I'm surprised they're no fly fishing threads in the lounge
 

So, I'll start one. I recently received some Orvis gear and took it fishing in Utah. Total blast, but I broke my rod. Looking to replace it, maybe with a glass rod. What do you fish and where do you fish it?

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Alex Smith likes fly fishing. That is why.

Got one!

Fly fishing is about the only kind of fly fishing that I do. I'm not a huge fan of Orvis rods. Just don't like the feel. I like Loomis and Winston. I have a 6 wt Winston, an 8 wt Winston for salt, an 8 wt Loomis I built on GLX blanks I use for large trout and salmon, and a 10 wt Loomis NRX for salt. I've used Scott, Sage and Thomas rods as well. I like Scott and Sage.

Used to use Ross reels but I heard they were purchased by Shimano and aren't as good now. Got a Hatch reel recently and really like it. I've got a Nautilus for my 10 weight for large fish.

I fly fish in Alaska for rainbows, char, lake trout, grayling and some salmon. I also fish salt for bones, permit and tarpon, usually taking a trip to Belize or somewhere in the winter. I got a good tarpon on a fly January this year in Belize. Picture is in the fishing thread.

Best rainbow: 33", about 11 pounds, on the Naknek River. Large rainbows (25+") are a blast. Nice thing about Alaska fly fishing is your casting skills don't have to be as good as they do for salt.

This is a good rainbow from a few years ago off the Naknek river in southwest Alaska.

Missouri and Kansas have a lot of lakes. Good bass and crappie availability

Aw, You seem nice.

When I was a teenager a PBS fishing show had a show where he floated around in a belly boat fly fishing for pan fish and bass. Looked like a blast, but never been.

I have a 5 weight Sage Z Axis and a 5 weight Sage Circa. I mostly do trout. The closest place here is Lower Mountain Fork in Oklahoma, but I've taken multiple trips to Taneycomo, Current River, and various spots in Colorado and New Mexico. I've done a pontoon fly-in to a mountain lake in BC. I plan to do the Truckee River later this summer when we go to Tahoe.
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Awesome. I was supposed to go to Alaska this June for a trip, but my schedule wouldn't allow. Good thing as it rained or dropped sleet almost the entire trip. I don't mind the occasional rain, so long as it's mostly sun or high cloud cover.

I used the battenkill reels I have...they seem fine for trout. May look for a CFO, but my threshold issue is glass vs. graphite. The Orvis I had (graphite) snapped at the tip of the butt end. Bummer, but I wasn't that thrilled with its touch which is why I'm thinking glass as a replacement.

On my Utah trip, I was just out of sorts on the big fish. Was fishing 5x tippet and lost a couple of 18-20" brown snapping the line. Need to be less hamfisted.

Those sound like nice rods...everyone I've talked to mention those as great trout rods. When you're in truckee...go to the Mountain Hardware store on Donner Pass...they have a great fly fishing section and will give you the most up to date info on what's eating on the river. You might look at other nearby streams, as the truckee river east of truckee gets pretty warm toward the end of summer. Either way, that should be a blast.

Thanks for the tips! We are going in from Sacramento, so I'll pass right through Donner Pass...maybe the wife will feel like stopping for a quick break so I can get a fishing update. I was planning on hiring a guide, as is my tradition when travelling to unfamiliar waters - maybe the'll have suggestions on better water to fish. Maybe the Little Truckee? Or should I just do the lake trout thing?
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Donner pass = the highway 80 summit. Donner pass road (where Mountain hardware is) is the main road in truckee...I should have been clearer. It's not in the downtown area...it's about a half mile outside of downtown, right at the highway 89 turnoff from 80. When you take off, go under the overpass and its right in front of you. http://mountainhardwareandsports.com/

Little truckee is one choice. The truckee itself may be fishing well still...but I would rely on the guys at Mountain Hardware for what's current. They can guide you to lakes etc. and tell you what to use. A guide is a great idea as well. There are so many spots, and they'll try to get you where the fishing are biting.

For something different, you could try Pyramid lake, which has the massive Lahontan cutthroat (which also get up the Truckee river at some points in the summer). It's shore fishing, but they catch massive fish out there.

I don't know how often you get to the area, but it is pretty warm in the summer, with occasional thunder showers. Dress accordingly!

I considered taking a trip to Pyramid solely for fishing, but I was talked out of it by members of my local fly fishing message board. They said that the monsters are mostly gone now and it's some boring, cold fishing (I think you aren't supposed to fish for them in the summer because of the water temps). Anyhow, this is a family vacation, so a trip over there would be a bit much.
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