The fishing locations are limited and they will run 3 boats 2 charters a day catching no fish in…read morethe same location. 8/7/26 no bites at all. We drove an hour south, rented poles and were on fish the same day. The charter was good but we could tell they knew we weren't going to catch anything before we left the ramp. It's all about location

Ray is a POS (period). Rude and unprofessional and his other charter guests were also embarrassed…read morewith his unprofessional demeanor. In fact the few chum we pulled out of the river had more personality than Ray. His website also claims numerous awards over the years - fact check it, as it just isn't true. Save yourself the embarrassment and go somewhere else!

Awesome fishing shop. Have been in a couple times. They are always very friendly and helpful. I…read morehighly recommend you stop in and check it out. It's one of the better ones I've ever been to.

Glad I drove 30 minutes one way to a fly shop that on their own website says 8am - 2pm on Sundays…read moreonly to find that it is indeed CLOSED period on Sundays. Get your info straight please, complete waste of time.

We had a wonderful adventure with Deshka Landing Charters and Lodge, July 2023…read more Jim and Maria are the best hosts and treat you like family. Maria's cooking is fabulous! Every meal was so delicious. The guides are great, know where to go for silvers and were especially patient with me while I learned to fish for salmon. The lodging cabins were clean and the beds were very comfortable. The main cabin felt like home away from home. We were also able to find time, when not fishing, to see the beautiful sites in Alaska recommended by Jim and Maria. They have a wealth of knowledge about Alaska. We brought home plenty of salmon to enjoy throughout the year.

the charter was extremely kind and understanding when showing us how to fish and the food and beds…read morewere amazing

Again, one of those places that for fuck-all reasons, nobody talks about. Am I blowing some kind…read moreof secret exposing all these cool out of the way places on the internet? I sure hope I don't get lynched by a bunch of angry Alaskan for outing our hidden gems. Tucked away on the scenic windy-twisty Old Glen Highway, you get a 500 foot warning the entrance is near. Don't miss it or you'll have to drive a clip before you have the chance to turn around on this narrow road. If you're driving from Anchorage, the entrance will be on your right. From the ample parking lot, you don't get a sense of how lovely the secret Eklutna Tailrace is. This my friends, is a picturesque, family friendly haven for some honest to goodness Alaska combat salmon fishing. To quote Alaska.org "The main fishing area--stocked with kings and silvers as well as pinks, chum, and dollies--is at the confluence of the tailrace with the Knik River. Because it's an artificial fishery, this tends to be one of the least regulated fisheries in South Central Alaska. That means that king fishing usually remains open here even while most South Central king fisheries have been closed in recent years, due to poor king returns." The Tailrace, a lovely glacial blue merges into the swift moving Knik River. In addition to being great for fishing, the vista from the north bank of the tailrace of this avalanche prone section of the Chugach mountains and the Knik River is really an Alaskan dream. There's also a short trail that connects the Tailrace to the fishery less than a mile away. The trail is hard packed enough for strollers. There's also another secret here that I missed the first several times I vistied. But if you like abandoned stuff, explore a little and bring your camera. You're in for a treat!

I'm with Joy G, this place is like a liquor store for Baptists: a place everyone goes, but no one…read moretalks about going to! I had only heard about it when my brother was visiting. He's a avid fisherman and did extensive research, and stumbled upon this area. Now that I've finally visited, I recognize it as the place where a lot of drone videos posted on social media are shot. There's a well-maintained parking lot with no fee. From here, you can go right to the water and fish. There's also a very short, but very well-maintained hiking trail. (maybe ¼ of a mile) The highlight here for me is the small bridge. It's right at the start of the hiking trail, over a milky-turquoise canal, and Pioneer Peak almost perfectly frames the scene in the background. It's an easy-to-take show that will blow away all your non-Alaska friends. If you're a tourist: this place is a must-visit. If you're a fisherperson: this place is a must-visit. If you're an avid hiker: this place is a must-visit...once. It's probably a good place to look for the Northern lights though! Decent sky views and you can stay close to your (warm) car!

We stopped by here on our way to Denali, it is was a random stop but turned out to be absolutely…read morebeautiful. We were here on Thursday afternoon and there was no one here. We had the lake to ourselves. The area around the lake was clean, there are plenty of picnic tables, bbq pit and kids play area around as well. They also have a boat launch area on the other side. Tip: Come here during week day to enjoy the quaint lake, 'cause when we stopped by on our way back on Saturday, the place was fully packed.

Good place overall to go kayak around a smaller lake. The lake is close to the highway so you can…read morehear all of the highway noise so its not as peaceful.

Ice Fishing was my favorite part of our trip…read more We did a lot of fun things on our trip to Alaska and ice fishing was by far my favorite. My husband may disagree but that's only because I caught more fish than him... Dustin is the shop owner and an all-around cool guy. He had a great set up for us before we even got to the location - a heated shelter, cameras so we could see below the ice, and rods all ready to go. We enjoyed chatting with him about his experiences fishing all over the world (he won't brag...but he's kind of famous). We're always looking to support Veteran-owned businesses and we're glad to have found The Bait Shack! Don't worry, all of the big char went back into the water to swim another day. But man was it fun! It was so exhilarating to watch these fish come up from the ice. Dustin also made sure they were handled gently and watched for any signs of distress from the fish as we were sending them home. We're fully committed to a summer trip so we can fish out a few Kings with Dustin and his crew. If you're looking for a fishing adventure near Anchorage, call The Bait Shack!

What a great first ice fishing experience! Dustin put us on plenty of fish and we caught fish all…read moreday. Dustin made everything super easy and made sure we had everything we needed for our first experience. We did the DIY package, and we were catching fish within a few minutes of fishing. Would definitely come back again- highly recommended and a great genuine guy.

This area is a perfect close to home getaway location. Lots of winter exploring to be had, and I'm…read moresure even more fun in the summer time with additional water activities. If the ratings are good definitely a nice spot to view the aurora. We rented a dry cabin for an overnight trip, and we're upset we didn't book for 2 nights. We were in cabin #4 as a party of 4 adults, 1 toddler & a lab with plenty of space. This cabin could easily accommodate 6 adults comfortable, but there was bunk space for 8. There are quite a few state owned dry cabins in this area. A few of them are even newer constructions, and very nice. We thought we were going to have to snowshoe into the cabin, but to our surprise the trails were groomed for cross country skiing so it was a very easy walk to cabin #4. The only downside of renting this cabin is this area is pretty busy with skiers and snowmobilers (snowmachiners) accessing the lake. We took a few mile walk around the lake. We considered ice fishing, but didn't due to lack of daylight. We saw a few people out fishing, but Nancy lake isn't exactly known to be a fishing location. We had a very nice time staying at the dry cabins, and I think they're a really fun activity to get out in the winter time!

Nancy Lake State park is HUGE. If someone has a negative experience, it's likely due to their…read morefailure to explore. In addition to two campgrounds cabins, there are countless lakes, ponds, streams and creeks, trails, parking lots and toilets. There's even canoe rentals. In winter theres some limited trail grooming as well. Fishing is popular in some of the lakes- see the state website for deets. Berry picking is excellent you're willing to explore as well. Bears are a real concern here so be prepared, we've seen them. Amazing bird watching as well. My only negative comment is the smaller campground by Nancy Lake proper is garbage- it needs a total overhaul. Head toward the campground by Rollly Lake deep in forest for the goods- you won't be disappointed.

Utmost hospitality, Veteran owned and supportive; quite patient and effective instructor, put us on…read moreall swimming species along with a fox and moose!

Repeat customer and I can't say enough good things about these guys! We had the best time on our…read moreJuly 4th fishing trip with Clay! Everything was well-organized and welcoming. We've had a Clay as our guide a few times before, and he's always fantastic--knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely fun to be around. He made sure we were in the right spots, gave great tips, and kept the energy up all day long, even at 4am. The owners, Lori and Travis, clearly care about their business and their guests. You can tell they've put a lot of heart into making sure every trip is a great experience. The boat was clean, well-equipped, and comfortable, and we came back with not only a great haul of fish but also memories we'll talk about for a long time. If you're thinking about booking a fishing trip, we absolutely recommend Fish Em. Clay, Lori, and Travis make a great team, and we can't wait to go out with them again!

It was an amazing! The leader John was a very good person! Hard working very knowledgeable! I…read moreenjoyed the fishing and food was very good!

It was my first time here. It's on horseshoe lake and has many cabins with multiple beds in the…read morearea. It's a decidedly religious camp run by the Church of the Nazarene. I came for a retreat and it was a nice time. Food was made by camp hands and there was even a camp cat named Heidi. There were paddleboats and canoes available. A friend of mine rented the cabins and space and had her wedding here. It's a very beautiful area and only an hour and a half from town.