At Bear Creek Outfitters, we have over 3 decades of experience of fly fishing in Southeast, Alaska and all over the world. We put together a comprehensive list of recommended fly fishing gear for Juneau, Alaska – our home. For us, packing light is always the goal, but sometimes not practical when fishing in remote parts of the world. Therefore, we’ve made this list easy to use depending on how much gear you want to bring to Alaska!
Cheat Code #1: Hire an outfitter!
Shameless self-promotion! There’s nothing better than hiring a quality outfitter to take you fishing and outfit you with all the best gear! At Bear Creek Outfitters, we pride ourselves in providing top quality equipment for our guests. Waders and boots from Simms, rods, reels and lines from Echo, Sage, and Rio. Everything is optimized for fishing here in Juneau, Alaska. Hit the easy button and hire us! Learn about our trips!
Cheat Code #2: Shop Local!
As local residents, we are super lucky that Juneau is home to Alaska Fly Fishing Goods! AFFG is one of the best fly fishing shops in the Country, and is unmatched when shopping for your Alaska fly fishing goods (very appropriately named)! Reach out ahead of your trip and they will make sure you’ve got what you need regardless of where in Alaska you’re going. Keep an eye on their weekly fishing reports for information on conditions.
Fly Rods
Juneau is a worldclass fly fishing destination in large part due to the variety of species you can target here. Small rainbow and cutthroat trout all the way up to 30lb+ King Salmon (and even halibut if you want to get weird). Therefore choosing which fly rod(s) to bring can be a tough call.
Traveling Light: If you only bring one fly rod to Alaska, we recommend a 7wt rod with fast action. We find the 7wt to be the workhorse in Juneau, as it is light enough to still be fun catching smaller Char and Trout, but is well matched for Pink and Coho Salmon, and casting some larger streamer patterns in the wind. In a pinch it can work casting heavy streamers, and even fighting Chum and King Salmon (but we don’t recommend it – especially if you plan to release the fish and thus need to land it quicker).
Packing a quiver: If you can bring a 3 fly rods, consider adding a 5wt for smaller species and lighter winds and a 9wt or 10wt for Kings or casting heavy streamers in higher winds.
Fly Reels and Fly Lines
Picking a fly reel is one of the simplest decisions to make. Most people coming to Juneau plan to fish for Salmon, and therefore want a fly reel with a quality drag system for fighting these larger fish. We recommend looking for a sealed drag system that is less suseptible to salt water corrosion. These days most fly reels for 7-10wt line sizes have a larger arbor, but a good idea to make sure yours does too – this makes a big difference when you need to reel FAST to keep up with a big Salmon.
As for fly lines, there’s nothing more versitile in Alaska than a classic weight forward floating fly line. This will give you a tremendous amount of versitility and will still deliver the best performance in most fly angling situations in Juneau. If you’re fishing for Coho or King Salmon, we really like fishing an intermediate sink rate fly line (or even a full sink line in some situations). These sinking lines allow you to cast lighter flies.
Flies
Fly fishing in Juneau, Alaska involves a ton of streamer fishing, which are “wet flies” that swim below the surface in the water column. While some limited opportunities exist to fish top water floating flies for Salmon or mice for Trout, you can’t beat a good streamer.
Our Favorite Flies:
Clouser Minnows: size #6 and #8 in natural colors for Dolly Varden and Trout. Sizes #2 and #4 for salmon in bright, flashy colors.
Dolly Llama: Another super effective pattern in Alaska! Try the “micro or mini Llamas” in black and white or olive and white for Trout. Size #2 in bright colors are deadly when targeting salmon.
Beads!: Whether you consider it a fly or an attractor, there’s no arguing the effectiveness of fishing with beads for Trout and Char below spawning Salmon.
Pro Tip: Alaska Fly Fishing Goods in Juneau offers some super conveinent variety packs of flies if you want a good selction.
Waders and Clothing
Juneau, Alaska isn’t known for endless stretches of calm weather, in fact, it’s a bit of the opposite! Therefore, you’ll be well suited to spend some of your gear budget on some quality outerwear to protect you from the weather. For waders, we recommend a breathable pair of stocking foot waders, and personally we think the higher-end options are worth the price for their added durability. Walking through the rainforest and along the rocky beaches in Southeast Alaska can be tough on your gear! On a similar note, a quality pair of wading boots is also super helpful to keep your feet happy when logging long miles. We pay careful attention to the materials in the boots, as certain metals can be suseptible to salt water corrosion.
If you only invest in one piece of gear for your trip to Juneau, Alaska, it’s hard to beat a good rain coat! Fishing in a rain forest can be wet and it’s a luxury to stay dry and keep fishing when it’s raining. While the guides tend to prefer the trusted durability of a Gore-tex pro-shell, lots of new options are available for breathable, waterproof jackets. If it’s really coming down, we reach for a full rubber fishing rain coat!
Feel free to contact us today and we can help you plan your ultimate Alaska Fishing Adventure! Email: info@juneauflyfishing.com or Phone: 907-723-2683