What is the difference between a Standard and a Private Lodge trip?
Nothing about the trip itself. Both include the same fishing, meals, lodging, floatplane, and fish care. On a Standard trip you may share the lodge with other compatible guests on selected dates and pay the standard per-person rate. On a Private Lodge trip your group of 4 to 6 (up to 8 on hunts) has exclusive use of the lodge and the schedule is built around you. The private rate buys exclusivity, not a better trip.
Can I come solo, as a couple, or as a party of three?
Yes. Send us a Shared Lodge Experience Request with your party size, preferred month, and what you want to fish for. Mike reviews every request personally and works to match you with compatible guests on the same dates. Submitting the form does not confirm a reservation. Smaller parties who would rather have the lodge to themselves can request a private quote based on the four-person minimum.
When is a shared-lodge trip confirmed?
Shared trips run with a minimum of 4 guests. A refundable hold deposit keeps your spot while we pair compatible guests, and the trip is confirmed in writing once the minimum is met. Please do not buy commercial airfare until you have that confirmation.
How many guests can the lodge hold?
Five bedrooms with two beds each, based on double occupancy. Fishing groups run 4 to 6 because six is the boat maximum. Private hunts can go to 8, with larger groups rotating hunting and fishing days. A solo guest may request a private room when availability allows; private rooms are quoted separately.
Where is Lazy Puffin Lodge?
In Eagle Harbor on Ugak Bay, Kodiak Island, about 20 miles from the town of Kodiak. There is no road access. Guests arrive by floatplane, or by boat on late-season hunts.
How do we get to the lodge?
Fly commercially to Kodiak (ADQ), usually through Anchorage. For fishing packages, round-trip floatplane between Kodiak and the lodge area is included. We currently work with Seahawk Air. They coordinate a shuttle from your hotel to their office, weigh in guests and gear, and the pilot makes the final call on weather, wind, tides, and loading. If the plane cannot land safely in front of the lodge, guests land at a nearby alternate spot and we finish the transfer by boat. When timing allows, the goal is to land and start fishing the same day.
Do we need a night in Kodiak before or after the trip?
Often, yes. It depends on commercial flight schedules and floatplane timing. Many Kodiak hotels offer airport shuttles. On the way home you will spend the last night at the lodge and return to Kodiak the next day, so afternoon flights out are strongly recommended. We will tell you the best arrival and departure windows before you book airfare.
Is there a luggage limit on the floatplane?
Plan on about 75 pounds per person in soft-sided bags. Pack light and layered. On the way home, plan on one 50-pound fish box per person on the floatplane. If you want to take home more fish, we can often arrange extra transport to Kodiak by air taxi or boat at your cost. Tell us ahead of time whenever possible.
What are the sleeping arrangements?
Five bedrooms with two beds each, memory foam mattresses, and bedding and towels provided. Rooms are double occupancy. Private rooms can be requested when available.
Is Lazy Puffin a luxury lodge?
No, and it is not trying to be. It is comfortable, practical, and rustic on purpose: hot showers, heat, real beds, Starlink Wi-Fi, and home-cooked meals in a place that still feels far from everything. The value is the setting, the fishing, the wildlife, the meals, and the people.
Who runs the lodge?
Mike and Shiena Finley, with help from their son Reggie and Mike’s three adult sons. Mike is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain who has fished Kodiak since 2013. Shiena runs the kitchen and the lodge. You will meet all of them.
What are the meals like?
Home-cooked and made to refuel after long days outside. Hot breakfast, lunch on the water or at the lodge, and dinner in the evening. Nonalcoholic beverages are included. Alcohol is not provided; guests may bring their own for the lodge. No alcohol on the boats or during transportation.
What if I have food allergies or dietary restrictions?
Tell us when you book. We plan around allergies and preferences, but the lodge is remote and groceries come in by plane, so we need to know well in advance.
Do you have Wi-Fi or cell service?
The lodge has Starlink Wi-Fi. Cell service on Ugak Bay is unreliable, so plan on the lodge Wi-Fi for staying in touch.
What can we fish for?
Halibut, lingcod, and rockfish in the ocean. Sockeye from late June through July and silver salmon from August into early October in the bay and at Saltery Creek. Species targeted depend on the season, the weather, and regulations.
Are fishing trips guided?
Yes. Mike captains the boat and guides the fishing, and his sons help on river trips. You are on the water with someone who has fished these bays since 2013.
How many people can fish at once?
Up to six on the boat. That is why fishing groups run 4 to 6 guests.
Can we fish the river?
Yes. A Saltery Creek day can be added to any fishing package on request when conditions allow. We cross the bay on the River Moon, our 32-foot landing craft, drop the bow gate on the beach, and walk the river from there. Sockeye in late June and July, coho later in the season, and brown bears that get plenty of room.
Do you process the fish?
Cleaning, filleting, vacuum sealing, and blast freezing are included on every fishing package. Plan on one 50-pound fish box per person for the floatplane home. Airline baggage fees and any extra fish transport are the guest’s responsibility.
What licenses and stamps do we need?
An Alaska fishing license and a King salmon stamp, which you can buy online before you arrive. Halibut fishing also requires a federal charter halibut stamp, $20 cash per person per day of halibut fishing, purchased the morning of each trip. It is not included in the package.
What are the halibut regulations?
They change every year. For 2026 the Area 3A daily limit was two fish, one any size and one 27 inches or under, with no retention on Wednesdays or on Tuesdays from June 2 to August 25. We will post the 2027 rules as soon as ADF&G releases them, usually late January or early February.
Are hunts guided?
No. Lazy Puffin hunts are self-guided DIY hunts. We provide lodging, meals, big-game transportation, and a warm, dry base. Hunters make all field, route, shot, and recovery decisions and are responsible for regulations, licenses, and game care. We cannot assist with anything that would make the hunt guided. Nonresident aliens are required by Alaska to hunt with a licensed guide.
When can we hunt?
The hunt transport season runs August 1 to December 31. Cast & Blast trips from August 1 to September 15 can be booked online and include up to two fishing days. Hunts beginning September 16 or later are hunting-only and are booked directly with Mike. Floatplane service runs through December 15; from December 16 the group travels together by boat.
Is there a required contract?
Yes. Before the trip every hunter signs the Waiver and Liability Release, completes the emergency medical form, accepts the Guest Policies and Booking Agreement, and completes the DIY Hunting Transport Contract. Bring your government-issued photo ID, hunting license, harvest ticket, and any tags or permits.
Can we process game at the lodge?
Yes. There is space to hang meat and basic facilities for legally harvested game. Hunters process their own meat with their own knives and tools. Commercial processors are available in Kodiak.
What are the firearm rules?
After you return from the field and clear your rifle, it goes in the lodge firearm safe until the next hunt. Alcohol or marijuana and firearms do not mix; a guest who has been drinking will not have access to a firearm until sober. Firearms are not brought on fishing trips.
What wildlife might we see?
Kodiak brown bears, Sitka blacktail deer, bald eagles, puffins, sea otters, seals, sea lions, and whales, depending on the season. Bears are a regular sight at Saltery Creek during the salmon runs. We give them room and expect guests to do the same.
What happens if weather affects travel or fishing?
Weather, wind, waves, visibility, tides, and aircraft availability can delay the floatplane, keep the boat at the dock, or change the day’s plan. Safety comes first and the pilot and captain make the final call. Weather delays are part of remote Alaska travel and do not create refunds, credits, or price reductions. Build a buffer day into your travel and carry extra medication. Travel insurance with trip-delay and evacuation coverage is strongly recommended.
What gear is provided?
Rods, reels, tackle, and bait, plus rain gear and waders when available. Fish filleting, vacuum sealing, and blast freezing are done at the lodge. You are welcome to bring a favorite lure or a small personal item, but it is not required.
What should we bring?
Layers: base layers, a fleece or wool mid-layer, a waterproof rain jacket and pants, quick-drying fishing pants, a warm hat and gloves, waterproof boots, and comfortable lodge shoes. If you own lightweight breathable waders, bring them; Seahawk Air asks guests to wear waders during the beach transfer. Also bring photo ID, your fishing license, $20 cash for each day of halibut fishing, prescription medications plus extra for delays, toiletries, and polarized sunglasses. Download the Fishing Guest Packing Guide for the full list.
What should we leave at home?
Firearms on fishing trips, hard-sided or oversized luggage, heavy jeans and cotton clothing, and large amounts of your own fishing gear. Floatplane space is limited.
What is included in the package price?
Round-trip floatplane between Kodiak and the lodge area, lodging with bedding and towels, home-cooked meals and nonalcoholic beverages, about eight hours on the water each full fishing day when weather allows, rods, reels, tackle, and bait, rain gear and waders when available, fish cleaning, vacuum sealing, and blast freezing, and pre-trip planning help. DIY hunts include big-game transportation and meat-hanging space instead of fishing gear. The lodge covers the Kodiak Borough accommodations tax.
What is not included?
Commercial airfare to and from Kodiak, hotel nights and meals in Kodiak, fishing and hunting licenses, harvest tickets, tags, stamps, and permits, the $20 daily federal halibut stamp, alcohol, gratuities, airline baggage fees and fish or game shipping, personal clothing, boots, and medications, firearms, ammunition, optics, and hunting gear, travel insurance, and any expense caused by weather delays.
How do deposits and payment work?
A 50% deposit secures your dates. You can pay the deposit online or split it into 3 payments, with $1,000 down per person and the remaining deposit divided into two equal payments. The goal is to have the deposit fully paid by January 1. The remaining balance is due 60 days before arrival. Checks can also be sent to Lazy Puffin Lodge c/o Mike Finley, PO Box 8894, Kodiak, AK 99615.
What is the cancellation policy?
Deposits are not refunded as cash, but they are 100% transferable to another approved Lazy Puffin trip in the same season or the following year, subject to availability and any difference in rate. Final payment is non-refundable once paid. No refunds are given for late arrivals, early departures, unused days, no-shows, illness, airline delays, or weather.
How do I book?
Private Lodge trips and Cast & Blast hunts can be booked online or by calling Mike at (907) 942-3533. Solo travelers, couples, and parties of three submit a Shared Lodge Experience Request. Late-season hunts after September 15 are booked directly with Mike.
