Essential Alaskan Fly Fishing Gear

If you're considering Alaskan fly fishing, it's important to have the essential Alaskan fly fishing gear outlined in this article before you head out. Working with a guide the first few times is smart, but you can also gear up and head out with a buddy. While there is a large selection of fly fishing gear to choose from, it's important to know the basics of each piece.

For Alaskan fly fishing, you will need:

• Rods
• Reels
• Lines
• Leaders

1. Understand & Choose Rods. There are three different weights of rods. 3-5 weight, 6-8 weight and 9-12 weight rods are all made for different species and environments, though they can be cross used depending on your preference. 3-5 weight rods are best used for graying, while 6-8 weight rods are the versatile across species and environments, and such the most popular. 9-12 weight rods are used when fishing for heavy Alaskan fish, generally King varieties that can range 30 to 60 pounds in moving water.
2. Match Your Reel To Your Fish & Location. Picking a reel is similar to picking a rod in that the reel you use depends on the environment and species you'll be fishing. If you're fly fishing a light or small species a lightweight reel is just fine, for heavy species or more aggressive waters you'll need a heavy duty reel. 
3. Select Lines for Optimal Results. Your choice of line is effected by the waters you'll fish in, the flies you're using, depth of the fish and other elements. The three general types of line are floating, sinking and sinking tip lines. Floating lines are generally the most versatile and easy to work with. Sinking tip lines are best for larger waters and deeper fish. Sinking lines are often required for saltwater or extremely deep rivers.
4. Analyze Leaders to Fit Your Fishing Environment. The choice of leader is also determined by the same elements as your other gear. For lightweight dry fly's consider a 9' that tapers to a 5 or 6. Alaskan fish are amenable to leaders and therefore you can use shorter and heavier leads and tippets. Even with a King you use 3'-4' length of 30# abrasion-resistant monofilament- working down in size for smaller species. For Steelhead and similar fish consider using long, heavy flourocarbon tippets.