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Hook It & Cook It

Exciting Angling & the Freshest Fish You’ll Ever Eat!

Join us in Sitka, Alaska for Angling Unlimited’s annual Hook It & Cook It.

  • 4 days of world-class angling for salmon, halibut, and assorted bottom fish.

  • 4 evenings of cooking instruction and fine dining on catches of the day with your private Chef Ludger of Warm Springs Inn & Winery in Wenatchee.

Note: Lucas Szmania will be replacing his dad Ludger for this year’s Hook’it and Cook’it. Dad is recovering from a medical scare and promises to be ready again in 2023. As for Lucas, he started working for chef Ludger Szmania when he was 15 years old and has continued in the family tradition since. He received professional training in Munich Germany from 2016-2019. During this time he worked directly under Holger Stromberg, ex German national soccer team head chef (World Cup-winning Team). After his time in Germany, he moved to Chamonix France for one year to work in a 2 Michelin star-rated restaurant. Now he is sous chef at MANA Restaurant, an all organic farm to table restaurant in Leavenworth, Washington. Lucas was also a deckhand from Angling Unlimited a decade back. Chef Ludger claims, with a mix of pride and humility, that his son might be the better chef.

Angling Unlimited chefs stand together

About Chef Ludger

Angling Unlimited chefs stand together holding pans of cooked salmon
  • Former executive chef worldwide for Hilton International and Four Seasons properties.
  • Owner/operator of SZMANIA’S Restaurant in Seattle. Opened in 1990 with wife Julie to rave reviews and continued acclaim.
  • Now full-time in eastern Washington, Chef Ludger delivers the same exceptional service to Warm Springs Inn & Winery in Wenatchee.
  • Chef Ludger was born and raised near Dusseldorf, Germany.
  • His professional education and apprenticeship began in Germany with Hilton International Hotels and continued to Montreal, Canada and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Experience with the Four Seasons luxury hotel organization began in Vancouver, B.C. continued to Houston Inn At The Park, then onto Seattle’s Olympic Hotel as Executive Chef.
  • Julie Szmania is a Seattle native who, prior to opening SZMANIA’S restaurant, was a development director for the UW School of Medicine and executive director of the WA Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She and Ludger have three accomplished sons and share a beautiful daughter living in Vancouver, BC.
  • They now reside in Wenatchee with many wild and crazy pets.

Your Package Includes (based on a group of four):

  • Full days of fishing with experienced, licensed captain and crew
  • Evening meals prepared by Chef Ludger Szmania the first four evenings
  • Lodging in Angling Unlimited lodging
  • Complimentary car – start with party of 4’s then work our way down
  • Breakfast and lunch each fishing day
  • Transportation to and from Sitka’s airport
  • Transportation to and from your lodging to our boats
  • Top quality tackle from Penn, Shimano and G.Loomis
  • Rain gear and boots
  • Highest quality fish processing: vacuum sealed, flash frozen, and boxed to airline specifications
  • Up to two boxes included in price, additional flat rate charge of $50 for 25 pound box and $100 for 50 pound box

Your package doesn’t include…

  • Airfare (Alaska Airlines & Delta)
  • Sitka sales tax and Sitka fish box tax (listed as separate charge on your invoice)
  • Alaska fishing license and King salmon stamp (listed as separate charge on your invoice)
  • Checked baggage fee

”We were fortunate enough to enjoy the annual “Hook It and Cook It” event with Chef Ludger Szmania. After a long day of fishing we enjoyed four absolutely awesome evening dinners. Chef Ludger not only is a fabulous chef, but a joy to get to know! As we watched him prepare these phenomenal dinners right before us, he entertained us with his great humor! Thank you Chef Ludger!

Carol, Jon, & Troy FinkMay 2019

2025 Dates:

Arrive Friday, May 16, Fish May 17-18-19-20, Depart May 21

Price: $3,195/person*

*plus Sitka sales tax, box tax, AK fishing license, stamp & Seago

Interested in joining us for Hook it & Cook it 2025?

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