By Todd Gibson

A fishing rod is a fishing rod is a fishing rod, right? Yeah and a golf club is a golf club is a golf club. Fishing rods may all seem the same, but they are just as unique as golf clubs are.

Golf is a good walk ruined in my opinion, but that does not mean even I do not know the clubs. To say a putter should be used for driving the ball in the fairway would be nuts. That simply is not what it is designed for.

Fishing rods have the same element of specialization. A bait casting rod is distinctly different from a fly rod. A basic glance at each makes the distinction generally clear, but a closer inspection of a fly rod fleshes out the differences.

The first thing you will notice with a fly rod is the grip area is much bigger than on a spinner rod. Why? Well, you are going to be casting over and over. The larger grip is designed to give you plenty of space to do that.

A fly fishing rod design has to account for heat caused by friction. Your basic bait casting rod does not have this problem. The movement of the line is not frequent, so any heat derived from friction dissipates.

A fly rod, on the other hand, is designed with a lot of thought given to the issue of friction. The problem that arises is the fly line is much thicker and is sent out and pulled back repeatedly as fly fishing is basically repetitive casting.

Subtlety is the name of the game. The first thing to note is the strip guide is ceramic instead of metal. This is the first loop off the reel. This will cut down on the heat, but also limits the length of the cast.

Continuing on this theme, the wire guides on the remaining of the rod are not loops as you see with most rods. Traditional spinner rods use simple metal loops for the wire guides.

On a fly rod, the guides are placed in similar areas, but are not circular. Instead, they are more of a spiral shape and are thus called snake guides. By using a spiral design, friction is diffused and heat is not nearly the issue it would be with circular guides.

Fishing is like any sport. There are specialty tools for every situation. If you are going to fly fish, knowing how your rod is designed and why it works the way it does is vital. Now you have an idea.

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Here is an article I ran across that summs up how to prepare for the Alaskan climate pretty well. I though it may be useful.

 You spend a lot of time planning out your fishing trip to Alaska, but the one detail that can be the most difficult is knowing what clothes to pack for your trip. The weather in Alaska can be quite unpredictable, so you’ll need to make sure you pack a little of everything, including a weatherproof jacket.

It’s recommended that you dress in layers for the unpredictable weather you’ll be facing. You’ll want to start with some lightweight clothing like t-shirts or light, long-sleeve cotton shirts. If the weather happens to be warm, you’ll stay cool in the sun, but a little warm in the windier conditions.

 

On top of your lightweight clothing you’ll want something that’s warmer for your Alaskan fishing vacation. Sweatshirts are ideal for this. Avoid the bulkier ones and go with comfort-fitting sweatshirts. These will need to be shed easily if the weather starts to warm up for you. You’ll have your lightweight shirts on underneath, so you’ll be ready to go.

Be sure to bring along several comfortable pairs of cotton socks. If you plan to wade around in the water, some might get into your boots and soak your socks, so have plenty of spares on hand. Cotton is best, since it allows your feet to breathe in your shoes or boots.

Alaska is known for its rainy weather, so you’ll need to make sure you have a raincoat or poncho to keep you dry (as well as warm). Some people wear rain pants along with their raincoat. You might also consider wearing hip wader boots.

 

A good fishing hat is also necessary. You’ll be around water most of the day and the sun will reflect off of the water, so protect your head with a quality hat that has a sun visor to help protect your eyes.

There are a few other things to keep in mind when packing for your Alaskan fishing trip. A pair of sunglasses will be needed. If you’re lucky and the weather is sunny, you should protect your eyes and wear a good pair of UV blocking sunglasses. A second pair is always nice to have in case you lose your first pair, but it’s not necessary.

 

Two other important items you’ll want to pack are sunscreen lotion and bug repellent. You’ll probably plan to be out fishing for a good portion of the day, so even if the weather is rainy, your skin can still get damaged from the sun. Protect yourself with sunscreen that has a high SPF rating and is waterproof. The bug repellent should have at least 25% DEET.

 

Some of the items - like the sunscreen and bug spray - may be provided by the lodge you’re staying at, so check with them first to see if you need to pack any. The important thing to remember is to dress in layers so that if the weather gets warmer, you can easily shed the top layer to stay cool.

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Here are the current weather conditions in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. You can find the conditions for any city by using the search function at the top of one of these frames.



Anchorage

Fairbanks

Juneau

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