Fly anglers are inundated with gear choices—rods, reels, boots, waders, lines, packs, bags, boxes, vests, apparel and more. Each year, it seems harder and harder to know what's worth coveting and what's worth ignoring. Sure, gear reviews are a great way to get a feel for what might be right for you, but not every piece of gear is suited to a full-length review and, even if it were, there's simply too much of it to get to.

Whether along the southeastern Alaskan mainland or on any of the thousands of islands that fall inside the boundaries of the Tongass National Forest, and within steps of waters where seals, orcas, whales and salmon swim, you're likely to find something you won't find almost anywhere else within the United States: old-growth trees. The Tongass, the largest coastal temperate rainforest on the entire globe, is home to massive, rare old-growth forest stands—where some of the trees are over 800 years old.