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Guided fishing trips in Alaska can be expensive, but are worth it!

Posted on April 30, 2024March 7, 2025 by guides@akrainbow.com

Guided fishing trips in Alaska, especially float trips, can be on the pricier side, but the reasons behind the rates make the experience wholly reasonable and worthwhile. For one, the remote location and logistics of Alaska’s vast state make reaching the various waters, such as our float trips on the Goodnews and Kanektok Rivers in the southwest region, challenging, especially when you consider that all the necessary gear, including rafts, food, tents, equipment, and even the kitchen sink, has to be flown in and out of the river for each trip but so worth it to reach these waters often described as fish factories! These flights in float-equipped aircraft, each costing thousands of dollars, are said by most guests to be worth the price of admission, and after a little more than an hour, you land on one of the spectacular headwater lakes where your float fishing adventure awaits. The cost of maintaining boats and gear, flying in guides, food, and shipping costs from Anchorage to the trip starting points, be it Bethel, Dillingham of King Salmon, also contribute to the expenses of operating in remote bush Alaska.  

Alaska’s fishing season is relatively short, beginning in early July and running until mid-September, making it a high-demand period. The limited window to spread costs over a longer season means that we must also charge more per trip to make it profitable. Moreover, the number of trips and guests we are allowed to take on such waters as the Togiak, Kanektok, and Goodnews Rivers, is limited by our permits from the USFWS, further restricting the ability to spread expenses out over time. Rest assured, our guides are experts in the area, with knowledge of the best fishing spots and techniques to catch fish. You’re not just paying for a trip but investing in their expertise and knowledge.  

For our trips at Alaska Rainbow Adventures, we’ve found that the optimal group size to be six to eight persons plus guides at a two-to-one guest-to-guide ratio. Having three or four guides and this number of guests best utilizes the capacity of the available aircraft and allows us to offer the quality of service you expect and the kind of equipment that ensures you a safe and comfortable Alaska float trip you won’t find anywhere else. It also frees up more time for you to be on the water fishing while the guides can apply themselves to guiding or camp tasks such as cooking and dishes, ensuring your comfort and safety. 

If you’re looking for a genuinely unforgettable Alaskan fishing adventure, a guided trip is an investment worth considering. It is wise to discuss the options with us so that we can understand your group’s interests, available travel window, and desired species. This will help us find you the best available dates for the trip that suits your needs. Remember that start dates are limited each year, and it is best to book your trip well in advance, sometimes up to two years before your actual trip dates.

For more information about the trips we offer, visit our website at www.akrainbow.com

Category: Alaska Float Fishing Trips

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About Us

Step into the current with Alaska Rainbow Adventures and you're stepping into the real Alaska — not the polished lodge version, not the brochure fantasy. For more than three decades, we've run rivers the way they're meant to be run: the Kanektok, Goodnews, Alagnak, Moraine, Arolik, and Togiak. Wild water. Wild fish. Country that doesn't bend for anyone.

This whole thing started with one guide, Paul Hansen, chasing the kind of days that get under your skin and stay there. A mouse‑eat in the half‑light. A bend in the river no one else will see that day. A rainbow flashing in the sun like it owns the place. Those moments hit you in the ribs and remind you why you came north. That feeling is the reason we're still out here.

Our trips are built the way Alaska demands: small groups, real wilderness, and gear that holds up when the weather decides to test you. Big tents you can stand in. Hot meals cooked beside the river. Guides who know every braid and every mood swing these waters can throw. With exclusive USFWS permits and miles of river to ourselves, every float is unhurried, unfiltered, and honest.

This isn't a vacation.
This is the real deal — take it or leave it.

It's a week where the noise drops away, the river calls the shots, and you remember what it feels like to be fully present in a place that doesn't care about your inbox or your deadlines. You don't just fish here — you feel the country in your bones.

Come see what's waiting for you!

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