Look up “classic Alaskan fly fishing lodge” in the dictionary, and there is a picture of Bob and Lula Cusack’s operation.

Situated in a protected cove on the shores of famous Lake Iliamna, you couldn’t ask for a more idyllic setting. Look one direction out the window of your two-story room, and you see pristine wooded wilderness, mixed with small tundra meadows; glance the other way, and you see nothing but rocky, forested islands and lake. Squint really hard and you might just make out the mouth of the famous Copper River, about a 30-minute jet boat ride away, and just out of sight (about a 10-minute floatplane flight away) is the spectacular, trout-filled little Gibralter River. Lula does all the cooking, and her food is memorable; Bob does all the flying – he pilots both a Cessna 180 and a Super Cub – and has an impeccable safety record; and their grown daughters, Marisa and Nicole, often are on hand to do work around the lodge and are a wonderful addition to this family operation.