Over the past six months, we’ve been fortunate to swing flies for everything from dime bright king salmon, to feisty wild steelhead, to some of the largest native resident rainbow trout in the world. That’s allowed us to put some of the latest and greatest spey gear to the test, in full hopes that we…
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Alaska West
Gear Hack: Attach a Split Ring To Your Fishing Pliers
It’s been a while since we’ve presented you with a super cheap, embarrassingly simple, yet remarkably helpful gear hack. So, today we right that wrong. Years ago, your fearless editor attached his favorite pair of fishing pliers to a standard bungee lanyard with a sturdy, yet super simple, split key ring. That’s right, the same…
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Spey Casting – 3 Benefits of Aerial Mending
It’s long been said that great presentations catch fish, not great casts. Its one of the most governing truths in fly fishing. Mending, the act of repositioning the fly line after the cast, is what makes this possible in moving water. Make no mistake, like casting, mending is a skill, and those that are able…
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Steelhead Flies: Modern ‘Spins’ on Classic Patterns
We recently received a great request from one of our readers (thanks, Ray!) for a fresh step by step post on how to tie some of our favorite ‘smaller’ fly patterns for summer and/or winter steelhead using modern materials and techniques. Naturally, we reached out to our good friend and arguably one of the most…
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Fishpond Thunderhead Submersible Backpack – Why We Like It
A couple weeks ago we gave you our thoughts on Fishpond’s Quikshot Rod Holder; a super clever and convenient way to carry a spare fully-rigged rod on compatible Fishpond packs. Judging by the number of comments we received on the Quikshot, it certainly truck a chord with many of you, and some of you asked…
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Spey Casting and Current Speed
When determining which spey cast to use in a given situation, most experienced spey anglers take into account three primary variables; wind direction (upstream wind, downstream wind, etc.), river position (which side of the river you’re casting from), and obstacles (trees, rocks, banks, or other obstructions that limit your casting area). The majority of the…
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Timeless Tips: 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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Pebble Mine Update
For over ten years, the battle between sportsmen and the Pebble Mine project, a proposal for the world’s largest open-pit mine intended for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, has been underway. Many thought the project had been defeated in 2014, but make no mistake, Pebble Mine is still very alive. Many of you have asked…
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How to Tie the GP Intruder – Featuring the Ultra Rig (Video)
A while back we shared a video of fly tying great, Jerry French, giving the finer points of his Ultra Rig; his latest innovation in the world of trailer hook style fly patterns. We’re clearly not the only ones who see the potential in the Ultra Rig. In fact, the folks from The Portland Fly…
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BTT and TU Establish Lefty Kreh Conservation Memorial Fund
Two of our favorite conservation organizations, The Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT) and Trout Unlimited (TU) have teemed up to establish a conservation fund in memory of legendary angler, instructor, writer, and conservationist, Bernard ‘Lefty’ Kreh, who passed earlier this year. According to BTT, the Lefty Kreh Memorial Conservation Fund will provide support to important…
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