When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead at our lodges, we’re pretty lucky in that most of the runs we fish consist of long, wide open gravel bars, devoid of obstacles, with virtually endless back casting room. It makes it pretty easy to get lost in the rhythm of cast, step, swing and repeat, and ultimately makes…
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Archives for December 2014
Pound for Pound
We like to post pictures of big fish caught at our lodges from time to time, but today we’re coming at you with a photo of a relatively small bonefish from Andros South instead. After all, size isn’t everything.. However, odds are this fish still made one (maybe even two) runs well into the backing before…
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Mending With Your Non-Rod Hand
Spey rods are cool. They’re fun to cast, allow for casts with limited to no back casting room, and offer the ability to throw the heaviest of flies and sink tips with ease. However, when swinging flies for anadramous fish, one of the greatest advantages of a two handed rod is the ability to mend and…
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Bristol Bay Protected From Future Oil and Gas Drilling
Great News from Bristol Bay! Earlier this month, President Obama announced via video message the decision to withdraw Bristol Bay indefinitely from all future oil and gas leasing. The decision continues a previous withdrawal set in 2010, but was due to expire in 2017. In case you’re not aware, Bristol Bay supports the largest sockeye salmon fishery…
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Fish Facts: The Difference Between Winter and Summer Steelhead
At the beginning of the month, we launched the first of a series of posts we’ve dubbed ‘fish facts,’ where we share weird, quirky, or just plain interesting nuggets of truth about the species we pursue at our lodges. Today’s fish fact sheds light on the ever-confusing topic of winter versus summer steelhead.. What exactly…
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Tying The Spawning Mantis Shrimp
A little over a week ago, we ran a post unveiling one of our most productive bonefish patterns at Andros South, the Spawning Mantis Shrimp, a variation of Bob Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp. Today, we’re coming at you with step by step instructions on how to tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp, including our own little spin on…
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Midnight Sessions
Last week, New Zealand’s Manic Tackle Project went live with their latest edition of Fly Fishers Inc, a great online fly fishing magazine. Why are we telling you this? Because Alaska West guide and New Zealand resident, Jeff Forsee, has written a great article in FFI’s most recent issue titled ‘Midnight Sessions.’ Through great writing and…
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Keep Your Fly in the Water
One of the universal truths in fly fishing, regardless of what species you are pursuing, is the longer your fly is in the water, the greater chance you have to catch fish. After all, a fly in the air catches no fish. With that said, we haven’t mastered the art of ‘shadow casting’ yet.. And we’ve seen…
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Last Minute Fly Fishing Gift Ideas
Still need some holiday gift ideas for a fly fisherman in your life? With the big day just around the corner, we’re down to crunch time.. Not to worry! Here are 7 great gift ideas, sure to please any fly fishing junkie. But here’s the best part, they can all be purchased online, require no…
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Resident Rainbows
One of the reasons many of our guests join us each season at Alaska West is to catch some of these.. Big Alaskan leopard rainbow trout. Not only are they super pretty and extremely aggressive towards mouse flies, but they also reach sizes rivaling that of some summer steelhead.. Except they stay in our river…
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