Guides & Equipment - Zachar Bay Lodge

Zachar Bay Lodge’s guides have a wealth of experience fishing the areas of Kodiak Island. Marty Eaton has worked in all aspects of fishing in Kodiak for the past 35 years -- as a fisheries biologist, commercial fisherman, fish processor and now in the sport fishing industry. Marty holds a U.S. Coast Guard License for operating boats.


Marty Eaton	Andy Eaton	Glen Eaton	Kyle Eaton

Marty’s three sons were all raised in Kodiak and are actively involved with the lodge. Andy Eaton has been guiding since 1989 and holds a U.S. Coast Guard license. During the winter months, he welds aluminum boats in Kodiak City - the lodge has five great examples of his talented craftsmanship. Glen Eaton has guided on the lakes and river systems around the Island since 1993 and began flying for Zachar Bay in 1995. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot license and a degree in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Kyle Eaton has been guiding on the lakes and rivers since 1995. In 2001 he earned his Commercial Pilot license and began to fly for Zachar Bay during the summer. Kyle has a degree in Marketing from the University of Idaho.

Boats


The Iley	The L.C.

The C.L.	The Blue Pixee

	The 19 Footer

Zachar Bay Lodge has five different aluminum boats that can take you out for your fishing or wildlife viewing adventure. The Iley is 26’ long with a partial cabin and walkthrough front door and has a 225hp Honda outboard and can comfortably fish 6 people.

The C.L. is 23’ long with a partial cabin and walkthrough front door and has a 175 hp outboard and can comfortably fish 6 people. The L.C. is a 24’ long landingcraft that has a dropdown boarding ramp/door. It has a large stand behind steering console and 150hp outboard, and can comfortably fish 6 people.

The Blue Pixee is 21’ long and has a 115hp outboard and can comfortably fish 3 people. The 19 footer is 19’ long (hence the name) and has a 70hp outboard and can comfortably fish 3 people and is mostly used during the fall season. All of the boats were fabricated and welded by Andy Eaton.

Saltwater Fishing & Tackle

Salmon Trolling Rods

The equipment and tackle that we use and provide for fishing out of the boats depends on the species of fish that we are targeting. When trolling for salmon our guides typically spin blue label herring attached to a Pro-Troll Rotary & Big Fin Salmon Killer setup with a 6 foot leader that attaches to a banana sinker. We also have several different types of spoons & spinners when the salmon are in thick. Common artificial lures that we use are the Blue Fox Pixee, Mepps Cyclops and T-Spoon spinners. Most of our trolling rods are 7-8 feet in length with a level wind reel (some have line counters) loaded with 25-pound test monofilament line.

Our guides have a couple of different setups for Halibut fishing. Typically the boat is anchored in 50-150 feet of water and the bait is fished on the bottom using either a small jig or circle hook and lead. We have a heavy setup and a lighter jigging rod. The heavy setup is a 6’ medium action rod with a heavy-duty reel that has 130 pound test Dacron line. Typically with this setup you would fish with a circle hook with salted herring bait and 20oz lead sinker or a 16 oz jig baited with herring. The lighter jigging rod is 6’6”-7’ in length medium to light action with a level wind reel that has 50 pound test line. The action fighting halibut using these lighter setups is awesome! For jigs we usually use 4-10oz jigs baited with herring depending on the depth or tide currents.

Lodge Aircraft

Freshwater (Lakes & Streams) Fishing & Tackle

One of our River Rafts

The equipment and tackle that we use and provide for fishing the nearby rivers and lakes are spinning rods that are two-piece, 6’6” medium action with 14 pound test monofilament line. The rods are typically Shakespeare Ugly Sticks and the reels are Shimano. Salmon and trout in Kodiak can be caught on almost any type of lure -- as long as it is shiny and has a hook! We typically use Blue Fox Pixee spoons, Mepps spinners and lures similar to these. Occasionally we will drift salmon eggs or salmon flies. We do not provide fly fishing equipment.

We have two Achilles whitewater river rafts for the overnight river raft adventure. Each raft has a collapsible rowing platform for the guide to navigate the waters. We provide the tents, sleeping bags & mattresses for the overnight portion of the trip.