We have a few prime dates left for this summer.

Let’s go Fishing!

Lisianski Inlet Lodge 2024 trip information

Here at Lisianski Inlet Lodge, we pride ourselves on a well rounded, comfortable and enjoyable vacation that focuses on great fishing in both salt and freshwater with a variety of fishing gear and techniques as well as various non-fishing experiences in the surrounding wilderness.

Your guide specializes in providing a combination of salt and freshwater fishing coupled with other fun activities such as soaks in natural hot springs, nature hikes, visits to an ancient petroglyph site and viewing wildlife Alaska is famous for such as; brown bear, humpback whales, sea otters, eagles… the main goal is to have fun, good fishing and a great Alaska experience!

As our lodge is small it is common for us to have just one group for the week, often a family or group of friends who enjoy the great fishing and come back year over year to fill their freezers with succulent Alaskan king salmon and halibut and renew their spirits with the natural beauty and raw wildness of Alaska.  While we do take groups of two and occasionally singles, we most often offer a private lodge for groups of from 5 up to 9 guests.

Our combination of fishing and wilderness appreciation has historically provided enough high-quality Alaskan seafood for our guests to give to their families and enjoy over the winter months.  However, in recent years new regulations and worry about the strength of the fish stocks have brought us lower limits, especially for halibut (we release the big halibut as they are the spawning females and are also not worth keeping to eat as they are tough with a strong flavor).

While releasing the larger halibut makes sense for both gourmet and conservation reasons it has made it harder and harder to fill those fish boxes!  Due to the more restrictive regulations we have found spending more time fishing farther out in rougher water is often necessary in order to make our old normal amount of filets and this has come at the expense of the rest of the fun trip we enjoy providing.

So, in order to keep our trip enjoyable for both us and our guests we have decided to keep our price a little lower than other lodges in the area who run farther in often rougher water and bring in large halibut, and rather than try to increase the meat we produce, we offer the option to purchase extra fish from the local fish processor in Pelican, Yakobi Fisheries. Product price and availability is subject to change and is of course seasonal but Yakobi Fisheries produces a great product that is fresh and locally caught. To see a list of products that Yakobi Fisheries sells, see here.

Our lodge is a great destination for people who enjoy great fishing and would like a relaxing vacation in a secluded wilderness setting.

Trip price -please inquire- includes 4 days fully guided fishing, sightseeing and wilderness activities, 5 nights accommodations with meals, fishing gear, rain-gear and boots. Courtesy water shuttle between Pelican and our lodge. Your trip begins on arrival at our lodge.

Not included: processing, vacuum sealing and freezing of your catch for the four days of fishing (processing service is provided by Yakobi Fisheries at roughly $4 per pound which includes box and insulated liner for transport or shipping. A typical catch for the week might be 50 pounds of filet per guest), airfare from your hometown to Juneau with Alaska Airlines (typically around $600-800 per person round trip), seaplane airfare from Juneau to Pelican (roughly $500-600 per person round-trip with excess baggage charges for your fish of $1.10 per pound), fishing license ($95 per person with king stamp), alcoholic beverages and possible overnights in Juneau. Please note that these prices are subject to change.

Example trip schedule:

Day 1: fly in day, depart Juneau on the Alaska Seaplanes flight for Pelican @ 4:30 PM, arrive Pelican @ 5:15 Pm.  We will greet you on the seaplane dock in Pelican and transport you to our lodge via boat for dinner and orientation.

Day 2: fishing and sightseeing with Captain Denny Corbin on the F/V Pacific, a combination of ocean fishing for king and silver salmon, halibut, lingcod, rockfish and depending on time of season, freshwater fishing for silver salmon and trout can be done each day along with other activities.

Day 3: same.

Day 4: same.

Day 5: same.

Day 6: fly out day, depart Pelican @ 9:30 AM, arrive Juneau @ 10:15 AM.

Please note that flight schedules may change.

Reservation and Cancellation policy: a $1,000 per person deposit is required to hold reservations.  50% of the total trip price is due February 1st.  Full payment is due 90 days prior arrival.  Due to our short season and limited space we are unable to give refunds unless we are able to re-book your space.  We do offer a 100% refund within the 14 day grace period following initial deposit, so as to give time to make airline reservations and confirm travel details.  Trip insurance is recommended.

We accept credit cards and personal checks.  Checks can be made payable to "Lisianski Charters" and mailed to PO Box 3802, Santa Barbara, CA 93130-3802 between September-April and to PO Box 765, Pelican, Alaska 99832 in the summer months.  If you would like to pay via credit card we can email you an invoice with link to pay online or take your credit card details over the phone.

2024 trip schedule

Trip#1: May 27-June 1

Trip#2: June 3-8

Trip#3: June 10-15

Trip#4: June 17-22

Trip#5: June 24-June 29

Trip#6: July 1-6

Trip#7: July 8-13

Trip#8: July 15-20

Trip#9: July 22-27

Trip#10: July 20-August 3

Trip#11: August 5-10

Trip#12: August 12-17

Trip#13: August 19-24

Trip#14: August 26-August 31

Trip#15: September 2-September 7

Why does not focusing on poundage and purchasing fish from the local processor make your trip better?  Your guide explains:

Sometimes you go fishing for a week in Alaska, try really hard and still don't end up with much to take home.  It's something any guide hates to admit but it's true.  Mother Natures casino does not always pay and after 30 years of guiding in southeast Alaska, I have found that sometimes the need to catch a lot of fish interferes with the quality of the vacation I am providing.

For example; often we have been out fishing hard all morning and have done well but are not yet limited.  I can tell the bite is slowing, the wind is coming up and I can see a few of my guests are getting tired and are on the verge of becoming seasick.  I say to them, "how about we run in and take a bath at the hot springs?"  But of course, there's always that person who counters with the need to catch more fish and we wind up grinding it out even though the fishing has slowed and the weather is lumpy.

Now maybe some people would rather fish and some people determine the success of their fishing trip by the number of pounds taken home, and that's fine, I like to fish and the harder the better and I enjoy eating fish all winter, but I often feel that the interests of my guests would be better served by doing things differently, that there are other factors to consider and that judging the success of a fishing trip solely by poundage alone may not be the best way to view the experience.

Another example; there are plenty of rivers and slough's in our area that can be fished with a fly or spin rod.  Now you aren't going to fill up your fish boxes this way, it will be mostly catch and release fishing.  But it is good fishing and possibly it is a better Alaskan fishing experience than you might get by toughing it out on the ocean waiting for that giant halibut to bite.

Take in to account that your guide knows when the best fishing is likely to be.  Often fishing is like that, slow, slow, slow... and then suddenly, magic! Everything happens at once and the fish pile aboard!  A tide change, a bite at a certain time of day when the feed comes out of the rocks, etc... it is possible to do well fishing in a short amount of time and the rest of the day will be spent with slow fishing for just a few more fish.  The question becomes, would you rather have a few more fish or diversify your fishing trip with some other options...

Here are a few positives of a well rounded Alaska fishing trip

Not getting seasick

Obviously not getting seasick means a better vacation for just about anyone.  In our area, it is never necessary to go out in open ocean when the weather is rough to catch fish.  Not everyone is capable of fishing stormy ocean conditions and even people capable may want to consider more pleasant and safer options.  Also to consider is that many times the bigger trophy fish are in areas that the main fleet does not fish.  These areas are often in calm, quiet bays and inlets where the fishing is very relaxing and enjoyable.

Not getting bored & bruised

If you have a large group and would like everyone to go home with plenty of fish you will need to fill those fish boxes and the surefire way to fill boxes fast is with giant halibut.  Catching giant halibut often requires patient waiting with not much happening.  This is commonly done on anchor, possibly in lumpy, inclement weather and with heavy fishing gear.

Not filling your freezer with large, poor quality halibut

Quality is often better than quantity and this is true with halibut.  Not only is it conservation-minded to let the large spawning females go, but more importantly, large halibut are tough, dry and have a strong flavor!  No informed person will put a halibut over 80 pounds in their freezer and 30-40 pounds is perfect.  It is fun to catch and release the barn door halibut but taking them home to eat is not advisable. We are currently required to release halibut from 60 pounds (50”) up to 197 pounds (72”). And our environmentally minded policy is to release larger than 72” even though they are legal to keep. Yakobi Fisheries sources from local commercial halibut fishermen and at our request will fill your boxes with only fish in the 30-40 pound range.  This ensures that you go home with the highest quality and best eating Alaskan halibut possible and releasing barn door halibut helps keep our halibut resource strong.

Exploring the Tongass Rainforest

Here in southeast Alaska, we have the most northern rainforest in the world.  There are so many remote, quiet places to explore and fish where you won't see another person!  A trip to southeast Alaska should include a walk in this natural wonder and a cast into a crystal clear stream for a trout or salmon, but you won't have time for that if you are slopping around on the ocean the entire day looking for inedible barn doors.

Bathing in Hot Springs

Weather and guests permitting I think the White Sulfur Hot Springs is a must do.  This is an amazing natural rock tub full of clean 103-degree mineral water, looking out over the Gulf of Alaska, need I say more?

Wildlife photography and wilderness appreciation

Catching pictures can be as fun as catching fish!  Our area boasts the highest concentration of coastal brown bear and humpback whales in the world!  Eagles, sea otters and other wildlife along with majestic scenery are all in a normal days adventures.

Not waking up at 4:30 AM

This is supposed to be a vacation, not work.  There is no need to wake up so early.

Your guide focusing on the success and safety of your trip, not worrying about the competition

Competition is fun but taken too far can have an adverse effect on your Alaskan vacation.  You don't want your guides decision making fouled by pressure to make poundage.  There is more to an Alaskan experience than numbers, remember this is a vacation, it is supposed to be fun!

Please contact us to check availability.  Thank you!