Over the last several years of hosting trips and spending days on the river almost exclusively with spey anglers, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of overhang; the term used to describe the amount of running line left outside the rod tip during the cast. Adjusting the amount of overhang can greatly alter the…
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Archives for September 2018
Guide Poll: Most Common Mistake Made Fighting Big Fish
There aren’t many moments on the water more exciting than the first realization that you’ve hooked into a big fish. A trophy fish. Walter. Perhaps that fish of a lifetime. Unfortunately, that moment is all too often followed by one of the most discouraging moments on the water; when that fish of a lifetime comes…
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How to Change the Angle of Your Spey Cast – North 40 Video
One of the major advantageous of spey casting, as well as a defining characteristic of what a spey cast actually is, is the ability to change directions in a single (or at least minimal) motion. The ability to pick a fly up from a downstream position and move it to the center of the river…
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Timeless Tips: Tag Your Split Shot
Way back in 2011, Alaska West alum and trout guru, JEB Hall, gave us the details for his go-to rig when slinging beads for big leopard rainbow trout. It’s still as current as it was six long years ago, so if you haven’t checked it out, be sure to hit the link to give it…
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King Salmon Can’t Jump
King salmon on our home river at Alaska West are known for many things; blistering runs, breaking gear, being unusually aggressive towards swung flies.. However, while earning a reputation for one of the hardest fighting fish in freshwater, they’re also known for spending the majority of that fight under the surface of the water. Well,…
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Hareline Ripple Ice Fiber – Why We Like It
Every now and then a fly tying material hits the market that seems to make waves amongst our guide staff of ultra-nerdy and ultra-talented fly tyers. Lately, we’ve fallen in love with Hareline’s Ripple Ice Fiber. We’ve been incorporating it more and more into our salmon and steelhead flies, we really dig it, so in…
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Alaska Silver Salmon Flies – Our Favorites (Updated)
Our summer seasons in Alaska and British Columbia might be winding down but that doesn’t mean our massive run of silver salmon has! In fact, our silvers actually continue to push long after the end of our season. We have a feeling that might the case in your neck of the woods too, so whether…
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Spey Casting – Casting Plane and Wading Depth
Have you ever started off a day feeling great about your cast only to change runs and have it seemingly all fall apart? You’re blowing your anchor, failing to get your D-loop elevated off of the surface of water, or any other of the myriad of things that can go on while spey casting.. We…
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Timeless Tips: All About Spey Rigging
We make sure to pick the brains of the many guests who frequent our lodges on what topics they would like to see most on the blog. Whether in Alaska or the Bahamas, a reoccurring request is a more comprehensive explanation of spey gear. Modern rods, lines, tips and so on are constantly evolving and…
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Congratulations, Grant!
If you’ve spent time with us at Alaska West or Andros South in recent years, there’s a good chance you might recognize the name of long-time Deneki family, Grant Turner.. Well, today we’re taking a quick detour from our regular Deneki programming to extend a huge congrats to Grant for tying the knot with his…
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