The Copper River Lodge has the distinct advantage of being a small Alaskan fly fishing operation located right on the river. This allows them to cater to both serious and laid back anglers. The daily fly fishing schedule runs from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and if guests get tired or cold they can return to the lodge early. With so many hours to fly fish every day, even the most energetic fishermen will find [need?] time to relax. By setting the daily schedule back, Copper River Lodge enjoys the entire river in the early evening. In Alaska, this can be the best fly fishing of the day and a spectacular time for viewing wildlife.
Each day three anglers set out with an experienced guide via jetboat for the day’s fly fishing. The lodge uses 16-foot tunnel boats with 40 HP jet units to run the river. However, guests rarely, if ever, fish from the boat as the Copper River is perfect for wade fishing. Boats are, for the most part, only used as a means to get to the next fishing hole. In addition to fly fishing the home water of the Copper River, guests can also set out on a large jetboat to explore the nearby Gibraltar River. While other lodges fly far and wide to reach the fabled Copper River, their guests return early and leave the entire river to Copper River Lodge anglers for the evening hours.
The Copper River is a classic trout stream packed with long dry fly glides, deep winding pools studded with boulders, faster riffles, and deep undercut banks begging for a mouse fly. Unlike other tundra rivers in Alaska that offer large trout, the Copper runs through a scenic river valley lined with groves of cottonwood, spruce, and birch. Aside from helping make it one of the most gorgeous rivers in the state, these trees offer the fly fishermen refuge from the relentless northern winds. Probably one of the nicest surprises for anglers visiting the Copper is the river's size and wade-ability. Anglers of any age or skill that desire the solitude of the river rather than the tutelage of the guide can comfortably and successfully fish on their own. Copper River rainbows are some of the largest in Alaska, and are the reason that the Copper was the first river in the state designated a "fly fishing, catch and release only, trophy rainbow river." It is this designation that has kept the fishing so spectacular.