I thought I'd share some thoughts and comments about our recent fly fishing trip to Alaska. It was our first time in Alaska and it didn't disappoint.

I thought I'd start by talking about Naknek River Camp, https://naknekrivercamp.com/. NRC is a family owned and run lodge located on the banks of the Naknek River near King Salmon, AK. The owners, Jim and Phyllis Johnson, are actively engaged in the day to day operations of the lodge. Although it's not as swank as Tres Valles Lodge where we fished in Patagonia last January, it's very comfortable and accommodating, not to mention, half the cost. Phyllis runs the kitchen and does a great job. The guides are also experienced and knowledgeable. We chose to do an optional flyout to the Kulik River at a cost of $700 each and it was well worth it.

I thought I'd also make a few comments about some of the gear I took along with me.



I'm slowly trying to move away from Simms wading gear and bags due to declining quality over the past few years. Before this trip I purchased a new pair of Grundans Bankside wading boots and the optional studs. I'm very pleased with the boots and would recommend them to anyone looking.




Before we went to Patagonia I bought a Skwala Back Eddy wading jacket. I really like it a lot. Big pockets, roomy and comfortable. If I live long enough to need a new pair of waders I'm most likely going to with Skwala for those.




Nobody likes cold feet when they're wading. I looked at several brands of over the calf socks and went with Darn Tough's Over-the-Calf Heavyweight Hunting. I didn't regret that decision.


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I also took a Extreme Warmth WindStopper Hat from Alpacas of Montana. Although it was pricey, it was very warm and wasn't always creeping up on my head like a knit cap does.




These hand warmers from Amazon did the trick in keeping our hands warm when needed.






For layering I took Grundens Grundies midweight tops and bottoms and they were appropriate for the late September temps there.




For grins I purchased a 4K Mini Body Camera 128GB - Action Body Cam with Audio & Video- Thumb Hands Free Waterproof Recording Wearable Camera to take video while we were fishing. Is it a GoPro? No but it does a pretty good job (4K) at a small fraction of the cost of a GoPro. I used a spring clip to clip it to the front of my wading jacket, turned it on and forgot about it




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The Fat Man isn't nearly as nimble as he once was and got a new wading staff from River Stick. These wading staffs are made to accommodate one's height by Rick Humphrey in Canada. He makes them from machined aluminum and they're quite sturdy. I got one for Melissa too. Since I'm not getting any younger ai'll have it with me anytime I go wade fishing.