The Gear List is ideally what you will pack.It is an “Essential Gear” list. The Essentials Gear List works for visitors & guides on 5-10 day back-country Alaskan float trips in June-July -Aug. All the clothing & gear would be appropriate for expeditionary fly fishing trips ranging from Patagonia, Argentina , to Scotland, New Zealand, to the Alaskan arctic and most of the clothing doubles as 4-season Steelhead fishing, backpacking, ski and snowboard clothing.
“Essentials List” For Alaska Float Trip:
- 1 Wading / rain jacket with hood. The best you can afford. *
- 1 Pair chest high waders ** Read our thoughts on waders.
- 1 pair Wading Boots. Rubber soles. No felt. Patagonia “Foot Tractor” with Aluminum bars strongly recommended especially for anglers over 60 years of age. This is what Mark wears.
- 1 Pair camp shoes. Sneakers, or Light hikers, Keens, or Crocs
- 1 Pair Polaroid sunglasses. Croakie or chums retainer is good.
- 1 Med-Heavy polar fleece hoody jacket or Primaloft insulated jacket like Patagonia Nano Puff, Simms Fall Run ***
- 1 light insulated fleece or Primaloft vest
- 1-2 Sets med. wt. Poly-pro long underwear ***
- 1 Pair polyester polar fleece pile wading pants or “expedition” wt. long-john bottoms ***
- 1 Pair “river, flats, or travel” pants (brushed nylon quick drying) ****
- 1 Long sleeve shirt, synthetic, quick drying in light colors such as tan, yellow. Dark blue attracts mosquitoes.
- 1 T-shirt
- 1 or more pair light gloves to fish in. The guides wear the nitrile “Touch” gardening gloves made by Atlas.
- 1 pr. per day, med-heavy, wool-blend or polypro socks (hint “Smartwool” or Merino). Socks labeled “wading, hiking, or trekking). Some bring less than 1 pair/day. Personal preference. No Cotton!
- 1 Cap w/bill for sunshade
- 1 “Fuzzy” mid weight polar fleece ski hat or “Bomber” style earflap hat for wind & cool wx.
- 1 Small bottle mosquito repellant w/ “deet” ingredient
- 1-2 Buff neck gators for sun, wind, & insect protection
- 1 Insect head net
- 1 Toiletries kit, toothbrush, fem hygiene, minor first aid supplies
- Boxer shorts, underwear
- Prescription glasses as needed
- Prescription medications
- 1 Pocket or belt knife, Swiss army etc. As TSA allows.
- 1 Pocket butane lighter / campfire starter. As TSA allows.
* 3 layer Gore-Tex for “Extreme” rain gear by Simms, Patagonia, Mtn. Hardwear, Arcteryx, Northface, Marmot etc. Alternatively a high quality 100% waterproof rain slicker for commercial fishermen by Helly Hansen, Grunden etc.
** Gore-Tex for “Immersion” waders by Simms, Patagonia, and similar.
*** Generic polar fleece or Patagonia, REI, Northface, Simms, Mtn Hardwear etc
**** Ex-officio, Northface, Patagonia etc
“Essentials” Fly Fishing gear suggestions:
- 1-3 fly rods / reels per person (ideally 3-4 pc travel rods). A 5-7wt. and a 7-9 wt. ( 9-10 wt if specifically targeting trophy Kings in June-July. Switch rods are an option for Kings and Coho)
- Fly leaders & tippet material. 6-10# tippet for trout, grayling, char, 10-16# for salmon, 10-25# for kings. RIO10# Steelhead leaders or similar stiff, abrasion resistant, material.
- 2-4 Fly lines on spools. Floating weight forward for Trout, Char, and Grayling. Floating weight forward 7-9 for Salmon. Intermediate sink tip(s) for large Trout / Salmon. RIO Cold Water Clouser or similar lines perform well with heavy flies & or windy conditions.
- Flies, floatant, split-shot, pliers, line nipper/cutter, strike indicators, hemostat or sml. needle-nose pliers
- 1 small waterproof duffle, hip pack, or waterproof day pack for tackle
- 1 Wading staff if needed
* Alaska Fly Fishing Goods. http://www.alaskaflyfishinggoods.com/
About weight limits:
Mark’s Wild River trips will take you far beyond where the lodge jet boats operate. To get there we will load a high performance float plane with the correct type of raft and camp and fly fishing gear and the proper amount of supplies. We weigh each angler and piece of gear on electronic scales before loading the airplane. You can bring a maximum of fifty pounds #50. This includes your clothing, waders, boots, rods & reels, Gore-Tex rain jacket, spare tackle, camera etc. Experienced Alaska anglers generally have less than #35 pounds of gear.
Optional within weight limits:
- Journal, Art supplies, Cameras & film, Memory Cards, Batteries, Small flashlight in August or Sept.
- Binoculars, Spotting scope, Field guides, Insect head-net / jacket .
- GPS with loaded Bristol Bay base maps.
- Map set and Compass.
- Wading staff, Trekking, Gloves, Bathing suit, shorts.
Contact me regarding bringing personal firearms, bear spray, heavy, fragile, electronic or bulky items, or your own tents, sleeping bags, dry bags, rafts, canoes, or kayaks.