YES BAY LODGE HISTORY
World class fishing and remote wilderness of southern Southeast Alaska
The first explorers of Yes Bay were the Tlingit Tribe, who named Yes Bay, from the native word “yaas,” meaning blue mussel. Guests will see the vast number of mussels attached to the rocks lining the bay.
Most of the Yes Bay history is chronicled after Boston Fishing & Trading Company constructed a cannery in 1887. By 1890, it employed a diverse group of Chinese, Native American and white workers, totaling 85 residents and 14 houses. It produced an average of 25,000 cases per season. This company cannery operated until 1900.
After several years idle, Pacific Fisheries Cannery purchased and operated the facility until closing in 1936. Alaska was still only a US Territory; statehood would come much later (1959). The US Bureau of Commercial Fisheries had a hatchery near here until closing it in the 30’s, when President Roosevelt instituted his economy program. All hatchery personnel then transferred back to the United States (the Lower 48).
Construction of the lodge began in the mid-1950’s, originally intended to be a casino and cat house. It never opened for business, as the Alaskan Territory became a state, and the government outlawed gambling and prostitution. Yes Bay Lodge was then opened in 1977 and transformed it into one of Southeast Alaska’s first successful sport fishing lodges.
WE ARE REMOTE – WHERE NO CAR WILL TAKE YOU
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GUEST REVIEWS
See what people are saying about the Yes Bay Lodge experience!
EXCELLENTVerified Awesome Fishing, Wonderful Experience If you are looking for a wonderful sense of peace, calm, tranquility coupled with the excitement of great fishing, this is the place for you! This was our fourth year at Yes Bay Lodge. We love it. The fishing is awesome, the staff is so kind, welcoming and friendly. We were looking for a traditional Alaskan fishing lodge in the wilderness and we found it here. We will be back. Highly recommend.Verified A piece of heaven If you like fishing in Alaska you won’t be disappointed at Yes Bay Lodge but there is so much more. After getting off the float plane you are greeted by Kevin, welcoming you to this very special place and the hospitality starts on the dock with Kevin and staff members. You are whisked away to the rustic lodge above with a view very few people have ever seen. Make no mistake this trip is all about fishing, at the end of each day you have a very attentive staff meeting all of your needs. You wont last much after dinner served at 6 PM. You will just have time for your favorite beverage while viewing the wall of fame with photos of recent guests showing off their “catch” and yours will be posted after dinner. Each day. Your dinner will reflect the setting and you may be lucky enough to have caught crab in your pot, in which case you can have the chef prepare the crab as your appetizer for dinner. All of your fishing guides will get you into fish for your trip home. I hesitate to recommend one guide, they are all there to make your trip safe and unforgettable. Now to the best part, I was able to share all of this with my two sons and my grandson. Cheer’s BigdogVerified Yes Bay Lodge Yes, Yes, Yes! Yes”, “Yes” and “Yes” to Yes Bay Lodge. Yes foremost to all resort staff who took care of us, Yes to fishing par excellence and Yes to unparalleled majestic scenery! What a treat to be surrounded by such pristine natural beauty. We are now back home from our trip and I cannot shake how extraordinary and memorable the whole experience was for us. I don’t want to wake up; I want to go right back and be there for more. Looking back, every detail was well thought out and orchestrated. They took such good care of us! I don’t usually get up at dawn but I was eager to roll out of bed meeting each new day well fueled and ready to go! We are already thinking about our next visit to this truly exceptional spot on the planet. Our thanks to everyone for everything❣️ Laurel and JeffVerified Fishing Paradise The location is beautiful and the fishing was unforgettable. I want to thank Birdman for a great day on the water and a special thank you to Devon who took the time to show me Wolverine Creek deep in the rain forest. The hike alone made my day but the fishing was nothing short of spectacular. Memories I will have for a lifetime.Verified Family Fishing Trip of a Lifetime After years of encouragement by my family, I was finally able to make a trip to Yes Bay L:odge. This was by far the best fishing trip I have taken. The lodge was spacious and the perfect kind of place for the family to enjoy a first class get away from it all. I took my son with me, 3 of my brothers took their sons too. My son had never been on this type of trip before, he didn't know what to expect. But that first salmon he caught solidified a smile on his face that lasted all throughout our trip. He and I caught our limit on Salmon two of three days, plus an assortment of rock fish and halibut. Our Capitan, Packrat, was the perfect guide to take us where the fight was on! He showed us the techniques and he had the stories that would bring the fish to our lines and he taught us just what we needed to know to haul them in. On the second day, he was busy with the net as we took them in by twos! The last day we decided to end it early in a hope of going trout fishing up stream, but it didn't work out. No major loss, as we still hauled in a total of 32 salmon over three days. The larger family did at least as well, if not much better. As a group of eight, we all pulled in right at 500 lbs of fish, clean, frozen, packed and boxed so we could ship out as luggage on our airplanes. We brought home 125lbs of the freshest there is. So much I overloaded my 1 Deer Freezer and had to start looking for other space! Kevin and Dee run a 1st rate place. The rooms are comfortable without distractions. Beds were cozy and I woke well rested every day. The food was amazing. My meals were well prepared, with a nice variety of options every day. Ashley cooks the best cobbler I have had in ten years! All the staff were super friendly, professional, and helpful. I chatted with a few of them, and they all loved the place and the serenity it offers. My brothers have been here before and they were right. This really is an amazing lodge, worthy of visiting over and over. Kevin; don't change a thing! The McKinney family will be back, hopefully with more of us to join the fun next time.Verified A wonderful showcase for Alaska's sportfisheries My first trip to Yes Bay was in 1953, over 65 years ago, before Alaska became a state. I was a stream guard for the Fish and Wildlife Service, a summer job that took me to Alaska and filled a childhoood dream. Yes Bay was my wilderness home for six weeks. This was an incredibly beautiful spot in Southeast Alaska, scared by the site of an abandoned, partially burned, salmon canneery. What happened during my visit is documented in my book, "PaPa;s Alaska Stories, 1953-1954", available at Amason.com. I knew that I had to return when I heard there was a fishing lodge at Yes Bay. The Hack family lodge has brought about a beautiful transformation to the site. Their lodge blends so nicely with the natural surroundings. I am now 86 years old, not as agile as I was at 19, and have a visual handicap. I have been returning to the lodge with my family for several years and each trip has bveen exceptional. For many yeaqrs I have fished remote Canada and other parts of the US . , but all fall short in comparison. The first time only my son-in-law and my grandson went with me. In years that followed we brought the ladies and made it a grand famiy vacation. The first day Pam went out with John and me we had our18 salmon limit, a halibut, and two rockfish before lunch. I told Pam that she must have been our lucky charm. That year we brought home 165 lbs. of fish. The accomodations are top notch. The staff and management treat guests as royalty, I am an early riser. I am up when the kitchen crew gets started in the morning. My day starts with a freshly brewed cup of coffee sitting in front of the massive fire place contemplating the new day. The sweet aromatic scent of cedar smoke conjures memories when life was not so grand for me here. By the time the othwe guests are up I have had my second cup, a YBL gorilla cookie or two, and ready to catch some fish. I admit that my personal history with Yes Bay has influenced my feelings about the location, however my feelings about the lodge are genuine and my review was not solicited or compensagted by the management. What is advertised is not an oversstatement. Each year I look forward to see old frienfs and meet new ones, Ryan and Nicki are graceous hosts. Once in awhile I even get a chance to chat with dad Kevin and uncle Bill and talk about what it was like in the old days.Verified Yes, This is the Lodge You Want! Let me start out by saying I researched fishing lodges for several months before making the decision to go to Yes Bay. If you're like us, when you book a trip like this it can sometimes be a once in a lifetime bucket list trip and you want everything perfect. There isn’t a week that goes by that I either talk about this trip, show pictures or brag about how awesome our stay was. Let’s get to the details. After contacting Ryan, we had great communication throughout my very extensive list of questions and concerns. We are avid fishermen, but as this was celebrating our 24yr. anniversary, we also wanted the atmosphere to be nice. I had read other reviews from other lodges that talked about the party atmosphere and the raucous nights, and we really didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars to listen to that. The lodge itself is dated and rustic, but it should be it’s been there since the early 1900’s. The rooms are just like the pictures. Think 1980’s motel, but CLEAN and cozy. The mattress was a little firm for us, but after a full day and a glass of wine you hardly noticed. The showers were always hot with good pressure. The walls are thin and we had a heavy snorer next to us a few nights but managed just fine. It was nice that every guest was like-minded. From mechanics to doctors it was all about the atmosphere and the fishing. We met fantastic people and enjoyed great conversation. Nothing pretentious about this place. Every morning you were met with hot coffee, tea, cookies etc. and a roaring fire to enjoy it by. The main areas are comfortable, with a pool table, ping pong and a small bar area where appetizers are served while you look over the bay and watch the fish jump, seals dive and the eagles soar. Dining area is overlooking the bay as well with a nice wood burning stove. Speaking of food. You will gain weight here! Over seven days we did not experience one bad meal. This is five star food with family hospitality. Our diet is mainly pescatarian and they were more than able to accommodate us. I could go on for another page just on the food! Everything is FRESH and homemade, from breads to deserts. Nikki and Maryann did a wonderful job. The fishing. What sold us on this trip is they have a two person per boat standard. Basically you have a personal guide and never have to fight for a rod, or wait your turn. I believe it’s the only place in Alaska that does this. Our guide was Tina (Old Spice). She was very knowledgeable, as this was her 6th year guiding, and she had no problem putting us on the fish. She worked tirelessly to get on the spots, and didn’t waste our day. If they weren’t there we moved until we found them. We caught silvers, pinks, chum, halibut, rockfish, cod, crab, shrimp and even a two pound squid, which was a blast to do! The biggest Halibut was 70 lbs! We fished from 7am until they made us come in! Ha-ha. The weather was great for our stay with a couple of really cold mornings and one windy and rainy day. The bay allows you to fish even in bad weather. You can always tuck in somewhere and do well. All rain gear and boots are provided. We also enjoyed taking a hike in the forest, and trying some river fishing. Wherever we were while at Yes Bay the scenery was breathtaking. The one thing I would like to address was our boat. They have newer boats that have a solid cuddy, as well as the canopy covered boats. We always felt safe and stable, however when the rains came, and they will, it would have been nice to be in a cabin as opposed to the canopy WITHOUT side curtains. It’s a little more privacy for the women as well when nature calls. Just be aware that they have two different style boats. You can see them both on their website. The bathrooms really need a shelf for your personals. The walls have room so it would be a nice addition. Not sure if other rooms have one, but ours did not. The main thing that sticks in my mind was the cohesiveness of the staff. Everyone from head to tail was top notch. You would never want for anything, and they all did their jobs as if they loved them, because I believe they really did. From Ryan and Nikki, to Con, Brianna, Maryann, Anita, all the guides willing to share their knowledge and stories, and whoever else we came in contact with, you were all like family, Thank you. All in all we ended up taking home close to 250 pounds of fish that we have enjoyed every week for the last 7 months (and beyond). We really dream of returning one day.Verified Top Notch Fishing Lodge Our family has been coming to Yes Bay since 1990. We’ve always had an outstanding experience on and off the water. Young or old, experienced or completely new to fishing Yes Bay is a wonderful place to visit. The facilities, the guides, and the location make for an unparalleled experience.Verified A review from a guide. I have spent the last two summers as a guide at Yes Bay Lodge. Are you ready for a unique fishing experience? Ready for whatever the day brings? Do you have a sense of adventure and need a couple of Ahhhs in your life. This might be the place for you. The lodge is remote, situated 35-40 minutes away from Ketchikan, AK by float plane or 1.5 hours by water on our new "Water Horse" transport boat. The beauty of the area will astound and amaze you as you look at the trees growing out of the rock cliffs. Fishing the "inside" waters of Behm Canal is usually calmer than the open ocean. Your professional guide will do their very best to put you on the fish. We fish for all 5 species of Salmon, Halibut, Yellow Eye Rockfish and other assorted rockfish. All of your catch is processed, vacuum packed and frozen on site. The food is top notch ranging for fresh fish, beef, chicken and pork. Special need meals are also available. The staff and crew look forward to your visit in the 2020 season.
