The Crystal Creek Lodge Blog is a place of possibilities, where you can learn deeper insights into how to explore the tens of millions of acres of wild Alaska surrounding us. Whether you’re after fishing, wildlife, the perspective of history or simply feeling the awe of being in wide-open spaces, it’s all here. Enjoy the journey.
Katie E. of Kalispell, MT is holding one of the many Silver Salmon rushing into the streams at Yantarni this week. We expect the run to peak in the next 14 days. This year we have been blessed with spectacular weather and abundant runs of Silver Salmon. Be sure to visit Yantarni next year in September!…
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A Crystal Creek Lodge plane first landed at Aniakchak National Monument many years ago. Located 120 miles south of King Salmon on the west side of the Alaska Peninsula, Aniakchak is one of the most remote and infrequently visited National Monuments. The main feature of the Monument is a 6-mile wide caldera created 3,500 years…
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Heather Oberholtzer accompanied a party of guests for a tour of the Alaska Peninsula, a tour that included a stop at the walrus cape, a spin around the inside of the Aniakchak National Monument, and a brief stop at a beach on Bristol Bay wherein we found several antique glass fishing floats. Here are three…
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It’s a close call and the fish may have it by a fin. Alec J. of California, along with his father, David, scored this beautiful string of Sockeye Salmon recently on a sunny day, fishing together on the Kvichak River. Check out our Fishing page and our Adventure page to learn more about opportunities to…
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Glenn and Sam H. from California fished together on the Kvichak River during a beautiful Bristol Bay day, July 4th. Together they watched thousands of Sockeye Salmon stream by the bank and they caught their limit of five apiece in a matter of a couple hours. Sam is holding his first fish of the day…
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The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a prominent feature of Katmai National Park. It is a gigantic ash field about 10 miles long and three miles wide remaining from the eruption of the Katmai Volcano, shown in the background, in June 1912. The eruption was the most powerful of the 20th Century and was…
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The first King Salmon of the 2014 Crystal Creek Lodge season was caught today at the Nushagak River by William Oberholtzer, age 6. Guiding him was his dad, Alex Oberholtzer, pilot/guide and partner at Crystal Creek Lodge. The Nushagak run of Kings is ahead of schedule and the run is predicted to be strong! Kings…
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Giant Rainbow Trout lurk in the wide-open Naknek River and the air is stone silent, save the occasional whistling wingbeat of diving ducks as they trade amongst their flocks. Crystal Creek Lodge awaits the throng of staff to arrive late May to begin another season.
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In a stunning announcement on September 16, international mining giant Anglo-American said it was abandoning its claim to the Pebble deposit in order to pursue projects with less risk and more value. While that is a huge victory for those of us who desire to protect the wild salmon runs of Bristol Bay from the…
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Alaska Duck HuntingThe colder weather is bringing the ducks down! The ducks have been flying well on the Naknek River and all of the coastal ponds we have been hunting. The variety of ducks has been great this year from Mallards to teal and both greater and lesser scaup. Dan has been flying some trips…
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