Line cuts, hook wounds, stripping burns, chum teeth, and so on.. If you’re like us and spend a lot of time on the water, your hands can get pretty beat up. Most of the time we doctor our hands up with duct tape to get through the day. No, it’s probably not the most hygienic…
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Alaska West
Managing Running Line for Less Tangles
When it comes to spey fishing, we talk a lot about managing running line. That’s because it’s really important for casting mid-long distances. There are lots of great ways to manage running line when spey casting, and what works for some does not always work for others. For example, some anglers prefer to pinch loops…
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Simms Dry Creek Boat Bags
We’ve long been fans of the original Dry Creek Boat Bags from Simms. In fact, it’s safe to say that the majority of our guides have logged more days on the water with the original Dry Creek bags than any other boat bag on the market. Why? It’s simple. They can fits lots of gear, they keep that gear…
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Bear Track
Contrary to popular belief, at Alaska West we don’t see too many bears over the course of the day. Unlike other parts of Alaska, bears in our neck of the woods are not very comfortable around people, so when we’re lucky to spot one, it’s usually a ways off. That’s not to say they’re not…
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Trout Spey Techniques: The Hang Down Drop-Back
Rapids Camp Lodge head guide, Tom Provost, is no newbie to swinging flies for trout and today he fills us in on how he targets trout during the most neglected part of the swing, the hang down. Thanks Tom! Swinging for Trout – The Hang Down Drop-Back When swinging for trout or other aggressive species, the dirtiest…
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Tube Fly Organization
At our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia, we really like fishing tube flies for a whole bunch of reasons. However, organizing tube flies is always a constant battle. After all, there’s no hook to nest in a traditional fly box, and larger ‘bushy’ patterns tend to fill up a simple plano box pretty fast….
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Three Reasons We Like This Photo
We recently came across this photo of our buddy Chris Jordan with a nice silver salmon caught during his most recent stay at Alaska West. We’re really lucky to have an extremely impressive run of silvers each year, and in case you’ve never witnessed silver madness for yourself, we think this photo sums it up…
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Get Your Swivel On
Today we’re coming at you with a great trout rigging tip courtesy of Alaska West guide, Larry McKurtis. If you’re planning on chucking big flies for big trout (especially in Alaska), you might want to read up on this one. Take it away Larry! Get Your Swivel On Here at Alaska West we’re always tinkering…
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Kanektok King Salmon Doing Well
As many of you are aware, the king salmon fishery on the Kanektok River (home to our Alaska West operation) has been closed to sport fishing for the past two seasons. However, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently released the numbers for the first commercial salmon opener of the season and we’re happy…
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Walter Sighting
Hog Johnson, Big Jerry, Jethro.. No matter what you call him, every river has that one fish that haunts all those who fish it. It’s the biggest, baddest fish in the river that many have encountered, but few have held. Here on the Kanektok, we call that fish Walter, and each season our guides and…
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