded, river and lake surface. Lots of fun!
      Written April 3, 2024
    See all 1,785 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    5.0
    5.0 of 5 bubbles233 reviews
    Excellent
    222
    Very good
    6
    Average
    3
    Poor
    0
    Terrible
    2

    BrysonSeattle
    California96 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    If it was pre covid times: I would have nothing but rave reviews for this tour. The cabin is warm and the guide is attentive. It’s a lot of fun for all ages and I highly recommend this.
    HOWEVER if you are concerned about covid or if you are in a high risk group- this may not be the tour for you. We had 10 people plus a guide in this closed small cabin and no one is wearing a mask. In fact the guide openly talked about how covid has been exaggerated and that the reported case numbers are lies told by the media , even though he had covid and many of his friends and families have had covid already. (To clarify- He was not working when he had covid)
    Written January 16, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    I highly encourage all guests to wear a mask. I have reduced tour sizes to comply with space mandates. Groups are spaced 7 feet apart in the ice fishing cabin. I sanitize the entire cabin between guests. The cabin has open windows to allow plenty of fresh air. My company policy is to comply with all state mandates and respect individual rights.
    Written January 18, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Karen Y
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2021
    Our guide was Aaron and what a great guy. He told us some of the local history information and about the lake we were fishing on. He cooked us caribou sausage3 and cleaned and cooked our fish for us. (it was soooo good) He really catered to us which made it a great experience. The cabin was warm and the fishing was so so. If you plan to do this trip I recommend doing a morning trip as the fish tend to bit a little more in the am (normal for fishermen). The company is so nice and very accommodating.
    Written March 3, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    We typically catch the most fish on the 9:00AM ice fishing trip. The last week our afternoon trips have been sporadic. Yesterday, I moved my fishing cabin to a new spot to increase catch rates. Thank you for the review.
    Written March 4, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Heather j
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2019
    We had a wonderful time fishing with Aaron through Rods Ice Fishing services. He was fun and very skilled. He helped everyone in our cabin set our rods and complete our paperwork quickly so we could enjoy hours of fishing. Our cabin of 14 people caught close to 100 fish! There were certain seats that the fish seemed more attracted to so we switched these seats among all the guests so everyone could have a chance at catching fish. We had a delight trying reindeer sausage for lunch and eating our fresh caught fish after. We caught trout and salmon. It appeares the 10 fishing our was very
    Written January 7, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    At times certain sides of the fishing cabins catch more fish than the other side. I greatly appreciate folks rotating seats so everyone enjoys catching some fish through the ice. Thank you for ice fishing with Rod's. Thank you for the review.
    Written January 8, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    tom m
    Zanesville, OH137 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2021
    Our guide, Aaron did everything he could to be helpful, but the fish weren't biting much that day. We went at 1:00 pm and between 6 of us in the cabin, we caught 3 fish, only one of which we kept to eat. The reindeer sausage was good and the cabin was plenty warm. It was a unique experience, if only the fish had better cooperated. I think they moved to a new locatio the day after we were out.
    Written March 1, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    We typically catch the most fish on the 9:00AM fishing adventure. Today I am moving the fishing cabins to a new spot to increase our customer's catch rate. Thank you for the review.
    Written March 2, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Amy R
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2021
    This was great! Cody was an excellent host. He was kind, funny, so very helpful and entertaining. He was attentive to all the guests- obvious he likes what he does, is good at it. and wants us to have a great experience.
    After getting a pole, a place to sit, and hanging up our coats, our lines were baited for us, and we received a few hints about depth and technique. It was fun interacting with the other guests while listening to great classic rock music - sometimes with the lights off. Cody was always busy (but not too busy to chat): he kept the wood stove stoked, and while it never got hot inside considering it was colder than negative 25 degrees that evening, it was pretty warm and only my toes got cold. Many of the guests were from Los Angelas and even they seemed comfortable:)

    We were offered hot chocolate and cold water throughout the time. The Reindeer (caribou) sausages were grilled on the wood stove after a couple hours and were pretty yummy. There were seven small king salmon caught by the 12 of us in the group ( with my husband and I each catching 2). I'm sure it was more fun catching than not, but it appeared all enjoyed our time. Cody then cleaned all the fish and then cooked them with butter and seasoning in foil packets on the wood stove. Even a non-fish lover like myself found them to be flaky, mild, and tasty. Although it was a really cold night, the rising moon was gorgeous and worth the trips outside. The four hours flew by and it was definitely a highlight of the trip!
    Written December 1, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for ice fishing with Rod's.
    Written December 3, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Travis D
    14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2022 • Couples
    Clarence made it fun, He was chill and told great stories and we genuinely enjoyed spending 4hrs with him. We caught like 20 fish that day. It was warm and clean. Everything we did at Rods this week was great.
    Written January 28, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    I offer ice fishing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling from November through early April. Thank you for the review.
    Written January 29, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    hollyflu
    Everett, WA10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2021 • Family
    The ice fishing was a great experience. We were warm and cozy inside catching rainbow trout. Our guide, Andrew worked hard making sure everyone was having a good time, catching fish and eating well. We ate reindeer hot dogs and ended the day with fresh trout cooked right in the fishing hut. Delicious. We fished with 13 people, some had never even fished before so I have to say I was a bit disappointed in that many people, but it turned out to be a great time cheering each other on and having interesting conversations. Andrew was all over the place cooking, baiting hooks, taking fish off, serving hot chocolate. He was excellent. It was well worth it and we had a fantastic time and would certainly do it again. Remember to tip your guide, they so deserve it.
    Written November 28, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Ice fishing is extremely easy. A lot of our guests have never fished before and typically catch multiple fish. Thank you for the review.
    Written November 29, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Araceli
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2021 • Friends
    This expedition was amazing! The cabin was super warm and toasty, so we didn’t even need the cold weather gear we brought. Our guide Aaron was a great! He made sure we had everything we needed and worked well with beginners and experienced fishermen. We caught fish almost immediately, and the bites and catches were steady throughout the day. Aaron cooked an amazing lunch of reindeer sausage and the salmon we caught! He was very conscientious about social distancing and disinfecting the cabin as well. If you’re on the fence about booking a trip, do it! It’s 100% worth it!
    Written January 24, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Over the past couple weeks we have caught mostly King Salmon and Rainbow trout. We have caught the most fish on the morning trips. Thank you for the review.
    Written January 24, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Cynthia E
    17 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2020 • Family
    A little disappointed. We had a fabulous experience we rods other excursions. But here. We shared the heated hut with many other people. Which was not the problem. We spent a lot of money to go fishing. The problem was. We were told we could only catch one fish each. Ok. Well. The other people caught so many. That now we were not allowed to keep any of our fish. Which really sucked. As my daughter wanted to take her fish home. So there were 11 of us total in cabin there fore only 11 fish could be kept and all of fish had to be throw back. I spent over $600 and now we are being told this.....
    Written November 18, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Customers can catch as many fish as they want. I clearly state on my website that 1 fish per person can be kept and the rest are released back into the lake. Catch and release fishing must be practiced or there will not be fish in the lake for someone else to catch. Here is what is stated on my website: "Rod’s Alaskan Guide Service practices sustainable fishing methods: You can keep 1 fish per customer for us to cook your fresh fish lunch or you can take 1 fish home. The rest of the fish are released back into the lake to grow and for others to catch another day."
    Written November 19, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Mason H
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2021 • Couples
    Even though the fish weren’t biting too much this afternoon we had a great time with our group and tour guide Clarance. I caught a rainbow trout which he immediately cooked up with some butter, lemon, and pepper which was quite amazing. Better than any fish you can get at a restaurant if you ask me. Everyone in our group was able to snag a fish outta the ice fishing hole except for my unlucky wife but she still had a good time conversations with our group and Clarence. It was too early in the season to bring the cabins out on the lake so we were set up in a tent but it was just fine. Clarence had a couple portable heaters in there he had on and the tent did a great job trapping the heat inside. I unfortunately didn’t have any reception out there but I had a portable speaker Clarence connected to and he had some great music to share with all of us and keep the vibe going strong in the tent. 11/10 would recommend to anyone visiting Fairbanks Alaska. And to Clarence: thank you again brother. We had an amazing time. Definitely a highlight of our visit here:)
    Written November 14, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    We now have enough ice to safely put the cabins on the lake (16 Nov 2021).The fishing cabins are now on the lake. Thank you for the review.
    Written November 16, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Showing results 1-10 of 230

    Fairbanks Ice Fishing Expedition in a Heated Cabin with Fish Cookout provided by Rod's Alaskan Guide Service

    All things to do in North Pole
    RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars