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Originally published October 2003
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2003 Fish Alaska Editors’ Choice Awards
Field tested in the wilds of Alaska, under some of the harshest conditions
known, these products earned our editors’ respect and designation as Fish
Alaska magazine’s BEST of the BEST and BEST VALUE for 2003 |
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska—October. It’s a unique
month in the Last Frontier. The other eleven are rather distinct as
well, but the bringer of Halloween surely carries its own special brand
of power.
First and probably foremost, it’s PFD time, and one day early this month
every citizen of the state will wake up and find a nice-sized
(hopefully) check in their mailbox, or through the wizardry of
computers, already in their bank account. Second, it’s when the real
diehards can be seen on the banks of the state’s freshwater streams.
These aren’t angling enthusiasts braving a bit of September rain and a
slight chill in the air to chase the season’s last few fish. No, this is
something much more extreme, and it usually involves steelhead and
hopelessly numb appendages.
Yes, October’s a cold, some would say
bleak, month in the 49th state. Any leaves that will turn have done so,
and people have long since given in to the onset of winter signaled by
the termination dust lining every peak in sight. Interior lakes are
probably showing signs of the coming freeze. It’s hard to remember the
last time the skies overhead weren’t shrouded in gray. But anglers can
always find a bit of hope to cling to, and if you aren’t one of those
frozen-fingered steelhead aficionados or an escape artist heading for
some tropical destination to cast at bonefish or tarpon, looking forward
to next season is usually as good as it gets.
To help with that, October is when we unveil Fish Alaska’s annual
editors’ picks of the year’s best gear. For at least one more year, that
is.
Immediately following this issue, we’ll begin transitioning the
annual gear review to a new release date of March, hoping to better
serve our readers with both more thorough information and a wider range
of featured products (we apologize to any who used this issue in the
past as a means of making it through the early stages of winter and
would like to remind them that now is a fine time to be fishing
steelhead in many area rivers).
While March 2004 will serve as a preview of new gear for the coming
season, this issue focuses on the gear, both new and old, we spent this
past season putting to the harshest of tests we could imagine—those
presented by the Alaska angling environment
They’re not perfect, set-in-stone, “this is all you’ll ever need to
fish Alaska” picks by any means, as so many of the choices one can make
about their gear boil down to personal preference. But by utilizing test
reports, feedback, and even a bit of gossip from a diverse range of
anglers, from weekend warriors to battle-hardened, 100-day-per-season
fanatics, we’ve striven to assemble some angling tools that all anglers,
expert and neophyte alike, can feel confident hauling to the stream.
So, without further gilding the lily and no more ado, here are our
editors’ picks for 2003.
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Lightweight Fly Rod
Scott S3 905/4
www.scottflyrods.com
 A
name well on the rise within those in flyfishing’s know, one of
Scott’s newer rod models, the S3 (first introduced for 2002), gets
the nod as the best high-end fly rod for tackling Alaska’s more
modestly-sized freshwater species, namely Arctic char, Dolly Varden,
and most of the state’s resident rainbows.
These fast-action rods feature Scott’s internal ferrule system,
which by-passes the standard sleeve-type ferrule used by other rod
manufacturers and lends a continuous taper and smooth feel to the
rods, helping anglers generate high line speeds and control long
casts. All S3 models are built from reinforced SupRply graphite, and
their low weight in motion will be noticed by casters of every skill
level. Delicate tip sections enable anglers to still fish small
flies, while the rod’s strong butt section is stiff enough to handle
some of the Great Land’s stouter trout.
The fact that the S3 rods also come in four-piece models is an
added bonus for travel-intensive Alaska, and we used the rod for
everything from mousing Katmai rainbows to drifting beads for Anchor
River Dollies without experiencing the slightest glitch in between.
($560)
Editor’s Choice—Best Value
Lightweight Fly Rod
Lamiglas JimTeeny
Signature JTT 905
www.lamiglas.com
 Lamiglas’ rods have long been favored by many among Alaska’s
angling class, and certainly, adding the name of renowned fly angler
Jim Teeny, originator of the Teeny Nymph, holder of 10 IGFA world
records, to a line of fly rods can do nothing but further cement
their reputation for performance. It came as no surprise, then, when
after tallying our reports the Jim Teeny Signature series rods
ranked among the best fly rods for Alaska, regardless of price.
These four-piece, fast-action rods (our favorite for this
category is the 9-foot, 5-weight model) are fashioned from Lamiglas’
IM700 graphite blanks and outfitted with Fuji stripper guides,
single-foot snake guides, an aluminum reel seat, and a fixed
fighting butt. And with their balance of price and performance,
they’re a great rod model for both beginning and polished fly
anglers. ($370)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Lightweight Fly Reel
Ross Evolution 3
www.rossreels.com
If a mid-priced, high-performance trout reel is on your wish list,
we can recommend none finer than the Ross Evolution, newly released
for 2003.
 While bringing true large arbor technology to lightweight fly
reels, the Ross Evolution was also designed to balance with today’s
lighter, more sophisticated fly rods and features a
fully-ventilated, perfectly balanced spool and frame. The reel’s
drag system (built of a friction-base Delrin material that is
impervious to heat, compression, glazing, aging, and crumbling) was
modeled after the disc-drags on the highly successful Canyon Big
Game series. While this is probably more than an angler will need
for light tackle pursuits, the Evolution’s drag system remains both
precise and sensitive, with repeatable settings. ($300)
Editor’s Choice—Best
Value Lightweight Fly Reel
Scientific Anglers
System 2 LA Model 456
www.scientificanglers.com
Scientific Anglers has also brought the faster retrieves of large
arbor reels to a lightweight design with their System 2 LA fly
reels.
To this new line of reels, they’ve also added wider spools, the
proven System 2 drag (the Model 456 features a single-caliper disc
drag with rulon drag pads), and advanced barstock-machined
construction. While ideally suited to a 5-weight rod, we’ve tested
these reels in situations when hooking the odd sockeye, chum, or
silver isn’t out of the question, which is just about always during
Alaska’s trout and Dolly peaks, and even with the larger, more
powerful species, the reels maintained their outstanding
performance. ($214.95)
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Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Heavy Fly Rod
Rogue RF 29010
www.roguerods.com
 When we acquired a few Rogue fly rods for this year’s testing,
our first thought, based on their extremely affordable price, was
that they would compete for a Best Value award. That thought lasted
precisely as long as it took to make a first cast.
Light weight, crisp tapers, and the use of top-of-the-line
components like machined aluminum reel seats and SIC stripper guides
combine to make these fly rods comparable to anything found today.
In fact, when talking performance on the water, the two-piece Rogue
10-weight can stand beside any of the $700 rods on the market.
($239)
Editor’s Choice—Best Value Heavy
Fly Rod
Echo 1090
www.rajeffsports.com
Like Rogue, the Echo family of rods was designed to deliver the
performance found in the highest priced rods for a less than
high-end figure.
The 1090, which we selected as our Best Value for chasing
Alaska’s largest fly quarry, is a 9-foot 10-weight with a
medium-fast-plus action that’s capable of providing the casting
power needed for tossing heavy flies to Alaska’s deep-running
Chinook. It also features a larger diameter fighting butt to aid in
the sometimes long, hard battles anglers engage in with the king of
Pacific salmon. All Echo rods are 4-piece rods with a gloss deep
emerald finish, ceramic stripper guides, and single-foot snake
guides. ($139.95)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Heavy Fly Reel
Billy Pate
Tarpon 10-11-12
www.tiborreel.com
 Can you find a fly reel better suited to taking on Alaska’s
bullish kings than one developed for some of the world’s most
demanding saltwater gamefish? Neither could we.
Introduced by Ted Juracsik in 1976, the Billy Pate Tarpon fly
reel has since garnered a reputation for both its dependability and
its remarkably durable construction. Over 20 current world records
attest to its nearly unequalled performance capabilities.
This reel, built from solid aluminum bar stock, weighs just 13
ounces, holds 350 yards of 30-pound Dacron backing with a WF10F fly
line, and features Ted Juracsik’s signature anti-reverse system.
($510)
Editor’s Choice—Best Value
Heavy Fly Reel
Okuma Integrity 10/11
www.okumafishing.com
Anyone who has spent much time fishing Alaska’s king salmon knows
there’s much danger to toting a “value” reel streamside. While the
Okuma Integrity 10/11 is certainly a modestly priced reel, we were
pleasantly surprised to find out it performed on a level usually
reserved for far more expensive large arbor reels.
Perhaps the feature of the series that should be of most interest
to Alaska anglers is Okuma’s new, patent-pending one-way disc-drag
system, which allows for smooth high-end drag pressure and drag-free
retrievals. ($73.95)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Spinning Rod
St. Croix Legend Elite ES70MLF
www.stcroixrods.com
When it comes to combining both power and the most delicate range
of sensitivity, few lines of spinning rods are up to the challenge.
However, one such high-performance fishing tool definitely exists in
the St. Croix Legend Elite series.
These fast-action spinning rods are constructed of the finest
graphite available to St. Croix. Other design highlights include a
Fuji SiC Concept guide system with titanium-plated frames,
select-grade cork handles, and skeletal-cork reel seats. And due to
the Legend Elite’s carbon-matte scrim and the single continuous
curve of their Integrated Poly Curve tooling technology, the rods in
this line weigh up to 20% less than competing models.($300)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Spinning Reel
Okuma Inspira
IS-30
www.okumafishing.com
Precision-cut brass main gears and 12 bearings are just two of
the reasons the Inspira is the new marquee Okuma spinning reel for
inshore saltwater and freshwater fishing.
The Inspira features a new machined aluminum handle that folds
down with one simple movement of the locking sleeve, and an equally
new ASB locking bail function, which locks the bail open during
casting. The lip of the three-piece machine-cut spool is coated with
titanium to help ensure smooth line winding and to resist marring,
which could lead to broken line when you’re fighting the fish of a
lifetime, always a possibility in Alaska waters. ($84.99)
Editor’s Choice—Best Value
Spinning Rod
Berkley Air IM7 A94-9MS
www.berkley-fishing.com
Developed with the aid of noted Northwest salmon and steelhead
angler Buzz Ramsey, Berkley’s Air IM7 spinning rods supply the
balance, light weight, and flawless functioning expected of the very
best rods on the market—without the expense.
Featuring a matched blank and handle design, these rods deliver
optimum performance across an array range of techniques, which make
them ideal for remote Alaska destinations where bringing along a
range of rods may be impractical. For most of the long rod
presentations, including drift fishing, plugging, and even
back-bouncing, the Berkley Air IM7 is a solid choice. ($94.95)
Editor’s Choice—Best Value
Spinning Reel
Fin-Nor
Lumina FL4000
www.fin-nor-international.com
If you’ve been looking for Fin-Nor’s legendary quality at an
affordable price, the search is over.
Born in a Miami machine shop in the early 1930s, the company has
been a leading force in saltwater fishing tackle for some 70 years,
its beginnings stretching back to the glory days of big-game
fishing. Renowned among saltwater anglers, Fin-Nor is hoping to have
the same effect on freshwater anglers as they introduce two new
lines of freshwater reels.
The Fin-Nor Lumina features a stainless steel anti-reverse
clutch, a machined and ported spool to reduce weight, and a
titanium-coated line roller that lays line on the spool smoothly and
evenly. A champagne graphite body and rotor give it a light feel and
make it a pleasure to cast. ($49.95)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the
Best Halibut Big Game Rod
Seeker Classic BSC663
www.seekerrods.com
 Big game rods need to be solidly constructed, for fishing
virtually anywhere off Alaska’s coast can produce fish ranging from
30 to well over 400 pounds. At the same time, these rods need to
retain some sensitivity for anglers anxious to feel every slight
nick or nibble on the end of their lines. Seeker Rods fit both
bills.
The Seeker Black Classic, the rod we tested over this past year, is
a stand-up saltwater big game rod that comes with either Fuji
graphite or anodized aluminum reel seats, Perfection carbide or
Aftco rollers, and hard chrome or chrome roller guides. All Seeker
rods are double wrapped, with triple wrapped roller stripper guides,
and are finished with three layers of epoxy coating. (msrp $296.58)
Editor’s Choice—Best
Value Halibut Big Game Rod
Lamiglas BFC 5610RT
www.lamiglas.com
From the smallest of trout rods to their heaviest saltwater
models, anglers almost never fail to mention the extreme durability
of a Lamiglas rod. And here is where it can really count.
There might not be any 800-pound sturgeon, but the coastal waters
of Alaska present saltwater anglers with plenty of large fish to
chase—really large, in case you haven’t heard the term “barn door”
yet. And while they’re stout enough to dominate the healthiest of
Dutch Harbor flatfish, the Lamiglas big fish series rods retain
enough sensitivity that the slightest twitch is transmitted from
ocean floor to angler’s arm. Each rod in this line is sharply
dressed with hot black, blue, and silver diamond wraps and
under-wraps over matte black blanks, and at just over a hundred
bucks, their price tag is just as appealing. ($112)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the
Best Halibut Big Game Reel
Penn International V
Big Game Special 70VS
www.pennreels.com
 In the world of big-game angling, the Penn International series
reels certainly need no introduction. These world-renowned lever
drag reels are simply as good a product as you can find.
The 70VS, our choice for the best big game reel for Alaska, works
exceptionally as both a stand-up and trolling reel and is suited to
handle the largest of halibut. As with the other models in the
International series, the main gears, pinion gears, and drag cams
are all made of corrosion resistant, machine-cut stainless steel.
The model 70VS also features a bio-drive retrieve system, machined
gold-anodized one-piece frame, shielded stainless steel ball
bearings, and a locking, pre-set drag knob. ($699.99)
Editor’s Choice—Best
Value Halibut Big Game Reel
Daiwa Sealine 900H
www.daiwa.com
 Charter a few angling outings from most any Alaska port and
chances are good you’ll find your hands wrapped around a Daiwa
Sealine.
Popular among Alaska’s charter fleet for their ease of use,
performance, and durability, not to mention their accessible price
tag, the Sealine series features a rugged, one-piece aluminum frame,
machine-cut bronze and stainless steel gears, an aluminum spool and
sideplates, sealed stainless steel ball bearings, and a hard
anodized and paraffined finish. Weighing in at 54.5 ounces, the
Sealine 900H will hold 720 yards of 50-pound test line and 290 yards
of 130-pound test. ($149.95)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best Waders
Simms G3
Stockingfoots
www.simmsfishing.com
 There is a new standard for fishing waders, and in less than a
surprise, it comes from the folks who had set the previous
benchmark—Simms.
Featuring the most advanced design and fabric technologies of the
company’s illustrious wader line, Simms has somehow produced a
chest-high wader with up to 30% greater puncture and abrasion
resistance without sacrificing anglers’ comfort, as the G3
Stockingfoots have 20% more breathability than any previous Simms
wader. While maintaining all the standards of Simms innovation and
quality, the G3s also include a large front fly box pocket, a
flip-out Tippet Tender pocket, and built-in Schoeller gravel guards.
All that and more gives the Simms G3 a comfortable cushion above
last year’s Best Wader, the Simms Guide Weight. If you plan to spend
any serious amount of time in Alaska’s backcountry, these are the
waders for you. ($425)
Editor’s Choice—Best Value Waders
Simms Freestone
www.simmsfishing.com
What was a surprise in this year’s roundup of waders was that
Simms had produced a wader that fit into the value category.
Traditionally among the highest priced waders on the market, the
introduction of the Simms Freestone marked a change for the company,
offering Simms quality at an affordable price.
Curious, we put the Freestones to work on some of Alaska’s most
rugged and remote drainages, where they performed to a level far
beyond that of many more expensive waders.
Simms Freestone waders feature a tough, 4-layer fabric
construction, a flip-out chest pocket, and the company’s QuadraLam
fabric technology, which helps to quickly absorb perspiration and
move it away from anglers’ bodies. ($149.95)
Editors’ Choice—Best of the Best
Wading Boots
Korkers Konvertible
www.korkers.com
 If one product stood out more than any other in this year’s
review, it may be the Korkers Konvertible wading boot. If you’ve
ever had to hike a few miles through the snow and ice with
felt-bottomed wading shoes, you’ll know why.
Made from leather and Cordura nylon, the lightweight Korkers
Konvertible is the company’s first product that features their new
OmniTrax Sole technology. Instead of needing screws or tools for
sole inserts, the Korkers’ soles slide into a toe recess and are
secured by a strap at the back of the ankle. Anglers can change from
the rubber lug trail soles used on the hike in to felt bottoms
perfect for the slippery rocks of an Alaska river in a matter of
seconds.
The Korkers Konvertible retails for $129.95, with extra soles
ranging from $19.95 to $29.95. Soles available are the rubber lug
trail, felt, studded rubber, felt studded, AquaStealth, and a soft,
non-marking rubber boat sole. ($129.95)
Editor’s Choice—Best
Value Wading Boots
Simms Freestone
www.simmsfishing.com
 The Freestone Boot is the newest model of Simms wading boot, and
like the chest-high waders of the same name, the boot offers Simms
quality, protection, and comfort at an extremely economical price.
With tough vinyl uppers, a triple-stitched instep hiking boot
design, a padded Cordura collar and tongue for comfort, and a roomy
toe box, the Freestone boot is as comfortable as it is durable. The
Freestone also features an EVA midsole for protection from rocks and
a tough Goodyear welt that secures the upper to the mid-sole. While
not offering the diversity of the Korkers Konvertible, the Freestone
model is also available with a felt studded sole. ($79.95)
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This
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-Editor's Creel
-Alaska Traveler
-Hot Kings
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Kenai River Pages |
Packed with articles, information,
maps and more. Our special Kenai
River Pages have everything you need to fish the Kenai!
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Your Alaska Adventure! |
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What do you need to bring on your great Alaskan fishing Adventure?
Our experts have put together your
packing
list. Use our convenient
travel
planner for more information on the fish and fishing spots
that you've always dreamed of visiting.
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Wander through our photo album and see the big fish
our readers have caught.
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