[Steve K.]

Nice blog John! I particularly like the use of the flash in the Bob Chuk photo!

[Steve K.]

Yea Splitshot…the chum stank….

…and the grizzilies were always close by…..

[Steve K.]

Good info guys!

I’ve just about resigned myself to the fact that a digital P&S will be relegated to my vest pocket (stored in a ziplock sandwich bag) for the “grip and grin” fish porn.

On the Alaska trip I was reluctant to remove the D70s from the Dryzone bag until the weather cooperated. At the slightest hint of rain, I took out the $300 P&S.

[Steve K.]

Sorry splitshot….I completely missed your post. We saw 42 bears that we would consider “close enough” and four that fall into the “too close” catagory. Bear spray was never deployed although the finger was on the trigger a few times. All in all, the grizzilies were well behaved. Here’s a quick writeup:

I flew out a week early to get in some sightseeing. After a night in Anchorage to recuperate from the long flight, I headed north on the Parks Highway toward Denali National Park. First stop was the neat little town of Talkeetna.

While in Talkeetna, I hitched a ride with Talkeetna Air Taxi for a glacier tour around Mt. McKinley (Denali)….tallest mountain in North America. This sidetrip is highly recommended!!

We saw part of Denali from about 8,000 feet.

We were told that only one in ten tourists actually gets to see the whole mountain due to clouds. The odds were not in our favor on this day. The best was yet to come though. The weather broke and we were able to land on Ruth Glacier at the base of Denali. This was UNBELIEVEABLE!

The flight back to Talkeetna was really neat as we flew over and between mountains and glaciers.

We flew through The Great Gorge and it seemed our wingtip was only a few feet from the rock walls.

After our return to Talkeetna, we headed up to Denali National Park. Private vehicles (with a few exceptions) are not allowed in the Park so we hopped the shuttle bus. On the way in, we had several glimpses of Denali minus the clouds. There was no doubt which one was The Mountain.

We saw mucho wildlife and great scenery.

After a short time in Denali we headed down to the Kenai Peninsula for some sightseeing and fishing. We spent a half day in Whittier, AK and toured Prince William Sound by boat.

We saw mucho glaciers.

Spent a few days at Trail Lake Lodge in Moose Pass. A great base of operation when fishing the Kenai. It’s centrally located to the Russian and Kenai Rivers as well as Quartz Creek, Resurrection Creek and the saltwater fishing in Seward.

While in Moose Pass, Fishmeister took a floatplane lesson in a Supercub.

We spent a day on Quartz Creek fishing egg patterns and caught a bunch of Dolly Varden (at least Frank did anyway).

We also drove over to the little town of Hope, AK to fish Resurrection Creek. The stream was sick with pinks!!

All for now……more later.

[Steve K.]

Cameron,

This is the one I am referring to:

http://www.simmsfishing.com/za/SIM?PAGE=PRODUCT_DETAILS&CAT=vests&PROD.ID=21480

If anyone has one, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Steve K.]

Robert,

My Dryzone 200 is BIG! I wouldn’t recommend it simply to carry a camera in. Even the smaller Dryzone 100 is overkill for your purpose. I carried a tripod, gimbal head, spare batteries, cards, a small nikon P&S, 4 lenses, one of which weighs 7 pounds…..you get the picture. I think Simms makes a small drybag that goes around your waist tghat I’m looking at for protection while standing in the stream.

Drifter

[Steve K.]

Just got back from AK and gave the Lowepro Dryzone a good workout. Lot’s of rain but my cameras came out unscathed. I saw firsthand the strenghts and weaknesses of the Dryzone. If I were going strickly on a rafting trip, I’d opt for a Pelican simply because of accessibility, but for dayhiking in a place like Denali, The Dryzone is the way to go.

I’ll post some photos when I get them uploaded. Here’s one of our campsite on the Alagnak River…..sunset is about 11:30 PM and it rises at 4:30 AM:

[Steve K.]

Oops….misprint…should be 55mm-200mm.

Zach….having lived south of Atlanta most of my life, I’ve learned to adapt with regard to trout fishing in Georgia. My most visited stream is the Hiwassee in TN followed by Great Smoky Mountain National Park (multi-day backpacking). For day trips……the Chattahoochee Tailrace has to do. Georgia DNR has implemented a highly successful delayed harvest program on the Hooch, Chattooga and Smith Creek. Dukes Creek is a good urn that is heavily patrolled by DNR and an appointment is necessary. It’s a bit of a hassle but insures privacy. C&R with large fish. The Toccoa is a great river since the power company retrofitted the turbines with baffles. It flows out of Lake Blue Ridge.

You could also head south for shoal bass on the Flint.

[Steve K.]

Thanks Bryan.

The guys I am going with have done this trip several times. They know the deal. And yes, they say I’ll get tired of catching salmon

[Steve K.]

Wecome to ATL. I work downtown so if you are in the area and want to grab lunch, let me know. I know all the good bar-b-que dives.

[Steve K.]

switch to SD cards from CF.

Just damn.

I was seriously considering the purchase of a D80 body and use the D70s as a spare. That plan just went south. No way I’m spending another chunk of cheese for new memory cards

[Steve K.]

Cameron,

Here’s a few photos of my old glass:

Abercrombie & Fitch Featherweight

Orvis Fullflex

…and an old steel rod made by Union Hardware in Torrington, California.

[Steve K.]

Cameron,

I have a soft spot for vintage fiberglass as well. Two of my favorites are:

– Orvis Fullflex 5 weight with original rod sock and tube

– Abercrombie and Fitch 5 weight with original rod sock and tube

These can be found from time-to-time on Ebay although they are usually missing the original tube for some reason. Obviously the complete set (rod,tube & sock) will command top dollar. If you can do repairs, damaged rods (I’m talking a bent or missing guide, loose ferrule, etc) can be bought at a discount.

Drifter

[Steve K.]

Bryan hit the proverbial “nail on the Head”. I tie my own ’cause I enjoy it….just like tying flies and building rods. I usually tie my leaders while sitting on a rock by the stream, on the cross-country flight to Montana (Pre 911) or while waiting for breakfast on the front porch of Roosevelt Lodge.

I usually only replace the tippet and maybe the next section each day. The butt section is durable enough and will last a lot longer. I use Orvis Super Strong exclusively….simply because I’ve used it a long time with no problems. I lubricate the knots with saliva and slowly pull them tight. Trim with nippers leaving a tag of about 1/16 inch.

I also use the Dennison Leader Tool for the blood knots:

The initial investment is knot that much….4 spools of tippet, Dennison Tool and nippers for about $25 bones. I’ve tied them for so long, I don’t measure the sections. I can guesstimate pretty close.

Give it a try…………Drifter

[Steve K.]

Zach,

Thanks for running such a great website! I don’t know how you find time to do it. Regarding your “real” job…..are you still moving to ATL?

Drifter

[Steve K.]

Thanks Bill….that makes me feel better about lugging the 400mm along.

I was in Yellowstone in May and wish I would have had it then.

[Steve K.]

bd,

Let me offer the disclaimer that I’m no expert but do spend a fair amount of time trout fishing here in the East.

As far as I’m concerned (and I think the trout feel the same way) match the color, size and profile of the natural and you’ve got it. Without getting into a biology discussion and latin lesson, I’d say they’re is not a big difference.

Here’s a much more detailed discussion if your interested. I find it fascinating:

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/nqento/part6.html

[Steve K.]

PR,

I also have trouble seeing them and as a result don’t use them much. I have a half dozen that really look nice when they’re lined up neatly in my flybox.

[Steve K.]

The float trip will be the upper Alagnak via floatplane. We’ll drift back down over the course of seven days. Fishing for salmon, rainbows, grayling and dolly varden. We’re using Branch River Air Service as our outfitter. We are also going to hire guides out of King Salmon for a day on the Naknek for silvers.

I’ll post a report…late August.

Drifter

[Steve K.]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

Let’s see…where to start??

I bought the Lowepro specifically for this trip and sincerily think it will be the ticket….Everything mentioned fits in the pack with a little room to spare….(but not enough for you Justfishing 🙂

I’ll be traveling by foot, car, cruise boat and raft at various times. So the pack and Pelican both have advantages….but I can’t lug both of them along. The Pelican would be perfect for rafting but not for trekking in Denali.

I’ve already filled two duffels with camping and fishing gear. I checked on FedEx and it’s cost prohibitive at $100 for a 30 pound parcel to King Salmon, AK. Ouch! I thought about one of those packs that fit into a Pelican but they don’t have a great suspension system IMO.

I thought about leaving the 400mm at home which would save a lot of weight and space, but…..on the raft/camp portion of the trip, we will be seeing several brown bears…..Bald eagles as well. So I’d hate to miss out on those opportunities. I thought about getting a Nikon TC 301 teleconverter to go with the telephoto.

And don’t forget the tripod. The telephoto is not near as effective without it. I also want to do some slow shutter speed stuff like waterfalls and streams. I also imagine that sunlight will be in short supply (lottsa rain).

Thanks for the tips ……I’m still pondering and will probably cut back on some stuff before I leave (August 1st). I’ll let ya’ll know.

Thx again,

Drifter

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