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Goodnews River Fly Fishing Trips

honored to be a permit holder on this legendary Alaskan river!

Alaskan wilderness views and camp life that is unmatched!

With over 20 years of experience within the team combined we can create a wilderness fishing trip through this program that will meet your highest expectations. Streamside accommodations nightly including a newly refreshed camp, luxurious bush dining, and camaraderie make this float trip a cherished memory to share with everyone.

The Goodnews River has an incredible return year in and out – and we can camp right on top of some of the most productive spots on the river!

About our Goodnews Alaska Float Fishing Trips

We have “Early Season” dates on the Goodnews River focused on targeting Giant King (Chinook) Salmon, Sockeye Salmon and Trophy Leopard Rainbow Trout on fly rod. The Goodnews is a shorter distance float than the Kanektok and it allows us to slowly prod each and every rootwad and grass bank for the leopard rainbows – as well as stop on all of the prime gravel bars for King Salmon. These early dates (June and July) typically have some of our best weather of the season as well.

Unreal Coho Salmon Fishing & Dolly Varden Runs

The “Late Season” dates on the Goodnews River are focused on the resident Arctic Char who are the largest and most colored up all year and the incredibly prolific Coho Salmon and Dolly Varden runs. These Char are an incredible fight on fly rod – almost always wanting to go in to your backing and these dates are PRIME TIME!

  • 67 Mile float from the fly-in put in at Goodnews Lake – to Goodnews Bay
  • Inside Togiak National Wildlife Refuge – a 6.5 million acre refuge
  • Incredible King Salmon Runs
  • Epic Dolly Varden Runs – the Western kind that are extra LRG
  • World Class Arctic Char Sizes
  • Bank and Boat Fishing for Coho
  • Great Trophy Leopard Rainbow Trout Fishing

Goodnews Float Fishing Booking availability 2024

Now Booking for Goodnews Dates Summer 2024!

Summer 2024 Availability

Price to be Determined Per Angler

TripAvailability
June 25 – July 2BOOKED
July 5 – 12BOOKED
7 Day 6 Night Arolik River August 9 – 15 6 SEATS AVAILABLE!
7 Day 6 Night Arolik River August 13 – 196 SEATS AVAILABLE!
7 Day 6 Night Goodnews River August 23 – 29BOOKED
7 Day 6 Night Goodnews River Sept 4 – 10 6 SEATS AVAILABLE!

Book your Goodnews river fly fishing Trip

Interested in learning more about our Alaskan Fly Fishing Trips? Fill out this form, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have!

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Goodnews River Fishing Camp Photos

Our Goodnews river Fly Fishing Trip Reviews

Joel Ferg
Joel Ferg
Great guide service with great guides. Highly recommended. Very knowledgeable guides, work with all skill levels, and great communication prior to departure. If you're lucky, you might also get to meet or ride to the river with "Cowboy", Guide Colin's dog.
Erik Kikut
Erik Kikut
Great trip with my son. Dave is an extremely professional patient young man. Had a blast. Will be back.
Ward Price
Ward Price
Incredible experience with High Country Guide Service. I'm just getting into fly fishing and wanted to go out with a guide to see what fishing is around Boone, NC. I was paired with Kirby who was an absolute fantastic guide. Super patient (even after having to fix my multiple tangles in trees!) and extremely knowledgable. A really great no nonsense approach to fishing. Focus was on good fishing and less about getting bogged down in owning this or that item of gear. He was happy to answer all of my questions throughout the day and was just a great guy to spend 6 hours with while fishing. Best of all, we caught some great fish! All three species available in NC including a beautiful small stream brook trout and three larger Browns. Day ended at the shop with a pint of Guinness (on draught!) and a conversation on what flies i should add to my box. I highly recommend High Country Guide Service. I will definitely be using them again next time I'm in town!
Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp
Amazing experience! Best fishing trip my son & I have ever taken. Our guide, Kole, was an outstanding instructor, who patiently coached us into fly-fishing form. We caught fish throughout our 4-hour wade trip, which I had my doubts in the late July heat. Definitely go in the morning! As the trip was winding down, Kole lengthened the leader on one of my wet flys, suspecting a trout was holding in the deeper, cooler water. He was right, as I caught my biggest trout of the morning! These two trout fishing rookies are now "hooked' on the sport. Look forward to coming back! Thank you Kole!
Alex Cobb
Alex Cobb
I've used High Country Guides at least 5 times now and every single trip is nothing less than exceptional. The guides are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and cater each trip to their customers' skill levels. I went from an absolute beginner to slingshotting dry flies in extremely tight spaces for large browns in less than a year. This outfit isn't just convenient because they're in Boone. They're the real deal.
Christian Olsen
Christian Olsen
I want to share with the owners/managers of High Country Guide Service (HCGS) about a recent float trip my 17-year-old son Kjeld and I took with one of your guides last week. Alyssa Adcock guided us down the Watauga in what I think is one of the best float trips I’ve ever had in 30-years of fishing. I booked the trip to celebrate Kjeld, a graduating High-School Senior, and all the work he has grinded out since the first day of school. Kjeld loves to get after the bass with his spinning rod and he’s never been on a float trip fishing a fly rod before. He loved every minute of it and said "he has never met anyone cooler than Alyssa." Alyssa is stunning – she is a fantastic communicator, she has a shiny & positive attitude, and she is delightfully patient. She was so competent on the sticks as she moved us from hole to hole, which put us onto some beautiful and chunky fish. At one-point, Kjeld and I had a double hook-up with a pair of rainbows. Alyssa was incredibly quick to keep the rods rigged up through-out the day and was gently helpful in correcting a bad habit or two when it came to mending my line. Clearly Alyssa is driven to share and teach, which is exactly what you need in a guide. We look forward to booking her boat again and have even begun to talk about Alaska. Thank you HCGS for the unforgettable trip. Your guide service needs to do everything it can to hang on to her. She's a keeper.
herman roberts
herman roberts
My son and I had an awesome time. Kirby was a great teacher and guide on our wade trip. We caught a lot of trout, even on a half day trip. Highly recommend this service if you’re looking to learn fly fishing and catch fish. Ask for Kirby.
Ken Bergmann
Ken Bergmann
I was part of a Project Healing waters trip yesterday. Our guide was Alyssa. I just wanted to say she was amazing! So personable, patient, knowledgeable about the river and fly fishing in general. She is a consummate professional, a master of her craft and credit to her profession! The other guides, Cory and Sky were equally as amazing!!! The best guided trip I have ever done! My wife and I, will be planning a trip later this year and we want to fish with Alyssa! Your shop is awesome, your other guides are amazing as well and I wanted to Thank all of you for an amazing experience!
L Motluck
L Motluck
Two girls and their dog looking to get a little local fishing in on vacation. We found High Country Guide Service who was gracious enough to allow our small pooch to go on the float! David took us on a half day fly fishing float trip on the Watauga River. Keep in mind we are very green at fly fishing. David was professional and very informative. He answered all kinds of questions and helped us get the hang of fly fishing. He was very patient and extremely helpful! Just what we needed! We had a wonderful day on the water with him and would absolutely go on another guided trip with him! Thank you so much!
Emily Goatcher
Emily Goatcher
We had the BEST day learning to Fly Fish outside of Boone, NC. Our guides (Nick, Collin, and Kirby) were super knowledgeable and taught our family of six (all first timers) with patience and expertise! We caught a ton of fish and had the best day!! We will definitely be repeat customers the next time we are in the area. A “zen” experience for sure and we are all hooked!! Thank you for the great memories!!

Frequently Asked Questions About the Goodnews river Trip

What types of fish are usually caught on Alaska Float Fishing Trips?

You can expect to see all 5 species of Pacific Salmon including King Salmon, Pink Salmon, Red Salmon, Chum Salmon, and Silver Salmon. Our participants often catch Arctic Grayling, Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic Char, and trophy Rainbow Trout.

What gear do I need for my Alaska Float Fishing Trip?

Use our Alaska Float Trip Gear List made with our 6-night, 7-day trips in mind. We will supply you with all the gear such as your pole and flies to fish with, along with luxurious meals. You ensure you bring comfortable rain gear, waders, a sleeping bag, synthetic clothing, and toiletries.

What is not included in the cost to book an Alaska Fishing Trip?

Commercial flights to and from Alaska, your Alaskan fishing license, gratuity for your guide, first-night stay in Bethel (our float plane service provides a bed at a pro-rated cost), gratuity for the bush pilot, and any food costs while traveling are not included with your costs to book our Alaska Fly Fishing Trips.

How many guests will be on my Alaskan Fly Fishing Trip with Chosen River Outfitters?

All dates for Alaskan Fly Fishing are for 6 guests maximum. Our permit only allows 6 people per trip, and the start date listed is the day guests fly to the put-in location and begin their trip for 7 days and six nights.

How will we travel to our Southwest Alaska Fishing Trip?

Bush flights to and from Bethel, Alaska, to our put-in and drop-off location are covered with your booking. Your payment does not provide commercial flights to and from Bethel.

Do I need an Alaskan Fishing License?

Yes. All guests on our Alaskan fishing trips are required to have a valid Alaska Sport Fishing License.

How much should I tip my guide for a Fly-In Alaskan Fly Fishing Trip?

Gratuity for the fly fishing guides on our Fly-In Alaska Fly Fishing Trips is typically 10-15% of the total trip cost. Don’t forget to tip your Bush Plane Pilot and that cash is preferred too!

Have a question?

Give us a call or Drop our anglers a line

​828-386-6216

​highcountryguides@gmail.com

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