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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Alaska West
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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Sculpin Helmets
Throughout our season, one of the most consistent ways to target our big Alaskan rainbow trout is with sculpin patterns. While tossing mice or drifting flesh and egg patterns certainly have their place during parts of our season, a good sclupin imitation is usually a safe bet no matter what time of year. Our trout love gorging…
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Top Posts on Chum Salmon
Our Alaska season is underway and right now and our rivers are starting to fill up with big, bright chum salmon. Chums are one of the most underrated game fish out there. We’re not exactly sure why.. Perhaps it’s the name. After all the word ‘chum’ is not overly endearing. Or perhaps it’s because in days…
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DIY Pliers Lanyard
Most premium fishing pliers these days are built to withstand a lifetime of abuse (such as these, or these). However, it seems like we’re always scrounging around for replacement lanyard bungees to keep our pliers from falling into the drink. So, today we present you with a super clever way to make your own lanyard bungees,…
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Olympus TG-3 – A Great Camera for Anglers
Warning: This is not a super-technical review. Photography has become a big part of the fly fishing culture. Heck, there’s a lot of cool things to capture! Surprisingly enough, a question we get asked all the time at our lodges is ‘what camera would you recommend for fishing?’ While we love our big fancy DSLRs,…
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Fly Tying Tip – Cheap and Easy Bodkin Cleaner
There’s a lot of different fly tying tools out there, but if you’ve spent any time at all hunched over the tying vise, odds are you own a bodkin or two. You know, that little needle like tool. The bodkin might be the simplest tool of all time, but nonetheless its pretty handy for everything…
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