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Fly-in Fishing Crescent Lake: Bear Viewing Adventure
We offer trips to Crescent Lake throughout the summer, and these begin in June and extend well into late September. Run timing for Crescent Lake sockeye and silvers is later than many of the other West Cook Inlet fly in fishing trip locations. In addition to sockeye and silver salmon, Crescent Lake also supports a healthy population of resident dolly varden as well as lake trout. The lake is also a very well known for its incredible bear viewing opportunities. Alaska Fishing with Mark Glassmaker has been providing Alaska fly-in fishing adventures to Crescent Lake and other popular destinations for salmon and trout for over 34 years.
Crescent Lake Bear Viewing
Crescent Lake is one of the most consistent and breathtaking bear-viewing locations we fly to. Nestled within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, the area supports a stable and thriving bear population, free from hunting pressure.
The steady supply of salmon throughout the summer—and especially during the fall—draws bears to the lake and surrounding river, making sightings a frequent and unforgettable part of your trip. Whether you're fishing or simply exploring the shoreline, bear encounters are common.
Fortunately, the bears at Crescent Lake are highly habituated to human presence, and aggressive behavior is exceptionally rare. Your experienced guides are well-versed in bear behavior and will ensure your experience is not only safe, but also one you'll never forget.
Crescent Lake Sockeye Salmon, Silver Salmon, Dolly Varden and Lake Trout Limits
The limit for both sockeye and silvers salmon is three fish per person, per day. The limit for lake trout is 2 per, day per person and the dolly varden limit is 5 per day, per person with only one fish allowed to exceed 12 inches. We regularly practice catch and release for both dolly varden and lake trout.
About Crescent Lake Fishing
Crescent Lake and the Crescent River are among the most scenic and breathtaking destinations we fly to. Their dramatic mountain setting, turquoise-green waters, diverse fishing opportunities, and incredible bear-viewing make this location hard to beat.
After a stunning 40-minute flight across Cook Inlet and into the Alaska Range, your plane touches down on a smooth, sandy beach at the gently flowing outlet of Crescent Lake.
Here, your guide will help you load into an awaiting jet boat for the ride downriver to the salmon fishing grounds. Some fishing can also be done right on the lake itself, which holds a healthy population of lake trout.
Keep your camera ready—the surrounding peaks, vivid water, and frequent bear sightings provide endless photo opportunities.
Guests who enjoy this trip also enjoy our fly-in salmon trips to the Kustatan River and our fly-in fishing on the Chuitna River.
More Information About Fly In Fishing
The west side of Cook Inlet hosts some of Alaska’s most productive silver salmon habitat, and the West Foreland region stands out as the heart of this fishery. After flying guests here for over three decades, I’ve learned that understanding this landscape—how it functions, why the rivers behave as they do—makes the difference between good …
The Chuitna River begins its 25-mile journey in a landscape most Alaska visitors never see—the remote Tordrillo Mountains at the western edge of the Alaska Range. I’ve been flying to the Chuit for nearly three decades, and understanding this watershed’s unique characteristics helps explain why it fishes so differently from our glacial-fed systems. Unlike the …
When you fly into Crescent Lake for a day of fishing, you’re landing in one of Alaska’s most spectacular protected wilderness areas. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve encompasses over 4 million acres of pristine backcountry, and the Crescent Lake drainage sits in one of its most dramatic corners—beneath the towering presence of Mount Redoubt. …
Fly-out fantastic!… Up close and personal with the Brown Bears of: Big River Lake, West Side Cook Inlet “When the pilot said we’d see bears, I did not think they’d be five feet from the boat.” This is a typical reaction after visiting Big River Lake and the rocky mouth of Wolverine Creek. Why Wolverine …
Fly-Out Silver Salmon Fishing: Big River Lake It was a typical August morning as we arrived at the float plane lake and shuttled our gear to the tarmac, (a large wooden float with a turbine Dehavellin Beaver tied off to it). By typical, I mean either raining or pea-soup fog. Today it was the latter. …
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