RIO has just started shipping the Skagit Max, their newest Skagit-style shooting head. The Skagit Max replaces the Skagit Flight as RIO’s go-to floating head for most two-handed rods. We fished the Skagit Max for a week at BC West last month, so we’ll tell you what we thought about it on the Dean. We…
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Alaska West
5 Ways to Avoid Tangles in Your Running Line
One of the most frustrating things about fishing with any kind of shooting head system (spey casting Skagit heads comes to mind) is the tangling that inevitably, occasionally, happens in your running line. You make what was otherwise a beautiful cast, it stops suddenly way short of its target, you say some bad words, and…
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Nice Fish, James.
When the sun comes out in Alaska, what better to do than chase after rainbow trout? With all of the spawning salmon and other food sources in the river, the rainbow trout at Alaska West get nice and plump in August. First time guest James Nelson shows off another beautifully spotted leopard rainbow. Nice fish,…
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Silver Salmon Popper by Chuck Shepard
The silver salmon fishing is hot up at Alaska West this time of the year, and these fish are really aggressive towards the fly. Stripping a fly below the surface creates a jigging action that is hard for a Silver to resist, but one method that is often over looked is targeting them on the…
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Easy to Swap Leaders
If you’re bouncing around a river swinging flies for steelhead or salmon, you’re probably going to need to swap sinktips every once in a while. You’re hopefully not making a change every 20 minutes, but when you move from a ripping boulder garden to a glassy tailout, you need to make a change. Today’s tip…
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How to Fillet Salmon
Speed Fillets We fillet a lot of fish at Alaska West. We allow our guests to take home up to 50 pounds of fish that they catch during their week with us. We vacuum pack and freeze all of the fish before it’s boxed up and sent with the angler on the flight home. The…
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Four-Legged Companions
Jordan Sly is back today with some commentary on a critical component of any fishing lodge – camp dogs! Four-Legged Companions Most people know that dogs make great companions, whether fishing or just hanging out at home. I have a little dog of my own – he’s a beagle named Basil, and a great companion…
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Thanks for the Visit – See You Again Soon
One of the cooler rainbow trout release shots, wouldn’t you say? More Pictures from Tosh Brown Andros South Photo Gallery Wet. On Point
Adjusting the Swing
Fred Telleen has been guiding on the Kenai River since 1989. He also hosts groups at Alaska West during our king salmon fishing season. Fred put together some thoughts on gear and swing techniques after his trip this year – experienced anglers in particular are going to like today’s post. Make sure you check out…
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Alaska Trout Fishing
Well, this picture we think captures an awful lot about trout fishing in Alaska. Angler Guide Big net Beautiful spots Deep red stripe Big tail Clear water Flesh fly What else? Tosh Brown took this picture. More on Trout Fishing in Alaska Rainbow Trout in Alaska Favorite Trout Rods Spey Fishing for Trout: Tactics