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Lake Marie Lodge: The Place to Fly Fish for King Salmon
By Carl Jappe
 I've written this to follow up on a report I filed two years ago. Since that time I have made two more trips to Lake Marie Lodge, and I couldn't be happier with the experiences I've had. In 2004, I brought my son, then nine years old. This past year, 2005, I brought my 12-year-old daughter. Lake Marie has been a very friendly place to me and the kids.  The guides have been particularly attentive to helping both of my kids learn to catch kings, while I was able to just do my thing, fishing nearby with my fly rod.
This year when things got slow one day, guide Scott Canfield showed my daughter Lauren how she could catch Dolly Varden trout using just an egg fly on the end of about three feet of leader. She had a great time doing this while I continued to fish for kings a few feet away. Lauren and Scott kayaked on Otter Creek one afternoon while I fished. On our last day of fishing, Lauren relaxed for most of the day, offering running commentary on my fishing success, or lack thereof. She finally picked up her rod late in the day, and showed me how to do it by catching and releasing five kings in the last hour that we fished.
Guide Cliff worked extensively my son Mike to help him learn how to play and reel in kings, until Mike was eventually able to cast to and catch one entirely on his own. Cliff also helped Mike catch rainbow trout that were hanging in behind the kings in a small pool. Mike was fishing with an ultralight spinning rod, and suddenly had a king on, with only six pound test line.  Cliff coached him for 25 minutes until the king finally broke off, just as Cliff was about to grab it by the tail!
The creeks fished are a mix of faster clearwater streams and slower, silty, or tannic, waters in the tributaries of the Yentna River and other streams. In the five visits I've made to Lake Marie out of 20 trips to Alaska, the fishing has always been at least good, and at times spectacular, with the kings running strong at all times.  When the bite is on, the action is fast, and the fish generally range in size from 15 to 35 pounds, with the occasional larger fish, upwards of 35 to 40 pounds.
What I really like about this place, is that it offers great fly fishing for kings. Many guides and lodges will tell you that you can fly fish for kings with them, but the reality often falls short of expectations. At Lake Marie, fly fishing for kings is almost de rigueur - this is a fantastic places to learn to fish for kings on a fly rod if you've never done it before.  There are a variety of place to fish for them, and the pressure is light to non-existent. Many guests do use spinning gear, however, and both methods of fishing produce good results.
The guides are young, but are generally experienced fishermen. They work hard and have pleasant, upbeat personalities, along with good camaraderie. The food is excellent, and the accommodations quite rustic, but clean and comfortable.  Go here if you value a laid back, fishing camp environment, where the emphasis is on the fishing and the wild outdoors and not on being a spa/resort for the pampered angler. See their web site at www.lakemarie.com.
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