The “tug” might be the “drug,” but most anglers would agree that a tug that stays attached is ideal. Unfortunately, when swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, that’s not always the case. Quick strikes, followed by an unanswered swing, are common when spey fishing, and can be frustrating at the very least. So what do…
Read More
Deneki Blog
Last Minute Availability at BC West
This just in – We just had a last minute cancellation at BC West for one angler the week of July 29th – August 5th. That’s prime-time in our neck of the woods, and we want you to join us! If you’re a single angler, and are interested in fishing one of the greatest steelhead rivers…
Read More
Timeless Tip Tuesday: Rainbow Trout Lies
We asked our Deneki Expert Panel a question a little while back about trout lies – no, not the tall tales that trout spin about the size of the anglers who almost caught them, the places in the river where trout like to live. A later post will give a number of bits of wisdom…
Read More
We Have Fun
It might seem we’re in the business of running fishing lodges, but really, we’re in the business of having fun.. And needless to say, business is good. If this doesn’t look like fun to you, well, you just might be reading the wrong blog. More Shenanigans from Our Lodges Alaska West Job Requirement #1 –…
Read More
Mouse Fishing for Trout – Try a Dead Drift
When fishing mouse flies for hungry Alaskan rainbows, a typical presentation goes something like this – Cast at a slightly downstream angle above your target, raise your rod tip, wiggle your rod tip back and forth roughly 8 inches apart while at the same time slowly drawing in line with your line hand. This creates…
Read More
Get Hitched – Rigging Stinger Hooks on Tube Flies
We fish a lot of tube flies at our lodges, and while they can be rigged several different ways, one of our favorite ways is attaching an up-eye octopus style stinger hook to a large loop in the leader nested at the back of the fly. Not only does this position the hook at the…
Read More
Spey Casting – Top Three Tips
Whether we’re searching for steelhead on the Dean, swinging flies for kings on the Kanektok, or soaking sculpins for massive Naknek rainbow trout, we do a lot of spey fishing at our lodges. Therefore, as you might expect, we give our share of spey instructions as well, and today we share with you a few…
Read More
Timeless Tip Tuesday: 3 Ways to Cast Further
Casting a long ways is not anywhere close to the most important skill in fly fishing. We’d actually tell you that casting too far is one of the leading causes of not catching fish…but that’s a topic for another day! Bombing long casts is fun, and every once in a while, you need to cast…
Read More
Nice Fish, Joe!
When we first got wind that our good friend and long time Alaska West guest, Joe Dudra, was going to be joining us for not one, but two whole weeks during our king season this year, we were pretty darn excited.. Why? Because those that know Joe, know that he’s a fish magnet, and that…
Read More
Hooligan
Believe it or not, the first anadromous species to enter our river system at Alaska West each spring are known as eulachons, or ‘hooligans’ as we commonly call them. We aren’t positive, but aside from resident baitfish and the occasional rodent, it’s a pretty safe bet that these anadromous smelt are the first major protein…
Read More