What Alaska and 50,000 Miles Taught Me About Fly Fishing Gear

I did a short stint guiding in Alaska this summer and put some gear through the wringer — with abuse only Alaska can dish out — to see what really held up. This is the gear that stood out – Part 2.

A Superior Fishing Shirt

If you don't know Poncho Shirts, you should. These are all quality, comfortable, and good-looking enough to wear into a decent restaurant and call it dressed up. Put one on and the quality is obvious.

A fly fishing guide securing a raft on a river in Alaska as he walks towards the camera. — One of the best-made shirts I own. The Poncho flannel is designed for the outdoors and is particularly well-suited as a fishing shirt due to its functional pocket layout. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

I brought a couple of Poncho flannels with me to Alaska because — well, it’s Alaska. That’s what you wear up there.

A Poncho shirt in the red and black checkerboard pattern. A classic in Alaska. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

My Shirt Held Up, I Didn't

On two of my guiding days, I rowed float trips — each day involved eight hours on the oars with two guests and gear. Being Alaska, it was warm, cold, rainy, and windy, all in the same day. I also had to pack a 75-pound raft across the tundra. The Poncho shirt held up way better than I did. These are outdoor/work shirts that clean up nicely. To seal the deal, they earned my wife's approval, which is rare for the clothing I choose.

Fishpond Nomad Nets - I Have Yet To Find Better

Fishpond Nomad Nets are the Rolls-Royce of nets. These things are bombproof, good-looking, and well-designed, with a lot of models to choose from.

The nets are made from a composite mix of carbon fiber + fiberglass. This combination of materials feels great in the hand and is both lightweight and sturdy. Solid would be a good word, too. The fact that they float is a big bonus.

A Fishpond net lying in the sand of a river in Alaska — The Rolls-Royce of nets. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

More Than a Fishing Net

I've come to depend on my Fishpond as more than a net. I use it as a wading staff when crossing rivers, something to lean on to rest my legs, as a "helping hand" - reaching down with it so a client can grab the basket, and I'll pull them up a riverbank. I view mine more as a versatile guiding tool than just a basket to land a fish.

A Piece of Gear That Goes With Me Everywhere

Get a watch. Not a smartwatch, not something that needs charging. Get a mechanical, automatic, self-winding, old-school watch. Even better, get one that’s waterproof and can take a beating.

A fly angler wearing the Oris Diver watch and holding a Loop COTW Classic Reel while also holding a silver salmon. — There will always be room in my fly fishing EDC for a quality watch and fly reel. Pictured here is an Oris Diver watch and Loop COTW Classic Reel. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

Being on Time Is a Serious Issue

I need to know the time when I’m guiding. Pilots have short patience with guides who arrive late for pickup. Sometimes a pilot's weather window is small, and they have it timed out to pick up clients and get out of there before that window closes — because if it does close, we are screwed. Being on time is mandatory.

Disconnecting From the Digital World

Another reason I prefer a mechanical watch is that it helps me stay off my phone as much as possible. Part of why I get outdoors is to disconnect — to focus on the world around me instead of that little digital devil that can suck the soul out of you.

The Oris Divers Sixty Five watch and a large Alaskan Rainbow trout photographed underwater. — The Oris Divers Sixty Five watch and a large Alaskan Rainbow trout both in their element. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

Keeping it Old School and Classic

I look for the same traits in a watch that I do in a fly reel — simple, reliable, and built to last. I also prefer a classic look.

My Watch Travels With Me Everywhere

My EDC watch is the Oris Divers Date. It has been on my wrist for ten years and has seen the worst of abuse from Africa to Alaska. I’m not easy on watches, and I don’t baby them. They have to keep working regardless of the weather or the environment — I think of my Oris watch as a functional tool that I can count on when everything else quits.

A Rolling Duffel Made for Fly Fishing

A Fishpond Stormshadow Large Rolling Duffel on an Alaskan fly fishing lodge's porch. — The Fishpond Stormshadow Large Rolling Duffel | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Fishpond makes a rolling duffel big enough to carry standard 9-foot rods, with room for waders, boots, gear, and clothes. But it’s the rod storage that caught my attention. You can fit up to six fly rod tubes along the bottom, eliminating the need for a separate case and extra luggage fees.

Built For Hard Travel

The duffel is built from recycled polyester fabric coated with a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) layer on the exterior. That’s a long way of saying the fabric is waterproof and tough. It shrugs off rain and the baggage handlers who toss your luggage around like a football.

The Best Luggage For Fly Fishing Travel

The Fishpond Stormshadow Large Rolling Duffel is the best fly-fishing travel bag I’ve used. I’ve logged around 50,000 miles this summer, and it’s been with me on every trip. I have no complaints or suggestions for improvement. I’ll never say a piece of gear is perfect—but I have yet to find a fault with my Fishpond Rolling Duffel.

A Fulling Mill fly box on a raft floating down an Alaska river. — I use a Fulling Mill fly box as my bead box. It slips in and out of my Yeti Pouch easily. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

The Smooth Fly Box Rule

I learned this lesson the hard way — standing waist-deep in the surf off Cape Cod, waves hammering my chest, fly line wrapped around my legs, and one hand holding a fly rod.

With my other hand, I was trying to get a fly box back into a zippered pocket on my sling pack. The pocket was crammed, the fly box had sharp corners, and the more I tried to jam the box into the pocket, the more it caught. I was rushing because there was a blitz going on, and I needed to tie on a sand eel pattern.

Oh, But Fly Fishing Is So Relaxing

Between trying to maintain my balance, getting in a yoga position to reach the sling pack, operating the zipper and fly box with one hand while waves are hitting me, and not dropping anything into the water, I was teetering on the edge of losing my sh–.!

The hand of a fly angler holding a Gamakatsu fly box filled with mouse patterns and streamers over a creek. — My Gamakatsu fly box when it's time to bring out the mice. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

A Simple Rule To Follow

Since that day, I’ve made one simple rule for myself: only use fly boxes with smooth, rounded corners. Boxes that don’t snag on zippers, seams, or fabric. My fly boxes need to slide in and out of pockets smoothly, even with one hand.

It's a simple adjustment, but it can help you stay in a flow instead of fighting your gear.

This Dry Bag’s Simplicity Is Its Strength

This piece of gear performed exceptionally well in Alaska, prompting me to write a full review on it here. The Yeti Sidekick Dry Bag is as simple as it gets — a waterproof pouch with a large opening that comes in three sizes: 1L, 3L, and 6L. It’s a versatile catch-all that can be worn on your belt or attached to a pack using loops or Velcro. That’s it. Simple, tough, and versatile. The guides at the lodge swear by them and have made them a part of their river EDC. It's a low-maintenance and simple piece of gear that you can count on.

A fly fishing guide sitting on a raft pulled up to shore with a Yeti Sidekick bag tying on a fly. — Alaskan Guide Luke Valentino keeping his gear choices simple and functional. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Fly Fishing Gear That Proved Its Worth While Guiding in Alaska - Part 1 (the first article in this two-part series)

Dependable and Proven

Alaska is tough on gear and you have to be able to count on it. These pieces proved themselves, and have earned a spot in my everyday fly fishing kit. KB - Follow me on my Fly Fishing on SI's Facebook page.

"Slow down...listen to the hoppers...be patient with yer wife...eat sardines with hot sauce... catch “Gagger” trout!!!" –Flip Pallot

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The gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for the purpose of evaluation.The views and assessments presented are my own.