We fish a lot of flesh flies for rainbows at Alaska West. Here are 5 reasons why. There’s always a flesh hatch. Our rivers get jammed with salmon biomass every summer, and when the salmon die, their flesh winds up in the river. It sticks around for a long time. Flesh hangs up on snags…
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Alaska West
Why They Call ‘Em Leopards
One of the coolest features about the amazing rainbow trout that we chase at Alaska West is their spotting. Patterns and coloration vary wildly, but it’s the massive number of spots that have earned these fish the ‘leopard rainbow’ nickname. We’ll take it. More on Alaska West Rainbow Trout Mike Mercer Caught One When to…
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4 Things to Learn About Trout
4 Things to Learn About Fishing Alaskan Rainbows From This Picture They like banks. There’s plenty of structure right along grass and tundra banks. Banks are undercut much more than you would think – giving trout a great combination of cover underneath the bank and access to food in the current. They like ledges. Same…
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Sage 99 Review
Last summer, Sage introduced their ’99 Series’ rods – purpose-built nymphing sticks from 4 to 9 weight, and all 9 feet, 9 inches long. We cast them at the big industry trade show last year and thought they felt fine, but after a shoulder shrug and a grumble that “the world doesn’t really need dedicated…
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Dolly the Clown
Come late August at Alaska West, the Dolly Varden (and/or Arctic Char – it’s confusing) in our rivers get their spawning colors. This time of year, we think they’re just about the prettiest fish around. Late August is pretty fun – ‘clowned up’ dollies like the one above are a nice addition to the already…
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Moving Water
We all love moving water, right? Cameron Miller captures it – beautiful even on a grey day. More Cool Pictures Mellow Offshore View Gnarly Teeth Freaky Chile Landscape
Alaska West Fishing Report: August 20 – 27
Week 11 at Alaska West for the 2010 season was one to remember! Even though we only had a few return guests it seemed like we had known this group for years. Joni, Steve and Gabriel Botha joined us all the way from South Africa for the second time and as usual they had a great time…
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Nice Fish, Tyler.
Trevor Covich winds up in a lot of pictures with big trout from Alaska to Chile. He teamed up with Tyler Cook earlier this month on the Arolik River, and the team won. Nice fish, Tyler. More on the Arolik River Intro to the Arolik 5 Reasons We Love Arolik Rainbows Arolik Silver Fishing is…
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Alaska West Fishing Report: August 13 – 20
Week 10 at Alaska West started out by welcoming back quite a few return guests from years past. Mac and Greg Miller joined us again so that Mac could keep spending some of Greg’s inheritance money. John Amiro and Jebb Curelop came back for another go at the silvers of the Kanektok and Arolik. Mac and Greata…
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Big Nasties
Just a selection of big meaty morsels preferred by rainbow trout in Western Alaska! More on Flies for Alaska Silver Salmon Fly Selection Mr. Hankey Steak and Eggs