The old standard, for a reason. 5 reasons, actually. There are a lot of high-tech leader materials out there, but if you visit one of our lodges in Alaska, British Columbia, the Bahamas or Chile, the material that we’re most likely to suggest you knot to your fly is Maxima Ultragreen. Why is that? It…
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Deneki Blog
Taking the Perfect Hero Shot – 13 Tips
Cameron, hard at work. Photo: Ric Fogel/Sportfolio If you’ve spent any time on our blog, you’ve seen a whole bunch of photos credited to Cameron Miller. Cameron is a long-time veteran of Alaska West. He spent a bunch of years guiding and taking pictures, and the past few years has made the transition into nearly…
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What’s Your Favorite Trout Rod?
Hmmm, my mouth hurt like that was a 690-4 Z-Axis with G5 technology. Photo: Cameron Miller We spend a lot of time on our blog telling you which gear the experts use. Today it’s your turn. What’s your favorite rod to use when you’re fly fishing for trout? Yes, we know that it could be…
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Secrets of the Flesh Fly
Sometimes all it takes is a little flesh. Photo: Ramsey Smith Trout that live in the lower sections of rivers like the Kanektok and the Arolik in Western Alaska get a lot of their calories from salmon flesh. That means that at Alaska West we spend a lot of time tying and fishing patterns that…
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Celebrate Dam Removal
…and support the Native Fish Society. One of the bigger conservation victories in the Northwest in recent history was the removal of the Marmot Dam from the Sandy River in Oregon, in October of 2007. One of the more successful conservation-oriented organizations in the Northwest is the Native Fish Society of Oregon. The Native Fish…
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Andros South Fishing Report – April 2009
This first full week of April graced us with the presence of a larger than life figure who goes by the name of Andy Jensen, a.k.a. BigAndy.com. Photo: Andros South Staff. To say that Andy is a character is an understatement and the guys who travel with him always go home with tales of Big…
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You Should Read michaelgracie.com
Screenshot from michaelgracie.com We’ve recently come across a blog that we think you should read. Michael Gracie delivers quality posts on conservation, gear reviews, industry commentary, and even some actual fishing-related opinion. He can be pretty funny too. Warning: Michael’s blog contains some posts on topics not related to fly fishing. Here are some recent…
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Chile West Destinations Part Four: Coyhaique
A nice rainbow from just outside Coyhaique Our fourth destination at Chile West is Coyhaique. At this point we’ve fished the waters around Palena, La Junta and Cisnes and we’re closing in on the end of our journey through Southern Chile. On the way to Coyhaique, we stop in the Manihuales area – part of…
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Arctic Grayling
OK, maybe this one didn’t eat a dry. Photo: Cameron Miller There’s a species that we love to catch at Alaska West that we don’t talk about much, and that’s the Arctic Grayling. They’re small. Let’s get that out of the way from the get-go. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game calls any grayling…
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Keith Westra’s Report from Andros South
Photo: Keith Westra Keith Westra from Leland Flyfishing Outfitters and the fine folks at Flywater Travel organized a group trip to Andros South earlier this month. Here’s Keith’s trip report. — There’s nothing better than a few flies in your pocket, a rod in your hand, and a cold “Kalik” waiting for you at the…
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