I tend to prefer hip boots, as they are easier to roll down when doing any walking and staying a bit cooler and/or dryer. While living in Alaska, I had both, which I had custom made by the H.L. Leonard company. Also had both soles, the rubber and the felt for better traction. Now I understand, at least on the Kenai watershed, the felt soles are no longer allowed, due to cross contamination of little critters from one stream or lake to another. Just checked and it is state wide for fresh water, felt is prohibited. Just hope the Alaska game department is also making the ducks and geese wash their feet and feathers when flying from one lake to another, the same with the moose, bears, beavers as they move about from one place to another. LOL
Some places on the Kenai are for flies only. Doesn't mean you have to fish them with a fly rod, just have to use a fly and the weight used to have to be at least 18 inches up from the eye of the hook. Salmon swim close to the bottom so anything you fish, has to get down there. There are many "single hook" areas, that limit the spread of the hook shank and the point of the hook. It can't be over emphasized, IMHO, to get a recent copy of the Alaska fishing regs and read the rules for where you are going to be fishing. Alaska has the most complicated set of fishing rules and regulations of anywhere I have ever fished. I find many of the same lures I use here in salt water, work equally well for Alaska, fresh or salt water. Much of the water is murky, from tanins in the water, to glacier silt making some of the water almost milk looking. So the brighter colors tend to work the best, but I have found the color will vary from day to day, some days when fishing the Russian River, for example, a blaze orange is good, the next day it may be a fluorescent blue, green or yellow.
The standard lures to carry for most would be some Pixies, Mepps, Kastmasters, and the old dependable Daredevils in red and white, a few gold spoons and I normally take some taddpollies which were all the rage at catching fisherman to buy, including me but they also caught a few king salmon while drift fishing the Kenai River. Check out
www.alaskaoutdoorjournal.com as they will have a listing of the historic fish run dates and usually have some good articles on lures, etc. I have also received good advice from the sporting goods department in Fred Meyer in Soldotna, there and the hardware store, on the right hand side of the highway in Soldotna, just before you reach the Kenai River bridge there in town. Both places will have everything you may need or want in the fishing line, plus the clerks are experienced in local fishing.
Plan to lose a lot of flies and lures due to snagging the bottom and the junk on it, such as waterlogged stumps, trees, etc. I used to get many of my lures by going down to the Kenai to our lot, in late fall when the water level was dropping and collecting lures, etc off the snags. In a few hours I could collect enough to last me for the next year, 300 to 400 lures. Whatever you use, take a hook file or stone with you to touch up the point, as it will get dull from bouncing off the bottom rocks very quickly at times.
Interesting store, never heard of it before but it has lots of good info on the site.
http://www.alaskaflyfishinggoods.com/Another store I have used for many years is Mountain View Sporting Goods in Anchorage, is in the east part of town.
http://www.mtviewsports.com/ Good people to deal with in my experience.
I carry a portable fly tieing kit with me when we go to Alaska. To me, catching a fish on a fly I tied, is just extra fun. Doesn't take up much room and a great source of entertainment for me.
In the back seat of the truck, I carry a couple of inexpensive rods and reels plus some lures. When we stop for the evening or if I see a body of water smiling at me, I will stop and break out the gear, assuming I have a license for that location. I often will buy AB, BC, YT and Alaska licenses.
Seldom catch much at the road side pull offs but have fun.
Possibly the most popular fly used on the Kenai. Often called a Russian River Special or Kenai Special or whatever. very easy to tie, cheap to tie and readily available in Alaska.
Some of my favorite hardware where legal to use. Many areas of the state don't allow treble hooks so I carry a supply of hooks and rings to install them.
The Kastmaster, center, was used in Valdez to fish for pinks and they just about chewed the paint off. Fun to catch and release, saving a couple for supper.
For fly fishing, wets I run something that looks like these, think they are called wooly buggers or on edit, an egg sucking leech without a hackle., I tie them in all different colors. For grayling, they only like floating flies such as gnats or mosquitos, both too small for my eyesight to enjoy tieing these days so I buy those.
More I tied
I am probably more into fishing, than I am into catching. As the River Rat said, in the fine book, the Wind in the Willows. "There is nothing, quite so fine, as simply messing around the water." or something close to that. (Actually Ratty said to Mole, " messing about in boats" but I prefer my version. :)
