Rob has a great operation going up there and it's a hoot to stay in Craig and hang out (drink) with the "local color" after a long day on the water.

And compared with the prices other lodges in the area charge for what you get, it's a super deal.

This was my third trip to Craig and the first one that I actually paid for out of my pocket. The others were comped because I was writing a piece for STS and helping film a now-defunct fishing show.

I'll gladly be doing it again. We're already getting our deposits together for next summer.

For saltwater Kings I can't imagine a better place. Unlike some other AK locations, if the water is big offshore there are plenty of places just inside to pick them off.

Here's another pic of that drooler. Now I'll have to listen to him rub it in everytime I go back to the Midwest....