A Family Run Fly-Fishing Lodge
No See Um Lodge is a family-run fishing lodge that was established by Jack Holman in the early 70’s. Today his son, John, who is both a pilot and a guide, maintains No See Um’s well-earned reputation for exceptional service. John has been living, fishing, guiding and flying in Alaska for most of his life. He and his guides know the best fishing spots and how to get you there safely.
Everyone at No See Um is anxious for your trip to Alaska to be “the trip of a lifetime.” The lodge is staffed by the finest talent available. Guides are eager to make your Alaskan fishing vacation successful. Their knowledge, enthusiasm and instruction will ensure success for the novice and expert alike. The willingness of No See Um Lodge’s team to provide the best for their guests – both on the water and at the lodge – have put the lodge in a class by itself . . . truly Alaska’s finest fishing lodge!
Our History
In 1970, Jack Holman decided to take his family from Upstate New York to bush Alaska. As a new teacher, he enrolled in a program designed to attract teachers to remote villages. Jack was an avid hunter and fisherman. On his weekends he traveled with locals learning the river and exploring the wilderness of Bristol Bay. On many of his trips up the river he would stop and visit a Norwegian fisherman, Ingdal Bertinussen. Ingdal wintered in a cabin on the banks of the Kvichak. He had been fishing Bristol Bay since the days of double-ender sail boats. The fisherman was in his 80’s and lived alone, so he very much enjoyed the company. One day over coffee Ingdal told Jack that he was leaving the river to move closer to his daughter and would be willing to sell the property.
160 acres, three old cabins, and several hundred yards of river frontage was purchased for $5,000 in 1973. In 1975, Jack brought in his first fishermen to the “Lodge” and the first guest cabin was built in 1982. In the mid 80’s he quit teaching and devoted the next 30 years to building and improving the property while exploring and learning the many different rivers of Bristol Bay.
In 1994, his oldest son John entered the business as a new pilot/aircraft mechanic and guide-in-training. Jack’s youngest son, Matt, began flying and guiding in 2004. By 2008, Jack and his wife Sue had built the lodge into the finest fly out fishing destination in the world. They are now retired and reside in Northern California where Jack is still an avid hunter and fisherman and Sue keeps him out of trouble.