2023 Guide Academy Recap

We are thrilled to share the highlights of the 14th annual Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy, which took place at the beautiful Mission Lodge in King Salmon, Alaska from June 4th to 11th, 2023. This year, we welcomed 13 enthusiastic students from various communities throughout the Bristol Bay region, who joined us for a week of fishing, learning, and community building. These students were supported by 9 dedicated instructors and facilitators, who shared their expertise and passion for fly fishing, conservation, and hospitality.

We had a diverse age range this year, with a large percentage of the students being on the younger side. This was interspersed with a few older students returning for their second year of the Academy. Regardless of age, it was impressive to see the leadership and teamwork they displayed by all students over the course of the week. Despite having varying levels of background expertise in the field of fly fishing, all students were eager to build upon their existing skills and gain new knowledge. Topics covered included the basics of fly casting and fly tying, ecology and management of the Bristol Bay watershed, and an introduction to the challenges and rewards of working in the hospitality sector. The Academy culminated in the students getting the opportunity to practice their guiding skills on a mock “Client Day.” where they successfully guided members of the community on a full day of fishing on the Agulawok and Agulapak Rivers, and Francis Creek. Each student was met with extremely high praise from their clients at the end of the day and passed the course. 

A unique component of this year’s Guide Academy was having strong engagement from graduates who have gone on to work in sportfishing and tourism. Triston Chaney and Taty Zackar graduated through the Guide Academy in 2019 and 2017, respectively, and are now guides employed by sportfishing lodges in the Bristol Bay region. Triston and Taty returned to the Guide Academy this year to lead the fly-tying section of our course and provided invaluable instructor support at various places throughout the week. Additionally, Tiarna Fischler, an early graduate of the Academy, is now the assistant manager at Mission Lodge. She supported the Guide Academy as an incredible host to our week of learning and welcomed our guests on Client Day with an introduction in her native Yup’ik language. It is extremely powerful when first year students are able to talk with and learn from their own community members and peers who have gone through the program and successfully gone on to find jobs. We hope to continue this high rate of involvement by past graduates.  

We would like to thank all the students, instructors, facilitators, guests, sponsors, and partners who made this year’s Academy a success. This program is so special thanks to the diverse set of stakeholders that come together with the shared vision of creating a healthy future for the people, land, and economy of Bristol Bay. We look forward to continuing these partnerships into next year and cannot wait to get back on the water for the Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy 2024!