Anchorage Daily News

When you're traveling around Alaska, seeing the wildlife has to be near the top of your must-do list.

If you're headed to Kodiak, you can get lucky and combine watching the critters with harvesting something for the freezer. It's one of the things that makes a visit to Alaska's Emerald Isle so appealing.

You don't have to go far from the center of town to see whales. Take a walk in the Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park. There's a beautiful point where you can look out and see whales passing by. Or go on a fishing charter for halibut and salmon.

One of the popular fishing areas is Whale Pass. When we went fishing on the Lana J with Capt. Mel Roe, it was pouring down rain and the wind was blowing. We didn't care, because we were reeling in big halibut. And the whales were breaching about 200 yards away.

For an up-close look at Kodiak's backcountry and the giant bears that live there, you can fly out to a number of sites and see the bruins. Typically, it's at a choke point like a waterfall where the fish pool up for the bears to pounce on them.

Island Air in Kodiak offers a variety of backcountry flight options, including trips across Shelikof Strait to Katmai National Park. Pilot Keller Wattum loves this area.

"Very few people get to see this side of the park," said Wattum. "We fly guests to places like Geographic Harbor, Kukak Bay and Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park," he said. Budget about $500 per person for this trip.

Another popular bear-viewing spot is Frazer Lake, south of the Karluk River. Island Air flies travelers to Larsen Bay, where the folks at Uyak Bay Lodge meet the plane and make the transfer to Wattum's deHavilland Beaver on floats.

The 15-minute flight offers fabulous views of the countryside and the wildlife below. We saw mountain goats, bear and deer from the plane, in addition to thousands of salmon pooled up at feeder streams along the lake.

After landing on the lake, Wattum leads travelers to a viewing stand by a fish ladder. We saw nine Kodiak grizzlies fishing for lunch. We brought binoculars and telephoto lenses for a closer view! Your return trip to Kodiak includes a hearty lunch at Uyak Bay Lodge.

In addition to the bear-viewing trips, Island Air and Uyak Bay Lodge offer a number of hunting and fishing packages for salmon, halibut, ducks, caribou and deer. The hunting season starts Aug. 1, so the lodge is offering special "cast and blast" combination hunting/fishing trips.

The lodge also offers a special "eco-trek" program for travelers who want to do a variety of activities in addition to hard-core hunting or fishing, including hiking, beachcombing or just exploring the backcountry.

The cost of fuel has boosted the price for all the fly-out adventures. For a day in the country at Uyak Bay Lodge and Frazer Lake, budget more than $600 per person.

If you want to stay at a fly-out lodge like Uyak Bay Lodge, budget $800-$900 per day, per guest. That includes fly-out fishing, all meals and accommodations.

Compare that with the cost for just accommodations and meals: $175 per night. The seat fare to travel from Kodiak to Larsen Bay is $99 each way, according to Bob Stanford of Island Air.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant. Contact him via his travel blog: www.alaskatravelgram.com.

Scott's tips

• ISLAND AIR: These folks offer scheduled service and flightseeing all over Kodiak. www.kodiak islandair.com

• KODIAK ISLAND RESERVATIONS. Check with these folks for accommodations, activities and insider tips. www.kodiak reservations.com

• KODIAK ISLAND BREWERY. Brewmaster Ben Millstein crafts tasty beers right across the street from Kodiak's harbor. www.kodiak brewery.com

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