Saltwater guides worldwide know they are in for a frustrating day when they have a trout fisherman on the bow of their boat. The process of going from setting the hook with the rod tip (aka, the trout set) to strip setting is a right of passage every saltwater angler must pass. Unfortunately, the best…
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Gear
Benefits of Using a Tippet Ring
The purists of the sport may not enjoy reading this but I will be the first to admit, I am all on board the tippet ring train. Companies like Rio have been selling tippet rings for years but it seems like they have really taken off recently as more and more people became aware of…
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Timeless Tips // Snell Your Bead Hooks
If you want to catch a lot of fish in Alaska, bead fishing is a great way to achieve that goal. Fishing beads was developed in the streams of Bristol Bay as a cheap yet effective way to imitate salmon eggs. Over the years, small improvements have been made to the bead fishing game to…
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Make your Fly Line Last!
The price for a high end fly line is getting pretty silly. The thing is, they are worth it. So you just spent some good coin on a new fly line, let’s make it last! Here are some tips to help you take care of your fly line and to help ensure you don’t need…
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Spey Lines with Scientific Angler’s Josh Jenkins
Josh Jenkins is the R&D Manager at Scientific Anglers. He recently took time out of his schedule to sit down with us and help make some sense out of why they design their various Spey lines the way that they do. Have you ever wondered the difference between skagit and scandi or what line you…
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Be Prepared to Alter your Flies in the Field
One common attribute many of the best fly anglers have is an ability to make adjustments on the go. Conditions on the water are always changing and there are an uncountable amount of variables that can make a difference in success when fishing. Some words to live by for myself are “winners adjust”. When on…
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Why We Like Flesh Flies
As Alaska continues to thaw out, our guides at Rapids Camp and AK West are eagerly waiting the upcoming season as they spend their time behind the tying bench. Mice and beads get a lot of the attention and for good reason but one thing we can guarantee you our guides are busy twisting up…
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Gear You Need // Celestron Hand Warmers
This is not the most seasonally appropriate gear review but on a recent Steelhead trip, I was able to use the Elements Thermocharge Hand Warmers from Celestron and left so impressed with the product that I had to share it. The concept of electric hand warmers was new to me as I have only ever…
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5 Favorite BWO patterns
In trout streams across the country (unfortunately neglecting Alaska as we are a couple months behind everyone) the spring thaw brings about a favorite food for the river’s residents, the Blue Winged Olive. A member of the mayfly genus Baetis, once the water temps get above 40 degrees, these little grey sailboats start to hatch…
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Rick Sisler back at AK West
For those of you who have been following the Deneki family for years, you are probably familiar with Rick Sissler. Rick has been an important member of the Deneki team since he started guiding at Alaska West in 1998. After guiding the Kanektok for almost a decade, he became the Operations Manager at AK West…
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