FAQ
Q: Am I responsible to make my own travel arrangements to Exchange Cove Lodge?
A: Yes. We have provided instructions and links to help you do this. If you have questions, please e-mail or call us.
Q: Am I responsible to process my own fish or game?
A: Yes. You should plan to fillet your own fish and process you own game. If needed, we will teach you to do this. We encourage you to fillet your fish using the tables provided at the community boat dock. This allows you to discard the fish carcasses immediately. We will provide vacuum sealing machines and a space for you to use them. You will be responsible to bring or purchase at the Lodge Store vacuum sealing bags. We will provide you freezer space for your vacuum sealed fish or game.
Q: Will you provide guide service?
A: No. We are a self-guided lodge. You will sign a rental agreement for any of our equipment you use. We will teach you to operate our equipment in a safe manner. You operate the rented equipment.
Q: As a self-guided fisherman, will I be successful?
A: Please see the comments of Irwin Yeager Jr., a 2016 guest:
We had a really exceptional time with Exchange Cove Lodge. Glenn, the owner is really knowledgeable and will help you get to where the fish are with the right equipment. He taught us a lot and this is coming from someone who has fished at or near Whale Pass for 8 seasons. My group and I were able to limit out on halibut as well as catch some other fish when we saw charters come back empty handed. I was pretty happy to catch an 80 lb. halibut too! The accommodations are really great and make you feel at home. His prices are really fair and gives you the opportunity to pay for only items you need and save a lot compared to a traditional charter but still have a successful time fishing.
Q: If I stay in the South Bunkroom, West Bunkroom, or East Bedroom, will I have access to kitchen facilities to prepare my own meals?
A: Yes. You may prepare your own meals in the Guest House kitchen. You will share this kitchen with other guests. You will be assigned your own shelf in the refrigerator and your own cupboard to store dry food.
Q: Do you provide meals?
A: Yes. Beginning in 2017 you may elect to have us provide your meals during periods when the Lodge is open. Family style dinner will be served in the Lodge at 6:00 P.M when the Lodge is open. For breakfast we will provide you with a box containing a microwaveable hot breakfast item, fruit, milk, juice, cold cereal or oatmeal, and toast with jam. You will prepare your own breakfast and eat it in the guest house. This will allow you to start your day whenever you wish. A box lunch in a cooler will also be provided to you to take on the boat or wherever you will spend the day. It will consist of fruit, chips, a meat or peanut butter sandwich, a desert item, and soda or water. The charge for meals is $50 per day per person.
Q: Do you provide complimentary transportation to and from the Whale Pass dock and to and from Neck Creek bridge?
A: Yes. We will take you to the dock or Neck Lake bridge at your request. Radio us a few minutes before you are ready to return to the Lodge and we will pick you up. There is also a public phone near the dock by the fire station building that you can use to telephone us and the famous Whale Pass “cell phone tree” is near the Neck Creek bridge.
Q: What telecommunications are available at Exchange Cove Lodge?
A: We have a conventional telephone in the Lodge and you may make short calls on this phone for $1.00 for a 10 minute call. We also have satellite internet. You may use the Lodge computer for e-mails for $1.00 for 15 minutes. We have recently upgraded to Hughes Net Gen 5. You may use our Wi-Fi without charge for texts and e-mail using devices you bring with you. We ask you to minimize use for voice, pictures, or video. Because our Wi-Fi is satellite, the latency may make voice calls unsatisfactory. Even though we have purchased a premium satellite internet plan our usage is metered and is restricted beyond our limit. The good news is that our restricted speed is faster than our previous unrestricted speed. The Whale Pass library near the dock has free Wi-Fi using a much larger dish. This works very well for voice calls and for sending pictures, etc. There is also a public phone near the dock by the fire station building you can use.
There is currently no reliable cellular service in Whale Pass. If you fish halibut in Snow Pass, you will likely be in cell phone coverage and one or two bars are often seen at the “cell phone tree” near the Neck Creek bridge.
Q: As a guest at Exchange Cove Lodge, when may I use the Guest House kitchen, living room, and bathroom facilities?
A: You may use these facilities at any time. We ask you to be considerate of other guests. The Guest House also has a covered deck that you may use at any time. There is a television in the Guest House living room that is shared by all guests. It has a dvd player and a collection of movies. There also is a streaming device attached that we encourage guests to use in moderation to avoid the moving us into the internet speed restriction zone.
Q: As a guest at Exchange Cove Lodge, when may I use the Lodge facilities?
A: During periods when the Lodge is open, you may ring the Lodge door bell whenever you need to make phone calls, use the internet, purchase items from the lodge store, have questions, or need help. The garage portion of the lodge may be used to process fish or game and to store gear.
Q: Do you have an example calculation of the cost for a week of fishing at Exchange Cove Lodge?
A: Yes. Please see the information below:
Party of 4 Price Estimate
Exchange Cove Lodge: Assume 4 people arrive Sunday evening depart Saturday morning.
Lodging: Charged for 5 nights at $200 per bedroom 2 bedrooms $2000
Meals: Charged for 6 days at $50 per person per day $1200
Jetcraft 90 HP – 5 days at $300 per day $1500
Lund 20 HP – not used
Estimated Gasoline 10 gallons per day at $4 per gallon $200
1 Crab Pot $10 per day each for 5 days $50
4 Halibut Rods $15 per day for 5 days $300
4 Salmon Rods $10 per day for 5 days $200
4 Raingear and Boots $10 per day for 5 days $200
8 at $12 per airline fish box estimated $96
Bait (Assume 4 packs per day at $7 per pack) $140
Vacuum Seal Bags (assume 25 bags per box times 8 boxes times $.25 per bag) $50
Lost or broken equipment – estimate $100 $100
Exchange Cove Lodge Total Estimated Charges $6036
Exchange Cove Lodge Total Per Person assume 4 persons $1509
Water Taxi round trip From Wrangell per person (negotiate for lower group rate) $250
Total Per Person from Wrangell $1759