Management Team - Guides - Kitchen Staff - Camp Staff - House Staff

Meet the Management Team
All Bristol Bay Lodge staff are CPR and First Aid certified. Members of the guide team are licensed with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and as a minimum must hold a Coast Guard issued Limited Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) Guide License on the Freshwaters and Rivers of Western Alaska. All employees are hand selected based on individual character and trained by Management and senior members of the staff. Safety in everything we do is Bristol Bay Lodge’s number one priority.

	Steve Laurent - General Manager Steve has been involved with Bristol Bay Lodge for more than 20 years. He began guiding at BBL in 1990 and quickly moved to management, assisting Ron and Maggie McMillan in the annual operations of the lodge. General Manager for the past ten years, Steve is also a pilot who holds commercial and instrument ratings. He has a huge passion for the land and waters which we fish and an equally strong commitment to the protection and preservation of this extraordinary Alaskan ecosystem. In the winter he can be found in Ellensburg, Washington where he lives with his wife Mandi and their three children Ellie, Kate and Wyatt and from where he co-ordinates all sales, annual purchasing and operational planning for the next exciting season at Bristol Bay Lodge. Contact Steve: Slaurent@bristolbaylodge.com
	Janessa McDonough - Hostess Janessa, grew up in the small country town of Battle Ground, Washington.  After highschool, she moved to Ellensburg and began school at Central Washington University, where she graduated with a BS in Recreation Management and Leisure Studies specializing in Event Coordinating. Four seasons ago Janessa saw a job posting on the student board at the University for a position working at the lodge in Alaska. Spontaneous and ready for anything, she took the job and the rest is history. Janessa is a great hostess who works very hard to ensure the happiness of each guest around the lodge. Janessa has developed a passion for the outdoors especially when it comes to fishing and enjoys nothing more than time spent on the water.  Rumor has it she's learning to throw a speyrod and working on catching her first steelhead, guides beware! Contact Janessa: janessa@bristolbaylodge.com
	Nate McDonough - Head Guide Nate grew up with a fly rod in hand a vise at his desk. Nate began venturing to Alaska to work when he was 15 years old following in the footsteps of his father, who spent over a decade guiding in AK back in the late 70s. After two seasons guiding on the Kenai Peninsula, Nate felt the urge to work in a more remote area and took a job guiding for Bristol Bay Lodge, located within the Wood-Tikchik State Park. It didn’t take long for him to realize this was a dream come true. Nate has chased salmon and trout on many rivers across the Bristol Bay region, and has thoroughly enjoyed putting many guests on the fish of a lifetime. In the Alaska off-season, Nate spends as much time as possible on the water, typically pursuing his steelhead addiction across much of the Northwest. Contact Nate: nate@bristolbaylodge.com