When it comes to fishing equipment these days, I find myself very hesitant to get too out of hand with the praise, and not because none of it's any good. Rather, I'm finding the quality of the rods, reels, lines, waders and other accoutrement to be of such a high standard across the board that it's difficult to single any one item out. Even the stuff that's incredibly specialized - the 11-foot switch rod for tricky stream trout or wading boots that are quite clearly meant for cold fall steelheading - have their counterparts from multiple manufacturers, and in truth, very little separates one product from another.

The names for various odds and ends are likely different, as the marketing folks ramp up their efforts at differentiating technologies that for most intents and purposes are exactly the same. But in the end, almost everything I see - and I tend to get around the gear world during the average year - is pretty handy in the field.

Personally, though, choosing annual favorites comes with another difficulty, and that's what we might as well call an angler's superstition. I like the stuff I already have - quite a bit, actually - and a lot of it has seen a lot of water with me over the years. I just can't imagine going someplace new and bringing along an untested, untried rod, for instance, when I have so many favorites back home. For that reason, though I tested and found numerous new items this season that were perfect for Alaska angling applications, I'd like to list a couple of my all-time favorites from the last decade - the stuff that's always in my bags, no matter where I'm going.

Scott S3 905/4 Fly Rod

I chose this rod as my favorite new item of the year in 2003 and it's still kicking. Developed for every freshwater application, the S3 series rods are fast-action, extremely lightweight and maintain that delicate balance between sensitivity and fish-fighting strength. The 5-weight S3 I own can cast with anything on the market, and even though it's only 9 feet in length, it still performs well when needing to roll cast in the tight confines of a brushy coastal creek or when a little extra mend is needed to get the proper drift. I made several treks to famous Alaska trout locales in 2009, including a great week at Valhalla Lodge in Iliamna country, and besides the bears, the one constant companion I had was the Scott S3.

Loop Evotech LW Fly Reel

Need a drag system stout enough to put the brakes to a chrome-bright Nushagak king? How about one light enough that you can balance it with your newest-generation graphite 8-weight? While both Ross Reels and Lamson have produced some excellent new reels in the past five or so years (I have a Ross Canyon Big Game and an Evolution that I'll never part with), I still find myself dragging the Loop out of the bag at every stop. Utilizing an extremely lightweight design, ranging from 4.8 to 6.7 ounces, this reel produces exceptionally nice handling and balance. The large arbor spool allows for quick line pick-up and eliminates spool over-run. Other features include a totally sealed brake and bearing package; a composite drag system with over 300 degrees of detented drag adjustment; an easy spool-change system; total resistance to saltwater; and an optional click-on or -off. Bearings and drag are totally sealed, too, making the LW series completely impervious to dirt, sand, and the other grit found floating in Alaska's rivers. I've used mine on everything from kings, silvers and chum in Alaska to bonefish in the Bahamas, and it's still ticking.

Sage 9141-4 Spey Rod

Since seriously joining the Spey game years ago during a visit to Deneki Outdoors' Alaska West tent camp, I've had the opportunity to cast a number of rods - some of them quite capable indeed. Still my favorite, though, especially when rigged to fish Skagit-style, is the venerable Sage 9141, a four-piece 14-footer that absolutely launches line.

G. Loomis Native Run FR1327-4 GLX

Designed specifically for salmon and steelhead - near to the heart of everyone of us here at Fish Alaska - the Native Run rods are crafted from the company's proprietary GLX graphite and bring together some of the finest components in modern fly-rod design. I've handled some of the hottest anadromous fish our state has to offer with this rod, though it retains a pleasing light weight, perfect balance and sensitivity, and an exceptional smoothness from the first moment of the back-cast through the fly settling to the surface. Probably the best recommendation for this rod, however, is that Fish Alaska employees have purchased three rods from this line since first testing.

SIMMS G3 Waders

First off, I've never gotten a chance to wear any of the G4 models of wader, or actually, any of the latest SIMMS' lines because the first G3s I ever got - maybe a month before they hit the shops for the first time - still work fine. There's a pinhole here or there, but other than that, nothing. Considering the number of days I spend on the water per year, that's simply exceptional performance from a modern Gore-Tex wader.