For decades fly fishing has been an excuse for adventurous people to liberate themselves from daily routine into nature and find peace and connection at a slower pace. To grasp fly fishing requires one to develop a profound understanding and appreciation of the natural environment, the seasons, the river, and its habitants. One of the…
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Alaska West
Time to Get Chummy
In Alaska, all Salmon are on a spectrum of appreciation. Some are more appreciated than others. Of course, you have your King Salmon and Silver Salmon leading that list, followed by Sockeye Salmon, Chum Salmon, and Pink Salmon. Aggressive, tenacious, and will pull and tug with the best of them, Chum salmon is, bar none,…
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Fly Tying: Turkey Trot Gobble
There is no trot. There is no gobble. What we do have is the Turkey Trot Gobble Fly. There is no material list because we don’t know everything about it. There are no instructions, quite frankly because we’re not sure how we did it. All we know is it looks like a turkey, a pretty…
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Deneki Chronicles: Get the Right Line for Your Spey Rod!
At Alaska West we spend a lot of time chasing anadromous fish with two-handed rods. We see this situation all the time: Angler arrives in camp with new spey rod. Angler sets it up with the line that his or her buddy/mentor/favorite author/shop guy/rep/mother-in-law said would work well. Angler fishes it for a while and…
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Alaska West King Salmon
What can we say…we like King Salmon, especially on the Fly with a Spey rod. Hard to find, hard to get to take a fly, hard to fight, hard to land. Many anglers tout King Salmon as one of the most desired game fish in the fly fishing world. Who are we to argue? At…
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Sockeye Will Take a Fly
The biggest myth about salmon fishing in Alaska is Sockeye (Red) Salmon won’t take a fly. Sockeye will take a fly, and when they do, it is one heck of a rodeo. Everyone knows about Coho (Silver) Salmon in Alaska. They are aggressive, you can get them from stripping flies, or creating wakes with a…
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West to West Rainbows
Alaska West Lodge veteran guide and all-around good guy Ben “Big Country” West is big on fly fishing. He works hard and fishes even harder. Ben truly appreciates trout, and according to him, this past season was one of the best seasons for Leopard Rainbow Trout at Alaska West. Based on these pictures from this…
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Deneki Chronicles: 5 Ways to Control the Speed of Your Swing
When swinging for anadramous species like king salmon or steelhead, more often than not, the slower the swing the better. As long as it is moving just enough to suggest life in your fly, odds are you are in the game. However, from time to time, increasing the speed of your swing can be just…
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Gear Review: Simms ExStream Hooded Jacket
For many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re entering a punishing stretch of cold and darkness. For the diehard fly anglers, you’re dying to go fishing regardless of the temperature. This is where the Simms ExStream Hooded Jacket comes in handy. Either as an out layer or a mid, insulating layer, the Simms ExStream…
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Fly Tying: Metal Detector
Hello! It’s November, and you know what that means… It’s the holiday season. Lights are going up, Christmas shopping, and the Hallmark Channel Movie Marathons have begun. All That said, Here is another fly instruction provided to us by Friend of Deneki Outdoors Stuart Foxall to help us all keep calm and tie on. Enjoy….
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