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.
Escape for a moment to the wilds of Alaska with Crystal Creek Lodge’s One Minute Alaska Vacation video. This video is based on the guest’s view and the guest’s experience. Awaken your senses and enter a world where salmon turn rivers red, rainbow trout and salmon bend rods and peel line, and grizzly bears outnumber…
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Never Gonna Leave: Alaska Fishing Lodge Experience Connection is an essential component of the Crystal Creek Lodge experience; connection to nature, connection to adventure, and connection to one another through hospitality & fellowship. We thank our amazing guests for following our pre-trip protocols so we could, after sitting on the sidelines, gather together again to…
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Catch-and-Release When Crystal Creek Lodge first opened its doors in 1988, we were early adopters of the “Catch-and-Release” policy for native fish such as rainbow trout, char species, and grayling. Despite initial resistance, this practice has proven to be a highly successful conservation strategy, ensuring the survival of fish populations and maintaining healthy fisheries. Now,…
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We could all use something to make us smile right about now. This is a kindly reminder that the best is yet to come and to hang on to what we love & brings us joy in life. Enjoy this minute then, as you go through your days ahead, remember a smile is one of…
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“More than anything else the sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost if you can conceive of such a combination.” –Wilbur Wright The DeHavilland Beaver The hard-working quintessential Alaska bush plane, the DeHavilland Beaver occupies a well-deserved seat of honor in the annals of aviation history –…
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As we are busy preparing the lodge for opening, a series of earthquakes has been shaking the Alaska Peninsula. We were woke last night to the lodge rolling and shaking to an earthquake of 6.7 magnitude, centered about 100 miles south of the lodge near the Yantarni Salmon Camp. The Peninsula is essentially a gigantic…
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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 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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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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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…
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