Thursday, November 13, 2014

Thanks from the Johnson's

Thank you!
As usual, a heart-felt thanks for all of you that made the 2013/14 season our best yet. I hope all of you had as much fun as we did! Judging by the terrific number of rebookings, I am guessing that most of our guests had a good trip.
Some highlights of the year were:
Alaska
1)      One of the best sockeye fishing seasons we have seen, with limit catches being the rule for  most of the entire season.
2)      The biggest silver run on the Naknek in history. There didn’t seem to be a good reason for the huge jump in numbers, but it was a welcome surprise. We are hoping it was the start of a trend!
3)      An unusually high number of small to medium sized rainbows. There seems to be a couple of years of tremendous rainbow recruitment and survival on the Naknek River. As these huge year classes continue to grow and mature, they should guarantee great rainbow fishing for years to come.
4)      An outstanding group of guides! As I am sure you noticed, our staff just keeps getting better and better. The best news is that all of our guides from 2014 have expressed the desire to return for the 2015 season.
5)      The tongue and groove pine wallboards and new lighting changed the entire character of our dining room. I was very proud of the way it turned out.

Belize
1)      Catch and release regulations in Belize have resulted in a rapidly growing population of bonefish and permit. Especially exciting is an increase in the average size of the tailers on the bonefish flats. We are starting to see many more fish over 3 pounds and even a few in the 5 pound plus range.

2)      20 permit landed on a fly by James last winter. 20 years ago, I would have bet that this was an impossible feat. Now, with the advances in fly design, fly lines, rod performance and fluorocarbon tippets, the game has changed.

3)      The remodeling of our waterfront lodge in Belize surprised even us at how amazingly well it turned out. 2 new air conditioned master suites, a new deck, roof, dock, thatched roof palapa, entrance gate and mahogany garage doors changed the look and feel completely. Lots of new mahogany furniture, carvings and wall hangings. Our new flats boat was also a great addition.

Current 2014/15 Openings – Belize

December 9-16, 20-27, 27 – Jan 3
Jan 10-17, 17-24
March 7-14, 21-28
April 11-18, 18-25
Anytime from April 25 until June 1





Current 2015 Openings - Alaska
June 6-13                              Opening week-  special $2295 rate
June 13-20                             Smolt season – special $2295 rate
June 20-27                             Rainbows, sockeye and kings                 
July 4-11                                Peak of the sockeye and kings                                                                     
July 11-18                              Still excellent sockeye and kings
July 18-25                              Mixed bag of kings, sockeye


July 25 - August 1                  This is the last week for kings
August 1-8                             The start of the silver season
August 29-September 5th      Awesome silvers, rainbow and char
September 5th - 12th             Excellent for silvers, and rainbow
September 19-26                   Traditionally known as spey season
September 26 –Oct 3            Late season on the Naknek is famous for steelhead sized rainbows

If you would like to make a new reservation or already have reservations but have yet to finalize them with a deposit, please contact us by email (naknekrivercamp@gmail.com) or call us at 616-745-6066 (cell) or 231-745-6072 (Michigan land line).