Fall starts early in Western Alaska, and while the first official day of fall might not be for a few more weeks, our dollies might say otherwise. Each season, our huge run of chrome, anadromous, dolly varden enter our river in early-mid july. However, as fall spawners, they undergo a massive transformation to their spawning…
Read More
Alaska West
Reeling Right or Wrong?
Over the course of the year, we’re lucky to share the water with a lot of super great, super fishy, people from countries all over the world. That lends itself to some healthy angler debate at times, allowing us to keep up to date on the latest tips and techniques in the fly fishing world….
Read More
Thanks from Alaska West
We can hardly believe it, but today marks the last fishing day of yet another incredible season here at Alaska West. Whether you joined us this year, or followed along vicariously through our blog, we can’t thank you enough. You’re the reason we get to do what we do, and we sincerely appreciate it. Thanks…
Read More
Simms Cam Wading Belt – Why We Like It
We know what you’re thinking.. “Really? Now the Deneki folks are telling us what belt to buy!?” Yes, really. Put it this way.. You’re humble editor has a habit (some might say ‘problem’) with buying fly fishing gear, lots of fly fishing gear. And, over the course of the year, one of his favorite pieces…
Read More
Timeless Tips: 4 Ways to Fish Dries in Alaska
Everybody loves fishing dry flies. There’s just nothing that beats the excitement of a surface take. In Western Alaska we fish dry flies quite a lot, but the vast majority of the time they’re about as far as you can get from a traditional “match the hatching insect” dry fly program. Here are 4 ways…
Read More
Why Are They Called ‘Leopard’ Rainbows?
Today we present you with nothing more than a photo of what we think might be the best explanation of why our strain of resident rainbow trout at Alaska West are known throughout the angling community as ‘leopard’ rainbows. Call us biased, but we think they’re some of the prettiest trout on the planet, and…
Read More
The Starlight Leech – Tying Instructions
Silver season is upon us, and while silver salmon might not be known as overly finicky in our parts, many salmon anglers would agree that when it comes to fly selection, one pattern in particular reigns supreme – The Starlight Leech. What makes it so effective? Well, we wrote an entire blog post on that…
Read More
Nymphing with Indicators – 5 tips
It’s August, and in our neck of the woods that means our rainbow trout, dolly varden, and Arctic grayling populations are keying in heavily on the conveyor belt of salmon eggs and flesh making its way down river. Therefore, fishing sub-surface is the name of the game this time of year, and with that, like…
Read More
Gear You Need: Nexcare Absolute Waterproof Tape
If you spend as many consecutive days on the water as we do, taking care of your hands is important. Cold, wet, hands coupled with line cuts, hook scars, and fish teeth can bring down even the most hard core anglers, which is why we’re always on the lookout for better ways to keep our…
Read More
In Search of Silvers? Strip Fast!
Towards the end of July through the beginning of August, our river begins to truly fill with fish. Between chum, pink, and the occasional late-run king salmon, it hits a point where you couldn’t imagine any more fish even entering the river.. But eventually the silvers start nosing in. And, while all the other other species…
Read More