Backing bulges are bad. If you’re chasing big fish, make sure you wind your backing on tight. King salmon, and Dean River steelhead, and dorado, and tarpon can pull really hard. If your backing isn’t wound on tight, the force of a fish’s run can cause the outer layers of backing to pull through loosely-wound…
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Archives for August 2009
Spey Instruction At Alaska West
Class is in session. Photo: Cameron Miller From June 12th to July 17th of this year, we ran another season of really successful spey instruction programs at Alaska West. Since swinging flies on two-handed rods tends to be the favorite method for targeting our chrome kings, we invite the best of the best in the…
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Wading for Bonefish – 5 Tips
Whitey wades well. OK, you’ve decided that you’re going to chase some bonefish on foot. Want to make sure you actually catch one? Here are 5 ways to improve your chances. Walk quietly. Bonefish sense noise and vibration from a long way away. If you’re on a flat with a hard bottom, step softly –…
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Ask The Experts: Most Unusual Item In Your Boat Bag
Got anything unusual in there? As we announced last week, we’ve started an ongoing series of posts in which we ask a panel of expert fly anglers questions, and report the results back to you. The first question that we posed to our panel is a really simple one: What’s the most unusual item in…
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Entomology in Chile
A little spooky maybe? Photo: Chris Price Southern Chile showcases Mother Nature at her finest, and sometimes her most bizarre. In the course of a fishing trip at Chile West, we find a multitude of insect life on the river. Aquatic insects such as stoneflies, caddisflies, damselflies, dragonflies, craneflies, mayflies and midges make up the…
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BC West Fishing Report: August 1 – 8
Everything took a turn for the better as we came out of the biggest heat wave ever to hit Canada. Photos: Gary Berenson, Paul Reid The river began to cool and the steelhead resumed their migration up the Dean. We may be able to attribute this to the steelhead karma of David and Dan Higman…
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Fly Fishing Retailer – We’ll Keep You Posted
Standing around, talking about gear – it’s what FFR is all about. Photo: Cameron Miller Each year during the fall, fly fishing equipment manufacturers, reps, distributors and dealers gather in Denver for Fly Fishing Retailer. ‘FFR’ is a 3-day industry trade show that serves as the launch pad for pretty darned near all new equipment…
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Alaska West Fishing Report: July 31 – August 7
August arrived along with our week 8 guests and more silvers than most people know what to do with. Photo: Cameron Miller Guys like Keith Blue, George Latuda, Steve Welk and his sons Cy and Joe, Ross Beatty, Mac Beatty and Bruce Chard all know how good the fishing can be this week and once…
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Rick Allen’s Alaska West Trip Report
Rick takes it all in on the K-tok. Photos in this post by Brian Niska, Al Huger, Cameron Miller and Rick Allen. Rob Russell, a friend of Alaska West, told a friend of his, Rick Allen, that Rick should check out Alaska West this summer. Rick followed Rob’s advice, and Rick’s attached trip report is…
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Wading Boot Roundup
A lot of old wading boots are still in use. Photo: Ric Fogel/Sportfolio A couple of weeks back we asked you about your wading boots. With recent news about aquatic invasive species, we wanted to know what kind of soles you’re using on your boots, and why. We got a really wide range of responses…
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