Did you know that this page on our web site neatly categorizes the posts about fly fishing gear on our web site – 168 of them so far? Reviews, expert rigs, gear-related tips, favorite flies…it’s all there. Our favorite lens for the flats? Check. How to rig tube flies? Got it. Dana Sturn’s steelhead rig?…
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Gear
Keep Your Hooks Sharp
Spencer Dixon was a first-year guide at Alaska West this year, and everybody who met him was blown away by his skill, his work ethic, his enthusiasm and his fishiness. Turns out Spencer can write too! Here’s the first what we hope will be a long series of posts from him. Thanks, Spencer! The Importance…
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Bulk Hooks
Big fish. Big water. Bigger grabs. You know you’re gonna go through more than a few hooks when fishing deep for salmon and steelhead. Here’s why we like to buy in bulk for rigging tube and stinger-style flies.: Cost savings. While the average cost-per-hook price is relatively the same for hooks purchased in 25 or 100…
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Favorite Andros Store Stuff
Since we’ll be open at Andros South next month, we thought we’d showcase a few favorite pieces of Bahamian schwag available in our online store, and also ask us what else you’d like to see from us! Our Andros South hat in Breaker Blue is a classic, and will look absolutely fetching in that shot…
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Bullet Weights, Part 2: Still Crittery
Last week we gave you a glimpse into the very non-traditional world of using bullet weights with your steelhead and salmon flies. Today, more details! Next time you’re at the vise setting strategy for the ultimate Alaska West or BC West fly program, consider tying a bunch of flies without any weight. Tying on plastic…
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Bullet Weights, Part 1: The Ultimate in ‘Crittery’
Cri’tter’y – Western Alaskan adj. Shaky, unsure. Often enlightening. Always effective. Now that Skagitmaster 2’s Scott Howell virtually gave the anadromous world ‘permission’ to get all crazy Bassmaster with our flies when playing the weight game, we thought it was time to go public with the whole bullet weight thing, as well—but for a little different…
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Simms G4Z Waders Update
The granddaddy of waders is getting an update. Simms has been making their G4 waders with a zipper for a few years now. Zippered waders get a lot of flack from folks who haven’t tried them, but those of us who have spent time in them tend to agree that the zipper is the way…
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Saracione Islamorada Lever Drag Reel
We just returned from the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in Reno, where we saw a bunch of cool new products that we’ll be telling you about over the next few weeks. One of the coolest pieces of gear that we’ve seen in a long time was the Saracione Islamorada lever drag saltwater reel. Saracione…
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Echo3 7130 – Why We Like It
We recently had a chance to spend some time fishing ECHO’s new Echo3 7130 on the Deschutes River in Oregon. As you might have guessed, this is a 13 foot rod for a 7 weight line – a great format for steelhead fishing on lots of water in the Northwest. We fished the 7130 with…
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King Salmon Spey Rod Roundup
Today we wrap up our mini-series of posts about spey rods designed for king salmon. We started the series back on July 4th, with a post introducing the concepts surrounding spey rods purpose-built for kings. Based on our testing at BC West during the first week of our 2012 season, we ran reviews of 4…
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