Army Veteran and former Professional Rodeo Cowboy, Phil “Hawkeye” Hawkins, has been leading Alaska West clients on phenomenal outdoor fishing experiences as a Guide and Set-Up Lead for the last nine seasons. This Veteran is a lover of all things fishing, outdoors, and dogs. During the offseason here at Alaska West, Hawkeye also serves as…
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Deneki Blog
Dads & Rainbows
When I left Alaska three weeks ago to go back to Texas for a few weeks, I couldn’t help but dread leaving the early Alaska fall with the cooler temps and beautiful leaf changes and going back to beyond uncomfortable heat and humidity. I didn’t have to be dreadful for too long though, because I…
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Fly Tying: Flesh & Bone
To start off I’d like to tell you of an early experience in my Alaska sportfishing career that might help you make a bit of sense out of the fly recipe below. This was the early 90’s and I had only been in Alaska a couple of years at that point and also just out…
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Deneki Chronicles: 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 gets 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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Deneki Outdoors: Rapids Camp
It has been a tough year for all of us. Regardless of the situation and circumstances, we here at Deneki Outdoors refuse to not have some fun. With Rapids Camp being the only Alaska lodge, within our family of lodges operating this year, we still have managed to operate with awesome staff and a great…
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2020/21 Andros South Bonefish Schools
Once again we are pleased to offer two bonefish schools at Andros South Lodge during the 2020/21 season. This coming season there will be two week long schools to help anglers of all abilities enhance their understanding and skill of saltwater flats fishing. Our Fall school in November will be hosted by Jeremy Inman. Jeremy is a…
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Newbie Flats Tips
If you’re new to flats fishing, getting ready for a trip can be a bit intimidating! We’re here to help lessen the load. Here are some tips & tricks before you head out on your next saltwater trip. Ask questions! Visit your local fly shop, check out some of our articles, or reach out to…
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Selecting Sink Tips
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, a question we get asked a lot is ‘what sink tip should I use?’ or ‘how do I know what sink tip to start with?’ Like all things fly fishing, there is no rule of thumb that pertains to every situation. There are far too many variables…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Fishing – Watch How Your Fly Lands
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, we talk a lot about the importance of ‘fly profile,’ the broadside silhouette the fly takes on while in the water. Many fly tyers go to great lengths trying to achieve the desired profile, and it is this idea that has stemmed many modern steelhead and salmon patterns….
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Swing is King
Swing is king. Long casts, and big mends, swinging is a technique that we not only appreciate here in Alaska West and Rapids Camp, but it is a method we enjoy. D loops, ripping the line off the water resulting in long, bombing casts then having faith that while the fly is going down and…
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