With Halloween just coming up this week, we thought we’d tie a golden oldie fly pattern and dress it up. From our friend Stuart Foxall, comes a variant of the Wooly Bugger. Combining a classic fly pattern with modern materials makes for a quick, colorful, and most importantly, effective fly. Cheers! It’s funny how patterns…
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Alaska West
Deneki Chronicles: Swinging Flies – Don’t Block Your Hookset
In any avenue of fly fishing, one thing that separates successful anglers from not-so-successful anglers is complete, undivided, fully engaged, focus whenever your fly is in the water. Many fish are lost (or perhaps never hooked at all) from anglers who’s minds were wandering or whom were not expecting a fish to eat the fly in…
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Spey Casts You Need to Learn
When it comes to Spey casting, everyone has their “go-to” cast. Your go-to cast is probably the first Spey cast you learned, and since you got good at it, you’ve built confidence, you stuck with it. We get it. We’ve been there too. The reality is mother nature, and the river itself can put you…
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Fly Tying: The Goblin
Halloween is just around the corner and what better fly to tie than a fly called the “Goblin.” This is a pattern created by Alaska fishing guide and fisheries conservationist, Mark Heironymus. Initially designed with Steelhead in mind, this versatile fly is effective in fishing for Rainbow Trout and with the right color schemes, for…
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Two-Hand Alaska
When it comes to fishing for King Salmon on the Kanektok in early June or tanker Rainbow Trout on the Naknek River in the fall, or anywhere where else in Alaska we like using Two-handed rods, otherwise known as Spey rods. These days, Two-handed or Spey rods and reels are super popular. Despite that, there…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Casting – The Lift
Many spey casting faults can be traced all the way back to the very beginning of the cast, that’s right, on the lift. It’s the lift that sets the stage for a well executed cast, yet it receives little attention from those looking to fine-tune their casting. However, we won’t waste time trying to convince you…
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Alaska West Fishing? Yes Please.
When the days are short and the nights are long, it’s easy to just sit back and watch a good classic movie…or dream about fishing at Alaska West. We’ll make it easier for you. Other Deneki Outdoor Posts: Deneki Outdoors: Where Legends are Made Swinging for Naknek Rainbows Spey Casting Videos
Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Short
Being comfortable can make all the difference between a good or bad outdoor experience. Everybody talks about the importance of keeping your body’s core warm in cold conditions. Underlayer clothing is designed to keep your “core” warm in colder temperatures. Last checked, your tushie and thighs are a part of your core, and a lot…
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Fly Tying: Dolly Llama
They say, “imitation is the best form of flattery.” There are a bunch of variations of the Dolly Llama demonstrated, but none exactly like the original. That being said, even this tie instruction is ever so slightly different. The Dolly Llama has taken over the Egg Sucking Leech as Alaska’s “all-around” fly pattern. This pattern…
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Deneki Chronicles: When to Set the Hook When Swinging Flies – North 40 Video
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, one of the most common faults we see on a regular basis from our anglers is setting the hook too early. In most avenues of fly fishing (trout, bass, bonefish, you name it), setting the hook quickly is critical in order to establish tension and ensure a solid…
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