Who said fly fishing is expensive.....

DimeBrite said:
I really don't like the trend toward greater luxury & comfort at fly fishing & safari locations. Much prefer experiencing great hard-core fishing in an untouched natural environment. Simple shelter and food are good enough.

The exclusive Indo-Pacific permit atolls in the Amirantes are super expensive (Blue Safari). Russian oligarchs with party girls on the Quo Vadis luxury catamaran are the norm.

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Oligarch…

Sounds more like a pimp with a floating whore house. 🤔
 
Yard Sale said:
It would be really interesting to know how those runs are doing. Seems like it would be a useful indicator on the ocean conditions vs headwater debate. I'd volunteer to go check it out but not sure I'd want to head to Russia these days.

In the mid-level category(I guess) my buddy does a week at Hickman's lodge on the Dean for $10K. He has to get up there and back, plus licenses, etc. Figure $15K all in. I could never do it annually like he does but maybe once for some special reason? Maybe I'll grab a lottery ticket with my next 12er of Coors light.
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Totally different life history. The Russian steelhead rivers are tributary to the Sea of Okhotsk, not the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of Okhotsk freezes over during the winter, unlike the Pacific Ocean, and steelhead ascend rivers in the fall and over winter under the ice, similar to Atlantic salmon in many of the northern rivers. Different fresh water life histories and different marine waters forage base make for no comparison to Pacific steelhead, just as California and southern Oregon steelhead are not directly comparable to northern Pacific steelhead.

The cost of Dean River lodges has gone up faster than general inflation. I presume that's because demand exceeds the number of available slots per season. A friend of mine got a lodge slot two years ago when a regular customer died. That is a pretty common way to get in, but the wait can be very long. The all in cost is way less than an additional $5k unless you're flying to Hagensborg via personal Lear jet. The DIY method has worked for me, altho the helo flight went up significantly a couple years ago. And you have to deal with the uncertainty of the draw (lottery). We got pretty good dates this year, which is way better than not getting drawn at all, but we couldn't match up with helicopter availability. So we have to fly in on our first fishing day and fly out on our last fishing day, instead of going in on the day before and out on the day after. So we get 7 fishing days instead of 8, but it's still a pretty good deal compared to alternatives.
 
fatbillybob said:
Agreed! ...and so often fishermen are varying degrees of "guide puppet."
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I've only been out with a guide about 5 times and never to a lodge. This describes the feeling I get. The only thing I'm doing is casting. All I'm doing is putting the fly where they tell me. That's probably why I prefer fishing on my own even if it's less successful.
 
A good guide and a willingness to listen and learn has helped me become a better fisherman. It has also resulted in a friend I would not have had otherwise.
A lodge trip can be a great value if it is known you are after an experience and not just catching fish. The location, the staff, and the guide are all very important for the trip to be a “success” and worth the investment.
 
There are many fantastic fishing locations that you cannot DIY, and need to sign up with an outfitter to fish there. Most guides are good at evaluating an angler's abilities and let the more experienced ones fish independently. That's why I prefer the independence of wade fishing to being stuck on the boat. Even so, a good guide is an invaluable teacher for those willing to listen and learn. I've learned a ton while travel fishing and this has improved my local fishing success. Guides are worth the expense, not so much the fine dining and luxury accommodations.
 
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