For salmon, this combo is probably the best possible for the money:

Casting combo:
Berkeley Air 7 8.5' casting rod rated at 10-20lb test and an Ambassader 5500 casting reel
Cost $150

Spinning combo:
Berkeley Air 7 8.5' spinning rod (10-20lb) with a Shimano Sedona 4000 spinning reel
Cost $130

If you want GLoomis, I would honestly go with the GL2 instead of GL3 for salmon. GL2s are made of a lower modulus graphite, but more of it, so its a little more durable.

How about this combo:

GLoomis GL2 1021 8.5' 10-20lb rod with
Shimano Curado reel (real smooth): $280
Same rod with Ambassader 5500 $225
Same rod with Shimano Sedona $210

If your going to stick with it, I would learn to use a casting reel, they're just more versatile and fight the fish better. If your going to be doing a lot of casting, the Shimano Curado is hard to beat, but 15lb test is about the heaviest that you can use. You can easily use 15-20 lb test on the Ambassador but it is not as light or smooth when casting. Also, for your Alaskan trip, find out how big the fish are, they've got some bruisers up north. Berkeley and GLoomis make rods in the 12-25, 15-30lb range as well, but these will be broom sticks for Sacramento kings. Hope this helps. Good Luck!



[This message has been edited by obsessed (edited 06-13-2000).]