Ard's Site

[siege]

Anybody here who hasn't been to Ard's website recently should revisit it. akflyfishingguide.com
Lots of great info and some amazing pictures. If you ever thought about fly fishing in Alaska, this site will get your juices flowing

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[mcnerney]

I have to agree, Ard's site sure makes you dream of visiting Alaska!
Fishing with Ard Stetts | Fly and Spey fishing in Alaska.

 

[ia_trouter]

It's a very good nice site with a lot of informative content. Needs a few more photos. I am heading up there Tuesday and I'll try to help provide some content.

Perhaps he will add a new pictorial section on removing hooks from my backside?

 

[siege]

It's a very good nice site with a lot of informative content. Needs a few more photos. I am heading up there Tuesday and I'll try to help provide some content.

Perhaps he will add a new pictorial section on removing hooks from my backside?

Got room in your duffle bag for a passenger ? I hope you have a great time. Tight lines !

 

[dean_mt]

It's a very good nice site with a lot of informative content. Needs a few more photos. I am heading up there Tuesday and I'll try to help provide some content.

Perhaps he will add a new pictorial section on removing hooks from my backside?

Lucky dog! I'm jealous.

It is a family vacation that is in my plans for next summer.

 

[ia_trouter]

Lucky dog! I'm jealous.

It is a family vacation that is in my plans for next summer.

I feel very fortunate. Last year I make real money before I retire so I thought I better get this done. Here's hoping the family doesn't sell my walleye boat and book a flight while I am out of town lol.

If it wasn't for Ard's deep in the woods cabin this would have been harder to swing. In any event, an Alaska trip can be done much cheaper than I ever thought before I found his site, and investigated the free introductory flights you can get with a new Airline "Miles" card.

Ard will be the third guide I have ever hired. He spent an incredible amount of time preparing me for the trip before I ever committed. I suspect this will not be the last time we fish together.

I look forward to launching a trip thread when I return.

 

[fyshstykr]

Ia trouter, having fished with Ard I can assure you that he will bust his behind to get you into fish, and his riverside burgers and brats are tasty. Do me a favor and scratch Boss's ears for me, he's a great guard dog on the river and friendly as all get out.

 

[rickf]

Neat site, Ard!

I love that remote cabin (log home). Year's ago, I lived in a log home (two story log chalet). Best house I ever owned!

Good luck with your Alaska guiding! Such a beautiful place to live.

 

[repperson29]

With that price range it has me seriously considering a trip, less than a trip to a lot of other places that aren't just as fun


Ryan

 

[Ard]

This thread caught me by surprise! But I have to agree that I put some good articles into the Flies & Rivers blog there to help people understand the nature of fishing & the fish here. I just cam back from the cabin and am picking Dewayne up tomorrow and then he's in for a very long boat ride

What can help to make a stay here affordable is that I'm not in the lodging business. Because of that there is no fee for use of the cabin or for riverside tent sites. It's all just guiding and the meals are part of the package. I do however encourage folks to fly out when possible and then I bring them back in via river boat. This makes for a fast tpip in and you get the scenic tour coming back............

This trip we will be after Pike - Kings - early sockeye - and of course trout, char & grayling

I'm ready here

 

[runningfish]

The guide fees are economical too, makes want to visit Ard, I meant Alaska.

 

[flyfishmich]

great site Ard. Hopefully I can get out there and fish with you sometime.

 

[Ard]

The guide fees are economical too, makes want to visit Ard, I meant Alaska.

Honestly I have to agree, I've checked many a website in the lower 48 and they charge nearly as much and some more for an 8 hour walk / wade trip. I've already booked a drift boat trip that will cost more than my river boat days.

If you ever do come keep this in mind, as long as I have the endurance to do it I try to be on the water as close to 6:00 AM as I can and I stay until we've had enough. So far this year average days are 12 - 14 hours from launch to take out. I'll be 60 in November so I don't know how many more years I'll be able to keep those kind of days but that's how I roll right now

The things that control are the price of fuel - launch membership and wear & tear on the outboard. When you get the scope of the rivers and the distances you must travel to get into the fish things come into perspective more.

Thanks for all the kind words on this thread, I'm trying my best here.

Ard

 

[jpbfly]

I'll be 60 in November so I don't know how many more years I'll be able to keep those kind of days but that's how I roll right now

Ard,you're not an old fart... yet!!! after we chatted a few days ago I understood the job was harder than you had thought .I'll be 63 ....but I'm "fortunate" to have a few customers I often visit your site and you know it makes me dream too

 

[Ard]

I'll get busy and enter some photos and writing one of these days JP. I'm going to take my Nikon and lens bag along on the next 3 trips and make an effort to get some good shots. I've been spoiled by the little waterproof pocket camera but when the weather is good nothing beats the DSLR for a good picture.

Yeah it gets harder each year. The first year I had only 4 people, last year I had 7 and worked only 14 days. This year I've been out 9 days in June and will work 26 days in July. That will be followed by 14 more in August and 4 in the first week of September. I look very forward to having the chance to go search for those really big rainbows that I know are here in my home river too. There's a fellow from Switzerland who will be with me for 7 days and maybe he won't mind if I fish along with him and we can try to find the big ones. I know they are in because my friend the researcher with Fish & Game told me he had netted them almost a month ago..........

I'm spending plenty of time on the rivers but not fishing too much myself. I guess that's the game when you do this though. I'm not going to complain because I get to be out there