As folks who spend the majority of our time outside, like many of you, we’re on the never-ending quest to find the perfect layer for our pursuits. Lately, we’ve been impressed by the latest offerings from the folks at Sitka; an outdoor clothing/gear company based out of Bozeman, Montana. Although geared primarily towards the hunting…
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Alaska West
That’s a wrap!
Today we wrap up the last fishing day of our 2018 season at Alaska West and want to extend a huge thanks to all who made it one of our most memorable seasons to date. To all of you who joined us on the Kanektok this year, along with with those who followed along vicariously…
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Guide Poll: Favorite Way to Target Rainbow Trout
One thing we love about our native Alaskan rainbows (aside from their size, beauty, and aggressive nature, of course) is that we get to target them using a bunch of wild techniques that you might not otherwise get to try in other parts of the world. From skating rodent imitations, to stripping ridiculously large streamers,…
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How to Choose the Right Spey Rod for Trout – Video
Over the last ten years or so, the notion of ‘trout spey’ has become one of the fastest growing sectors of fly fishing. We love targeting trout on swung flies with small spey/switch rods and we do a decent amount of it at both of our lodges in Alaska. Nonetheless, with more trout-appropriate spey rods…
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Timeless tips: 5 Advantages of High Water
Over the past few seasons, mild winters and reasonably dry summers have made for some low water conditions on our home river at Alaska West. However, this year we’ve been experiencing significantly higher water levels of late, and we really dig it! Due to a few substantial rain (and even hail) storms, we’ve seen a couple…
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Rigging Beads for Trout – Mind Your Peg
Like it or not, no Alaska fly box is complete without a selection of egg patterns. Rainbow trout throughout Western Alaska rely heavily on salmon eggs throughout the back half of our season and those who choose not to imitate this natural occurrence are ignoring one of the most important food sources for Alaskan trout…
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The Kanektok Slam – Congrats Steve!
A while back, we told you about our new friends and Deneki guests, Rob Johnson and Jeremy Libby, who nabbed the first two Alaskan Grand Slams of our 2018 season on consecutive days alongside Alaska West guide, Caleb Hanna. In case you’re unaware, that’s all five species of Pacific salmon, all caught on a fly,…
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Popper Fishing for Silvers – Tie Direct
It’s silver season in our neck of the woods, and when it comes to fly fishing for silver salmon, there’s no way we like targeting them more than on the surface! To elicit top-water coho takes, the majority of our guides prefer foam, deer hair, or hard-bodied poppers over more traditional ‘pollywog’ or skater style…
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Now, That’s a Dolly
At Alaska West, we’re lucky to experience a run of anadramous (sea-run) dolly varden that’s nothing shy of remarkable. Towards the back half of our season, they undergo a stunning change in appearance from the bright silver garb of their time at sea to their fall spawning colors of fluorescent orange, red, yellow, and green….
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Timeless Tips: Quicker Rig/Fly Changes – 9 Options
Time spent rigging is time spent not fishing, and some of you have asked for quicker ways to switch between different rigs, flies, and tactics. So, today we’ve compiled a few simple tips to help you change your rig quicker and easier to get your fly back in the water. Enjoy! 9 Tips for Quicker Rig…
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