The days are getting longer, the sun is brighter and more intense, and the thaw freeze cycle puts our wipers to the test. All good signs that spring is coming upon us. As the rivers and streams begin to increase their flow, we can’t help but think about spring fishing, especially after a long dark…
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Alaska West
The Fishing Work Out
“It’s just fishing.” Nothing is more insulting to an Alaskan fly-out fishing guide than this Napoleonic statement. Commonly said by ne’er-do-well non-anglers who regard fly fishing as something more of a hobbyist activity rather than a trade skill used for gainful employment. My typical response to such statements is to politely issue a challenge to…
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Gear Review: Redington Chromer Spey Rod
At the time of the review (fall of 2020), the Redington Chromer rod was available. Since then, Redington had discontinued the Chromer and has replaced it with the Claymore. According to Industry experts, the Claymore is an updated version of the Chromer with minor changes to some details and aesthetics, but the build and essence…
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Fly Tying: Partridge & Orange Soft Hackle
Soft Hackles are a forgotten and underrated fly pattern in Alaska. They shouldn’t be. Soft hackles are divided into two categories; Buzz flies, which are tied with palmered hackle to represent an insect in motion, or winged flies, where the hackles are often a throat then a collar with wings set to imitate an insect…
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Deneki Chronicles: Top 5 Mistakes Fighting Big Fish
At Alaska West and Rapids Camp we see a lot of big fish fought by our guests – we’re talking steelhead and king salmon here. Sometimes our anglers do a great job fighting the big ones. Other times…not so much. Fight hard, fight smart, and get it over fast! Top 5 Mistakes Made Fighting Big…
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Guide’s Corner: Trevor Covich, Alaska West Guide
Trevor Covich is a multi faceted, long time employee of Deneki Outdoors. Trevor has pretty much grown up surrounded by water and all things fishing and has made it a lifelong effort to make fishing dreams happen for his clients and friends. Trevor is still very much a kid at heart, but he guides with…
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Alaska West in July: A Spey Angler’s Dream!
Spey fishing is always a productive technique on the Kanektok River, so productive that 90% or more of our kings are landed with this technique alone. Then when you add in all the other species you can target throughout the summer it becomes clear how good the Kanektok River really is for Spey fishing. Every…
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2021 Grand Slam Dates at Alaska West Lodge
As of today spots for the 2021 season at Alaska West are very limited, but we do have some prime spots in our Grand Slam weeks listed below. For many years our first silver of the season has been caught between the 12th and 18th of July so we can legitimately say our Kanektok Grand…
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Fly Tying: Sculpin Toad
Kevin Foley’s philosophy on fly tying involves the use of natural and synthetic materials to create the illusion of life. As a scientist, having received his Master of Science in Fisheries, he believes that observation and time on the water is as important as time spent behind the vise, and that incorporating aspects of fish biology…
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Rod Position
Deneki royalty Stuart Foxall is back with a follow up post on the added benefits that come with fishing as a team. Thanks as always for sharing your wisdom Stuart! So you’re mid way through you’re swing when a monster, chrome King Salmon slams your fly!!!! What do you do next??? Set the hook hard with…
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