Greetings from Alaska

[bilder]

Used to fly fish a bit when I first moved up here, but got too busy with other stuff to use a rod and reel to catch my fish for a number of years. Now I am starting to slow down and enjoy the quiet times with my daughters on the local lakes.

Time to pick up the fly rod once more and see if I remember how this contraption works. I just have a cheap South Bend thing I got at a big box store about 15 years ago. Will upgrade sometime soon, but I am cheap by nature and am waiting for that too good to pass up deal to come my way.

I did win a fly tying kit on Ebay for cheap over the weekend. Should fill the long winter nights working on a new hobby.

Anyway, I like the forum and have been lurking for days reading all the great tips and advice around here. Should make my education somewhat easier.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi bilder,

Welcome to the forum. Lurking is good but you will get a lot more from the forum by being an active member. You must live in the Anchorage area, maybe Wasilla. I use to live in Eagle River.

Frank

[yatahey]

Bilder,
Cheap? No. I think the word is frugal. The equipement is cheap.
I had a cheap South Bend outfit years ago too (like 20 years ago). It was a backpack 4 peice fiberglass thing. It came with a reel (stamped sheet metal, very funky), didn't even have a weight stamped on the rod. Don't know how but I caught lots of fish with that rod. Sometimes the tip section would come off when I'd cast. Used a bunch of large weird flies too. I guess sometimes even a blind squirrel finds an acorn.

[bilder]

The outfit I got is stamped. Says it is an 8ft, med action, 5-6 line wt. Graphite composite. "Black Beauty".

Been looking at Cabela's lately. They have some rod/reel combos on sale for 50 bucks right now. Also have a complete outfit for 99 bucks with rod, reel ,case, chest pack, and all the accessories one would need to get started.

I got a couple weeks off at the end of July, so I am looking forward to getting my family limit of red salmon dipnetting (55 fish) and then spend the rest of my vacation hunting trout and pinks with flies.