Today is our fifth and final post of our tip series on better backcast presentations. So far we’ve touched on techniques for increasing strength and power to the backstroke, the importance of staying square to track straight towards your target, how exaggerating your haul can help bend the rod the necessary amount on the backcast,…
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Alaska West
We Have Water
This just in.. Fish need water. That’s a really good thing, because we have a lot of it this year at Alaska West! For several years now, we’ve been experiencing lower than average water conditions throughout our king season at Alaska West. Does that mean bad fishing? Trust us, it definitely doesn’t! However, when it…
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Fly Tying Step by Steps – Roundup
Way back in 2014 we started putting together detailed fly tying step by steps on how to tie some of our favorite fly patterns for salmon, steelhead, trout, bonefish, and more. We’ve accumulated quite a few since then, so we thought it was time to put together an updated roundup of all of our step…
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Better Backcast Presentations – Part 4: Trajectory
We’re back again with part 4 of our blog series on better backcast presentations. Whether you’re stalking the flats or banging the banks, the ability to deliver the fly effectively on the backcast is a extremely valuable tool in nearly all avenues of fly fishing. Today we’re covering another one of the most common faults…
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What’s Your Favorite Fly Tying Thread?
We’re less than a month away from the opening day of our summer seasons in Alaska and British Columbia. That means we’re spending a lot of time at the vise these days to fill our boxes for another great season, and we hope you are too! Needless to say, we’ve got fly tying on the…
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Is Your Hook Sharp Enough?
It goes without saying; sharp hooks catch more fish than dull hooks. Not only do they allow for better penetration into the hard mouths of tough fish, sticky-sharp hooks also allow for a greater margin of error for poor hook-sets as well. Regardless, we find many anglers still regularly fish hooks that are not nearly…
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New Fly Tying Shanks from Aqua Flies
If you’ve been following along on our blog/newsletter or have spent any time with us at our lodges in Alaska or British Columbia, you know we love fishing stinger/trailer hook style fly patterns for everything from king salmon, to steelhead, to resident trout and char. For years, the majority of stinger style ‘shank’ flies constructed…
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Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror Lenses – Review
Whether scanning the flats for bonefish, permit, or tarpon, or creeping along the bank of a gin-clear side channel in hopes of spotting a wild trout, when it comes to sight-fishing; polarized sunglasses are a must. That being said, while most anglers today are well aware of the advantage of polarized lenses for reducing glare…
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Ryan Gossett’s Single Stage Squidrow Featured in Swing the Fly Magazine
The latest issue of Swing the Fly (2018 Volume 2) recently hit the stands and we’re happy to announce that Alaska West guide, Ryan Gossett, is featured in the issue highlighting his go-to pattern for winter steelhead; the Single Stage Squidrow. Not only is Ryan a great guide, he’s also one heck of a fly…
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The Uni Knot – One Knot to Rule Them All
There are many ways to lose a fish, but there’s no way more disheartening than losing a fish to a faulty knot. Make no mistake, knot tying is a skill, and anglers who can tie good knots bring more fish to hand. There are many great fly fishing knots out there, most of which are…
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