What is there to do
besides fish? * Kayaking * Whale Watching * Beach Combing *
White Sulfur Hot Springs Excursion * Visit a Sea Lion
Rookery * Photo Safaris: Brown Bear, Puffins, Breaching
Humpback Whales, Eagles, Ravens, Killer Whales... * Explore
old Mines * Hiking Rain Forests & Muskegs * Setting
Crab & Shrimp traps * Chasing Spawning Salmon up a
Stream * Experience commercial fishing for Salmon or
Halibut *
Day trips from the Lodge or extended overnight expeditions
on our 50 foot fishing yacht the PELICAN.
A remarkable array of maritime life and natural beauty
surrounds us wherever we go!
We would like to do a combination of fishing from
the lodge then maybe a day or two aboard the big boat –
would it be possible for you to give us an outline
(including cost) of what something like that might look
like so I can share the specifics with our fellow
travelers?
A combined shore based and expedition
vessel (see photo at bottom of page) based trip
could be configured many different ways. I like to leave a
little flexibility in any plans that deal with the weather,
the ocean, (the stock market) and/or the fishing, as these
factors will fluctuate (as JP Morgan once famously said!).
SAMPLE COMBO FISHING & EXPEDITION TRIP
You will probably arrive in
Juneau at ~10:30 am from YOUR HOME TOWN. We could
start the trip with a 45 minute float-plane ride from
Juneau to Pelican. This flight is not to be
missed...it’s gorgeous! 12 pm: Lunch at the Highliner
Lodge. We would accommodate your three couples in three
separate suites with an ocean view, private bath and very
comfortable beds. Get yourself acclimated to the Highliner
Lodge and Pelican City (after all you’ve just traveled back
50 years in time!) Walk the boardwalk and explore the town
and it’s Inhabitants. We’ll take you down to the harbor for
an orientation on the boats. Get you geared up (fitted for
rain gear/boots) for tomorrow's fishing. 6 pm:
Cocktail/espresso hour. 7 pm: Enjoy our 5 star four-course
dining, after watch the sun move across the mountain tops
(it moves mostly horizontally this time of year.) as you
enjoy a night cap or espresso drink, and for the intrepid
adventurer who likes to take in exotic local culture, a
walk down to one of the local bar and grills for some
mingling with those “inhabitants” I mentioned earlier. (I
will be getting a good night’s sleep for myself!)
Notice we don’t hustle you off to go fishing the day you
arrive (after traveling since 3 am!?) like many lodges!
Day One: 6 am:
Breakfast made to order at lodge. 7 am: Leave on day boat
for king salmon fishing and/or halibut fishing. 12 pm:
Lunch on boat. More fishing! 4:45 pm: Return to Lodge. 6
pm: Appetizers & cocktails/espresso drinks. 7-8:30 pm:
Dinner: 4 star 4 course fine dining!
Day Two: 6 am: Breakfast at lodge. 7 am:
Leave on day boat fishing for halibut (and/or king salmon.)
We can mix fishing in calm water with a heck of a lot of
adventure and fun and we'll do it in an unbelievably
uncrowded and beautiful environment. 12 pm: Lunch on boat
then more fishing! 4:45 pm: Return to lodge. 6 pm:
Appetizers, cocktails & espresso drinks. 7-8:30 pm:
Dinner.
Day Three: 6 am: Breakfast at lodge. 7 am:
Leave on day boat fishing for king salmon or halibut. 12
pm: Lunch on boat. More fishing! 4:45 pm: Return to lodge.
6 pm: Appetizers, cocktails & espresso drinks. 7-8:30
pm: Dinner.
Chichagof Island has the
highest concentration of brown bears in the world! Although
we are usually primarily focused on fishing from the day
boat, we may make many small side trips; like looking for
grizzly bears (from the boat where it's
safe!) and feeding the eagles or sneaking up on sea otters,
or we might build a fire and picnic on a remote sandy
beach..... there are lots of things to do besides catching
BIG king salmon and halibut, ling cod, red snapper and all
that stuff. We may choose to explore little coves and and
tidal estuaries, old mines, hike, beach comb, or visit
Svenson’s cabin. We can spontaneously change plans and
activities as it suites you and your group!
Day Four: Expedition
boat trip to the 3 sided cabin
and the old abandoned Bohemia Creek Mine. This is a
relatively easy hike (about three miles from this dock)
through an old-growth Sitka Spruce forest and "other
worldly" alpine muskeg on an old Tlingkit Indian trading
route. After lunch, depart for White Sulfur Hot
Springs (it doesn't stink!) After anchoring up
we'll row ashore and take a 20 minute walk along a US
Forest Service trail from the west arm of Mirror Harbor to
the hot springs. Many days it's calm enough to anchor
directly in front of the springs, where we can enjoy a
campfire, beach combing and a gorgeous panoramic ocean
vista while soaking in the springs. We have left the
Highliner Lodge for good now and we will anchored up and
watching the sun set from a different location every night.
Day Five: See,
up close and personal, really cool rock formations
(natural arches and columns) at Soapstone Point and Column
Point. Visit the sea lion rookery at Inian Islands
(an unbelievably close-up encounter with dozens of curious,
acrobatic, diving, leaping, charging, and sometimes
fighting Stellar Sea Lions. An average adult male Stellar
is 9 feet in length and weighs 1500 lb.) Next, watch the
tide change direction and turn North Inian Pass from a
placid lake into a roaring, raging river with rapids and
gigantic whirlpools (don't worry it's safe!) Get a close up
look at Brady Glacier. Anchor up and set the Dungeness crab
pots in Dundas Bay.
Day Six: Haul
crab pots. Travel to Point Adolfus for humpback whale
watching (this is the premier location to view Humpbacks in
all of south east Alaska; hmm, maybe the world! Kayak with
the whales! Eat crab! Anchor up where we can hear the
whales blow whilst we nod off to sleep.
Day Seven: visit the restored Hoonah
Cannery (now a museum), visit a real fish processing plant
and unload our “Dude Fish”. Travel to
Point Couverden and anchor up for the night. Watch for
Northern Lights!
Day Eight:
More Kayaking and Whale watching. Arrive
Auke Bay near Juneau, tour Mendenhall Glacier, you depart
Juneau on Alaska Air.
This is just an example. We could reverse the above plan
and take the expedition boat to Pelican, fish from the
lodge for three days and then fly out. We could use Sitka
as the starting point or ending point of the trip. We could
take the inside route or the outside route from Sitka to or
from Pelican. If we plan early, these are all options. Our
options will be more limited as we continue to book trips
for the season.
I will bring a deck hand and/or the chef, to help on the
expedition part of the trip. It won’t be as elegant as the
Highliner Lodge (no four course meals) but you won’t
suffer. We will cruise in comfort and style! We’ll eat very
well! The boat has one private stateroom with en-suite
bathroom (with a soaking tub!) We have another bath with a
shower. It’s a boat that is built with lots of out door
spaces and adventure in mind, so it may feel small at
times...even a cruise ship seems small compared to a home
or the lodge. The boats is beautiful, it’s trimmed out with
Honduran mahogany and red granite. It will be
relaxing...believe it or not, I have probably outlined too
many things to do in 3 days of cruising. We could make more
time for the expedition part of the trip (or less)
depending on your wishes.
I took my family to New Zealand for a month last winter and
was disappointed. I probably tried to cover too much ground
on the islands. The worst part...we traveled by auto...fast
but NOT relaxing. If I could have spent a week at a remote
lodge and a week on an expedition boat (sound familiar?) it
would have been altogether different. The same is true
about Alaska, it is so vast that you cannot take in whole,
but is best taken in small parts. If you try to see to
much, you may end up seeing very little (other than
tee-shirt shops and tourist traps).
The F/V PELICAN is capable of setting and retrieving commercial halibut long-line gear and commercially trolling for salmon. You may choose to take part in this historic fishery. We call this "Dude Fishing".
The Highliner Lodge offers more versatility and customization than any other destination in Alaska.