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 Avet Raptor Dual Drag Reel
$439.99,
www.avetreels.com
In usual Avet style, this model
offers incredible quality through
tight machining tolerances and
high-quality materials. This new introduction to the line
fares well in Alaska, subduing even the biggest of kings.
Once these fish were adequately hooked, the Raptor
made short work of Alaska’s biggest salmon, to the
point it almost felt unfair when we used the reel to
winch in nice Chinook from the Togiak River. |
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Sage 4580 Fly Reel
$425,
www.sageflyfish.com
Based on the benchmark 2500 Series,
the Sage 4500 reels are lighter and
stronger, while a high-performance sealed
graphite-drag unit provides the power and smoothness
expected from a higher-end large-arbor reel. Paired
perfectly with the TCX rods, this was the reel to use for
Alaska’s salmon species and large fall rainbows. |
 |
 Solitude Reels Solitude 5 reel
$295 for pewter or gold, $345 for black
www.solitudereels.com
Smooth drag and fluid reeling motion are two features
on this fly reel from Solitude Reels. Tested on Alaska’s
kings to our satisfaction. You may be able to push the
Solitude 4 on smaller kings, but the 5 is also usable for
Spey fishing rods that are around 13 feet long. |
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Ross Reels Airius Fly Reels
$190 to $240,
www.rossreels.com
Designed for use in all fishing
environments the Airius is a high-end, hybrid
large-arbor fly reel that features a multilevel
disc-drag system and large-diameter spindle
support shaft that is reminiscent of a design
from the old-favorite Gunnison series. This
large diameter shaft provides incredible stability,
and is now manufactured out of fully anodized
aluminum that is strong, incredibly light and
saltwater safe. After a summer in Alaska, this
reel still looks (and performs) like it just came
out of the box. At this price, it’s a must-have. |
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Lamson Velocity Fly Reel
$229 to $339,
www.waterworks-lamson.com
Finished in Hard Alox and totally redesigned and machined using a unique “3-plane” pocket
milling technique, every aspect of performance, strength–to–weight ratio, line pickup speed and
storage have been improved in this new offering over past Lamson Velocity models. With the new series, the
10-weight Velocity, perfect for Alaska’s kings, utilizes the company’s larger drag format to generate more stopping
power, while there also two new spool sizes available—designed to accommodate the backing capacity needed
for 8- and 9-weight saltwater reels. |
 |
Lamson
Guru Fly Reel
$179 to $249
www.waterworks-lamson.com
Lamson’s lowest-priced fully-machined
reel, the Guru features a signature arm-style
element on the frame that combines with
open spokes to maximize structural strength
while minimizing weight. The Guru also offers
true large-arbor ratios and is available in
4- through 10-weight models. We found it
held up well through a season’s work in bush
Alaska, always a great benefit to a lower
price-point option. |
 |
Lamson Konic Fly Reel
$119 to $149
www.waterworks-lamson.com
One thing’s certain about this
reel—it has a drag system made for
Alaska. Equipped with the same
zero-maintenance, fully-sealed
conical drag that’s used on Lamson
models costing $400 and up, this
Konic offers super quality at a really
attractive price. Whether tackling
rainbows in small-stream settings
or working bigger water for the
state’s salmon, this reel
performed faultlessly. |
 |
G. Loomis
Roaring River
FR1325-4 GLX
Switch Rod
$740
www.gloomis.com
Switch rods are all the
rage these days, offering just what
they promise—the opportunity to
hedge your bets and head to the
water with both traditional
overhead and Spey-casting styles
at your fingertips. This Roaring
River model from G. Loomis proved
exceptionally capable whether
needing to pound out 70 feet of line
in a driving wind or fish mid-seams
with a wall of willows at your back. |
 |
Sage TCX 690-4 Fly Rod
$795,
www.sageflyfish.com
Marketed by Sage as “more than just another rod,”
the TCX fly rods feature a radically different series of
tapers created to harness Generation 5 Technology,
which helped generate maximum line speed—
meaning these rods were ideal for casting into the
stiffest wind with the largest flies, which is basically
what Alaska throws at you with regularity. |
 |
St Croix Legend Elite Spin Rod
$330,
www.stcroixrods.com
The Legend Elite series from St. Croix covers the range of rods for
the trout and salmon angler in Alaska. We experimented with a rod
from the spinning category of this rod family and were duly impressed
with its performance, feel and styling. Its list of technical qualities is long and
this series of rods merits attention from the serious spin angler. |
 |
G. Loomis 1086-4 Xperience Fly Rod
$285,
www.gloomis.com
A new range of high-performance/high-value
travel rods, the G. Loomis Xperience series fly rods
utilize the same modulus graphite found in many
top brands, at a very competitive price. The lighter
models, with medium-fast tapers and stiffness,
provide the high line speed needed for accuracy and
control. As the demands of casting greater distance
with larger weighted flies arise, the 8-weight and
heavier models are designed with fast tapers to
meet whatever challenge swims within range. |
 |
Ross Essence FW 10-weight, 9-foot, 4-piece fly rod
$229
www.rossreels.com
Ranging from 3- to
12-weight rods in the
line, Ross created a
medium-fast action
rod that is quite a
value. The titanium
oxide guides proved
strong when fighting
Chinook on Kodiak.
It was also quite a
valuable tool when
fighting first-run
sockeye in the Kenai
River in tight quarters. |
 |
Okuma Cavalla Lever Drag 2 Speed
$329.99 to $449.99
www.okumafishing.com
This reel proved a good value in the bottomfishing
market segment. From impressive strike and max
drag capabilities, to smooth line retrieval and
aggressive gear ratios, this reel is both powerful
and fast at restacking line when fighting big fish
in the saltwater. |
 |
Penn Slammer 320 LD
$139.99
www.pennreels.com
Built to Penn’s standard of
reliability, this reel took a beating
while fighting countless coho
and continued to deliver smooth
casts, tough stopping power, and effortless line retrieve.
Its full metal body makes it heavier than other reels in
this class, but also provides for the long term durability
needed to effectively fish in Alaska. Combined with a
full-metal side plate and body is an oversized main
shaft and drag washer. |
 |
Abu Garcia Soron
$149.95
www.abu-garcia.com
Another quality reel at an affordable
price is what you’ll get if you purchase
the Abu Garcia Soron. A range of features from the
corrosion-resistant brass gears and aluminum body
to Abu’s HPCR bearings make this a great value in
the spin reel category. Five sizes are available in the
line, and all offer left or right retrieve. |
 |
US Reel SuperCaster 180 Pro
$179.99
www.usreel.com
We appreciated the light
weight, wide spool and
distance-casting capabilities of this
reel. The wide spool also imparts less
memory to the line than narrower reels,
and this comes in handy particularly
with heavier line tests. |
 |
Quantum TE40PTIB
$239.95.
www.quantumfishing.com
This reel is among the upper echelon in performance-engineered spin reels from
Quantum. Among the accomplishments of reel designers was to take major
amounts of weight out while still maintaining strength. The four models in this
line range from 8.4 oz. (125 yards of 4-pound-test line) to 12.6 oz. (230 yards of
10-pound-test line). |
 |
Quantum CT40PTi-B
$149.59
www.quantumfishing.com
The Catalyst performance-tuned spinning reel allows an angler smooth operation when
making long casts and packs the line quickly back on the reel after that sizzling run.
Drag operation was silky for Fish Alaska gear chuckers, as was right and left hand retrieval.
We fished the largest model–the 40 series–which allowed for 230 yards of 10-pound-test,
provided a gear ratio of 5.2:1 and 20 pounds of max drag. |
| NEXT | |
Fish Alaska Magazine
For Fish Alaska editors, those sorts of trials, fairly typical
everywhere from Ketchikan to the Kanektok, lend a certain
seriousness to our award deliberations—not only do we want
to represent the best of the gear we used over the past season,
equipment we can recommend to our readers with confidence,
but we’re also looking for the stuff we’d use ourselves, whether
packing for a weekend on the Kenai or a week’s adventure on
the lonely Arolik. Our results follow, arranged in the same
three categories as in years past. First are our gold-medal
favorites, items at the top of the angling-equipment food
chain, chosen without regard to retail price. Second is our
silver-medal category, for those items that performed
exceptionally under Alaska’s notoriously extreme conditions
but that come with an affordable price tag. Bang for the
buck is our motto here. And last but not least are our Field
Favorites. Sometimes it’s a rod, other times a line, a lure, or a
knife, but always our choices here are items that we found
indispensable during multiple excursions over the past year.