Alaska Fly Fishing Trip Advice from our Guests, part 2

03.29.13

We posed this question to our entire guest list,

“What are the top 5 things you wished you had known before traveling to or fishing in Alaska?”

The following Alaska fly fishing trip advice came from first time guests to those who’ve made the trip to Alaska 10 or more times. We’ve already shown the top 5 responses from our guests. Here’s the bottom 5 most popular:

6. Bring “Bullet Proof” Rain Gear. Period. Quotes like, “The fishing was always great but the weather was not” and “I wish I had known how wet you can get fishing in Alaska” reinforce the need for a good quality Gore-tex rain jacket with a hood.

7. Camp Shoes. Many guests wished they had followed the gear list and brought waterproof, slip-on camp shoes (see Alaska Fishing Trip Gear and Advice for more info). These are necessary when the trails around camp are wet and make it convenient to keep dirt/mud out of your sleeping shelter. Even when the trails are dry, slip-on & off functionality makes a middle-of-the-night nature call even easier.

You will see bears throughout your week, but try not to lose too much sleep over it…

8. Bears. This quote sums it up, “I wish I had known the likelihood of getting eaten by a grizzly bear was lower than getting struck by lightning.” You also have a better chance of dying from a snake bite, dog bite or bee sting. Maybe this bit of advice comes down to people wish they had not worried so much about the bears and realized they are fishing in Alaska for fish, not people.

9. Travel. The 4 hour jet lag from the East Coast is a little brutal. The red-eye return flight back to the lower 48 is a little brutal. So if you have (or can make) the time, an extra day or two before and/or after the fishing portion of your Alaska trip is probably time and money well spent. Plus, there’s plenty of things to do in Anchorage, Denali National Park and on the Kenai Peninsula. There are a few things to do in King Salmon.

10. Gear. Bring only what is needed, don’t over pack, and don’t skimp.

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