Brian Kraft reflects on 20 years at Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge

October 17, 2017 by Sportsmans Blog

After wrapping up the 20th season at Alaska’s Sportsman’s Lodge, Brian Kraft reflects on the lodge’s beginnings and the many people that made ASL what it is today.

Fish Alaska Magazine features Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge

February 4, 2025 By Sportsmans Blog

It’s an interesting tale of a kid from Chicago, whose hockey skills brought him to Alaska to play for the University of Anchorage, and then for the Anchorage Aces of the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL).

In the early 90s, Brian started Kraft Adventures, specializing in multiday float trips on popular Southcentral rivers like the Talachulitna, Lake Creek, and Alexander Creek. He quickly realized that he wanted to own a lodge. After running a lodge on the Kvichak River in 1994 and 1995, he was amped and eager to find a lodge to buy or property to lease or buy. Several stops and starts ensued, but Brian was determined, and worked through every problem. By 1997 he had formed a partnership with David Sandlin, found a property to build on, and Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge (ASL) was born. Read more

Why my family fights for Bristol Bay

May 8, 2024 By Sportsmans Blog

By Simon Perkins Last summer, my dad, Perk, and I traveled to Alaska to fish the rivers of the Bristol Bay watershed with our friends Brian Kraft, owner of Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge, and Nelli Williams, director of Trout Unlimited Alaska. The massive watershed is one of our most valuable, where the world’s last great wild-salmon population supports an immensely diverse… Read More

Ladies of the Lodge

April 17, 2024 By Sportsmans Blog

At Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge, we are a “team” dedicated to provide our guests with a world-class fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Alaska. An enormous part of that team is our hospitality staff. In the wilderness of Alaska, there is so much we cannot control (e.g. fishing conditions, weather, run timing, etc). What we can control is the guest experience at… Read More

Fall Finale | Alaska Fly Fishing Video

April 12, 2023 By Sportsmans Blog

The fall is always a special time of the year at Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge. The brisk mornings bring new energy. The salmon fishing is over, and our focus turns to trophy rainbow trout and char. An explosion of autumn colors paint the landscape, and the fattened bears make the final push before the long winter’s sleep. There is no time… Read More

The Opener – New Video

April 19, 2022 By Sportsmans Blog

The amount of work and preparation that it takes to open at Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge each season is remarkable and can easily be overlooked by the casual guest. Every nail, every fly, every food item is shipped by air from Anchorage to the village of Igiugig, which is 4 miles upriver from the lodge. Then, the items are transported by… Read More

Brian Kraft reflects on 20 years at Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge

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