We stayed at the Outpost which is a new addition to IBL. It's a house on the same lake as the lodge, but it has its own staff so you probably won't go to the lodge unless there's a reason. It's not fancy but it's clean and the location is amazing. There's also a sauna and a hot tub which were much appreciated at the end of a long day fishing.
Brian picked us up in the float plane in Iliamna and that was the start of an incredible adventure. The staff is top notch - Dawn and Macy run the house and handle the meals which are incredible - and Schuler, John and Ray put us on the fish. Each day we boated or flew to a new and beautiful spot where we caught trout and salmon (and even a pike on a slow day). Guides are very knowledgeable and patient and we enjoyed getting to know them. Make sure you take anything you might need, including lots of layers for the changing weather, as this is a very remote location.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Location
Service
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.
My 23 year old son and I had very little fly fishing experience and came into the trip nervous about our preparedness especially given the high experience level of the rest of our group. First and foremost, the guides put us at ease instantly and focused on getting us up to speed with the basics: safety precauthions, the water types, the tackle, the gear, the clothing, the fly types, the casting techniques, the fish, the seasons, the wildlife, waterfowl, etc. We were not only impressed with how much they put us at ease but also their vast knowledge of both trout fishing and the entire ecosystem of the region. As for the lodge, it is expansive with all modern amenities but with an alpine feel in its exterior and interior. The entire team at Intricate Bay Lodge radiated positivity; from the kitchen staff early early morning to the team of guides, pilots and rest of the staff until the evening. We also came to appreciate all the behind the scenes detailed logistical preparations that begin after our day of fishing in anticipation for the next day of fishing. We were afforded tremendous flexibility in accessing a variety of locations via the sea planes. The level of personal attention we received, whether it was the guides, or the staff at the lodge, was exemplary. This is a very remote area that presents a multitude of challenges for the ill-prepared. And at every turn we marveled at the preparedness of Brian and his team. Our room for 2 and beds were very comfortable and we had private bathroom. Both were tidied up every day while we were out. Breakfast and dinners were excellent and lunches on the river allowed us to maximize our fishing time. We went in early June and were surrounded by scenic snow-capped mountains so bring lots of merino wool 1st layer with additional fleece layers and exterior protection from wind and rain conditions. I rate it a 10 out of 10 and plan to return again.
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Date of stay: June 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
For me, it's about the fish. If it's about the fish for you, this is the place to be.
Many people have no clue what it's like to fish a stream and be the only one on the stream. Ohhh the excitement to stalk the fish of your dreams. There is a great chance this fish is going to investigate what you put before him! It's very hard to explain the pure joy to hold a beautiful fish, say "thank you" and gently release it back to the wild stream.
This is not your average destination. Actually it's off the charts. If you can handle the possible elements in late season, the fat rainbows are plenty. I challenge you to go while the opportunity is available. It's a bonus to have the outstanding top notch guides, crew, lodge and planes.
I have been to this lodge in July and September with exciting fishing each time. I personally prefer September for fat rainbows! Remember, it's about the fish so September is my favorite!
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Date of stay: July 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Absolutely the best fishing trip I’ve ever experienced. Guides were outstanding, everyone caught plenty of fish with all of us catching our personal best trout. Lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery, and at the end of the day we had excellent food prepared to a warm and friendly lodge staff. I can’t think of a single thing that could’ve been improved upon. Definitely coming back. Brian does an incredible job and all of his staff is exceptional.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
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 just finished a week at the Outpost at Intricate Bay Lodge. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The food was fantastic (thanks Patrick- I'm going to make the recipe you shared!), the guides were top-notch (a shoutout to K-Mart, J-Mart, Evan and Don) and the pilots for the flyouts were highly skilled and just great folks (appreciate you Roy and Brian). Eight of us caught a lot of trout over 5 days, many of which were >20 inches and several were >24 inches. But for us it was not about the size of fish (although that was remarkable- you just can't beat Alaska trout), it was the atmosphere and environment created by the staff that allowed us to fully enjoy our time together. It's worth noting that our group ranged from someone who had never fly fished before, to someone with 13 yrs experience as a professional guide. The Intricate Bay guides worked well with each of us, providing skill-appropriate coaching. A particular thanks to Evan who did a tremendous job teaching the "newbie" on his first day: well done!
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â The Outpost is an older facility at the Lodge, so it has some quirks that come with an aged camp....
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.
Great service and good early season Rainbow fishing with no salmon interference. Prefer to fish standard fly fishing for RBs. This is good in June. Then Sockeyes come in in large numbers and get in the way!
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Date of stay: June 2019
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 a wonderful and adventurous week. The guides are patient, kind, and knowledgeable. Lodge staff took great care of us and Chef Brandon was on-point with all meals. We made memories that will last a lifetime. Hoping we get to come back again.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
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 have been to many lodges over the last decade and they all typically bring something different to the table be it easy access to great fishing, better accommodations, food, service etc....In the price range I typically spend per person all of that is to be expected and IBL delivered on all. The Copper River is right around the corner and a short boat ride to some easy and close fishing. The float trip down the river was a nice break to the norm and the scenery was exceptional. They are a short flight to some exceptional fishing on many of the best rivers in Alaska so there is no shortage of choices when it comes to options.
The point of differentiation for this lodge starts with the owner Brian. On day one he told us he views our trip as if we are visiting our buddy's fishing lodge and that is exactly the way it went down. The staff were exceptional....Always providing whatever was needed yet not hovering where we could not relax and just feel like we had our own home in Alaska. If we wanted to go out later, switch plans or any change at all there was nothing that was denied. The best example was they had put two guides on a river about an hour away for our daily fly out for Kings....After day 2 we said we would not be going back so they pulled the guides and flew them back. However, when our son's got back that night they decided they wanted to go back and without any hesitation Brian just made it happen. There aren't too many lodges I have gone to where that would or could happen due to the logistical issues.
The lodge also fits ten very comfortably but can accommodate 14. We were ten and having the place to ourselves was definitely the way to go if possible.
The food was off the charts and Chef Kevin did an exceptional job along with his wife Deb who handles almost everything else. Filet, crab cakes, king crab you name it....
The guides were knowledgeable and a bunch of nice young guys....definitely one of my better experiences with staff...they made it feel like home.
The lodge is basically brand new so the bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas are comfortable and well done. There is also a wood burning hot tub on the porch overlooking the lake which if you have fished in Alaska is a very nice end to any day.
I am already booked for 2017 and my gut tells me once this place gets on people's radars they will be all full going forward. All in all my best lodge experience to date in Alaska.
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Date of stay: June 2016Trip type: Traveled with friends
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.
When we showed up at Designated place to be pick up. No one from the lodge was there. Wait two hours to be pick up. The next day we waited 3 hours to be pick up by plane after floating. They pick us up by boat in dangerous conditions. It was chaotic every morning. Didn't know our Desingation, and pilot was always late taking off. Very poor run operation. Fishing was Good. The food was below the standards of a nice lodge. Guides where new and inexperienced.
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Date of stay: July 2018
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.
Intricate Bay Lodge is an intimate 10-guest lodge that feels more like home than a commercial establishment.Â
We had the fly-out package which meant the we took a float plane each day to a river where we then floated in well maintained rafts or jet boats and stopped from time to time to wade. Combo jet boat/fly out packages are also available. Access is via Anchorage, then one-hour scheduled air taxi to Iliamna with the final leg to the Lodge on their Beaver. Depending on arrival time, you may have to overnight in Anchorage--we did.
After lunch on arrival day we took a jet boat to the Lower Copper River for instruction in "flossing" sockeye, a method of getting a hook in the mouth of a fish that does not eat once in freshwater.  These are exciting and powerful fish--pound for pound would tow a chinook upriver. My wife and I landed many doubles and brought home 50 lbs of frozen salmon despite mostly targeting the beautiful native rainbows.
Rainbow fishing was truly outstanding. Big, tough fish in fast water. They are so perfectly colored they could serve as encyclopedia examples of the species. As with the sockeye, we hooked some fish that we had to chase down the river.Â
The days were long, starting at 7 or 8 each morning and sometime not getting back to the lodge until 7. Each day was a different river--the Gibraltor, the Kvijak, the Morraine, and various parts of the Copper. It seemed each was more beautiful than the previous one. The upper Copper has a waterfall that keeps fish out of the first three miles of spectacular white water. The waterfall is about a 50' drop. We unloaded the rafts, the guides tied them together and attached a 50' rope before pushing them over the waterfall. The guide did the drop so skillfully that the rafts floated through the pool below the waterfall right to the bank where we were waiting.Â
The guides were exceptional--great fishermen (yes, all were men); wonderful companions for a day on the river. Unlike the practice in some lodges, we changed guides each day. This turned out nicely as each had a particular way of fishing so we learned quite a lot.Â
Meals were good, especially considering that all the food had to come in from Anchorage with the last leg on the Lodge's fleet of float planes. Chef Ryan was most amenable to accommodating our special requests like salad for lunch and breakfasts that avoided his tantalizing baked goods.
Lodge provides beer and a limited amount of wine. Spirits and specific wines are BYOB, but the Lodge has worked out an arrangement with an Anchorage liquor store to ship bottles in--just need a few weeks of lead time (see the Lodge's website for the details).
We had great weather (sunny with highs in the mid 60s) but it can be cold and rainy so be prepared. Bugs were not bad but some used head nets (we did not, although we brought them along).
Aside from the fish, wildlife included numerous and very large grizzlies (we saw several mothers with cubs--totally uninterested in us, but if they were, the guides all had bear spray and .454 caliber handguns), mink, lots of eagles,...
In short, Intricate Bay Lodge provides a perfect example of what freshwater flyfishing in Alaska should be. We are already planning our return trip.
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Date of stay: July 2018
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â All the rooms have great views.
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Iliamna area.
LOCATION
United StatesAlaskaLake and Peninsula BoroughIliamna
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
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