Hello, Dan Michels here. It's been said that after 36 seasons at Crystal Creek Lodge, I am the only constant. Yet, that being said, it's not about me. It's about our guests, and the staff, of Crystal Creek Lodge. Our guests dedicate their free time to experience what we do and our staff dedicate their careers to serving our guests. This blog series is about snippets of insight as to what we do, and how our guests experience Crystal Creek Lodge. Enjoy.
A day of magic with guests Jack and Brad from Connecticut and guests Shari and Judith from Washington. Jack and Brad have been guests of Crystal Creek for over 15 years, and they usually bird hunt and do a little fishing. Shari and Judith love to fish and this is their first visit. We all…
Read more »Two fish, caught from two rivers, two days apart. One, a 20-inch fish that lives it’s life year round in a stream far from a lake connection, turns pigmented, spotted, green and bright red from exposure to sunlight. The other, a 29-inch fish, remains chrome and without pigment from living it’s life year round in…
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Guide Connor Scott shown holding a Chum Salmon caught by Rick and Lee P. of Phoenix, AZ. This is Lee’s 24th trip to CCL and his first to Yantarni Salmon Camp. Rick and Lee went on a day trip. They and two other guests caught numerous Chums and Pink Salmon within sight of the ocean….
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Yesterday we put Beaver N602AK on wheels. Man! I love that plane on wheels! It is an incredible performer. After doing a few touch and goes last night that allowed me and pilot Steve to brush off the dust, we put it on the schedule today to go char fishing at Becharof Lake. The guests…
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Shown are Charles and Mindy of Wasilla, Alaska holding two fat Naknek River Rainbow Trout caught on August 4. We had a slight weather delay, waiting for morning fog to burn off, before we could fly-out. Charles and Mindy chose to opt-out of their fly-out day spend the day on the Naknek, where, Charles quotes,…
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The streams of Bristol Bay are literally turning red as the bright-red Sockeye Salmon swim into the gin clear water. It’s an amazing sight to see from the window of an airplane flying 500 ft. overhead. The Rainbow Trout are coming out of the lakes to follow the salmon and gorge on their eggs. The…
Read more »A guest favorite at our dinner table is always Wednesday’s surf and turf night. Last night Chefs Joe and Brian served up the surf course as claw of King Crab aside a bowl of gazpacho soup garnished with mellon. The turf course was Prime Angus Beef fillet set…
Read more »Gentleman suitors, this is Miss Mary Ann Peters, of Palo Alto, CA and Sun Valley ID. While many of you may know of our coveted Death March Survivor Award (for walking to the fishing across the tundra) Mary Ann proved herself a champion. She just won our Death March Survivor Award with Trout Clusters (a…
Read more »The sea-run Dolly Varden are flooding into the Bristol Bay area rivers, following the salmon from the ocean to the spawning creeks. The Dollies are stacking the catch numbers substantially as our guests fish small streams. Shown is pilot/guide Alex holding a Dolly caught by guest Joe W. of Long Beach, CA. Joe just completed…
Read more »As the millions of Bristol Bay Salmon begin entering the small streams on their way to spawn, they draw from the lakes and rivers Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden, hungry fish that follow eagerly to await the deluge of eggs about to be dropped by the salmon as they spawn. All of our guests fished…
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