When it comes to commercial spey/swing style fly patterns (i.e. those that you can pick up at your local fly shop), one manufacturer in particular has been standing out amongst the crowd; Aqua Flies. We’ve been pointing anglers bound for our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia towards Aqua Flies for years. Why? Aside from…
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Gear
Gear You Need: Sitka Fanatic Hoody
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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Guide Poll: Favorite Sunglasses Lens Color
A couple weeks ago we kicked off the first installment of our “Guide Poll” series of posts where our team of professional fly fishing guides weigh in to answer common questions asked by you, our readers! Today, we’re continuing the series with answers to a question we receive all the time from our guests in preparation…
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Fishpond Grand Teton Rolling Luggage – Review
With five different fly fishing lodges across four different countries, one thing we’re confident we know a little bit about is traveling with fishing gear. We’re constantly on the search for better ways to organize our gear when bouncing around from destination to destination, and if there’s anything we’ve learned over the years, its that…
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Fishpond Headgate Tippet Holders
Last week we told you about Maxima’s Sharktooth Line Management System; one of our favorite ways to tame unruly leader and tippet material. However, with five species of salmon, trout, dolly varden/char, and grayling roaming around our waters (sometimes all at the same time), we tend to carry a whole bunch of different leader and/or…
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Maxima Sharktooth Line Management System
Whether we’re swinging flies for salmon and steelhead or skating mouse patterns for resident rainbow trout, when it comes to leader material plain ol’ Maxima Ultragreen has become a staple at our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia. Why? It’s super strong, abrasion resistant, relatively stiff for nylon monofilament, and pretty inexpensive compared to most…
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Timeless Tips: Caring for Fly Lines
Contrary to popular belief, the fly line is arguably the most essential part of any fly rod setup. One can spend top dollar for the most elite rod and reel on the market, but their performance rests largely on the quality of the fly line it is paired with. We go to extreme lengths to…
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Puffy Vests – An Alaskan Guide Staple
If you’re like us and spend a lot of time on the water, arguably the most critical pieces of ‘gear’ to take into consideration are the clothes on your back. Proper layering is key to staying safe and comfortable amongst the elements and perhaps no other place on Earth is this more true than in…
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Dean River Steelhead Flies – Our Favorites (Updated)
Our steelhead season is in full force at BC West, our home on the banks of the Dean River in British Columbia, and we’re happy to report that our guests are experiencing some impressive numbers of fish! Known for some of the hottest and hardest fighting steelhead around, the Dean has earned a reputation amongst…
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YETI Tundra Coolers – We’re on the Bandwagon
YETI Coolers need no introduction. In fact, its safe to say that YETI has deservedly become one of the most recognizable brands in the outdoor industry. That being said, we’ll be the first to admit that when they first started gaining popularity, the idea of a several hundred dollar cooler seemed a bit over the…
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