We’ve written in the past about some silver salmon flies that we like to use at Alaska West on the Kanektok River, but that was in boring old words-and-pictures blog format. Today we’ve got a video featuring George Cook, Northwest angling mainstay and Sage/Redington/Rio rep, telling us about his approach to selecting flies for silvers…
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Gear
Sage Click Reels
In lots of trout fishing situations, you don’t need a drag system that’s capable of stopping a locomotive. There, we said it! Slapping a mega-reel on a lightweight trout rod isn’t going to result in an outfit that’s well-balanced. And really, you don’t need all that technology most of the time. If you’re targeting trout…
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Camera Gear for Flats Fishing
Louis Cahill spent some time at Andros South last month shooting pictures of anglers having fun on the flats. He’s an actual professional photographer with 30 years under his belt, so we asked him for some advice on what kinds of photo gear he likes to use on the flats. Here’s Louis, in video form!…
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Bring a Raincoat: Universal Fly Fishing Tips
We’ve got another entry today in our series of universal fly fishing tips – pointers that hold true no matter where in the world you’re chasing fish with a fly rod. Any time, anywhere you’re going fishing, your should bring a raincoat. Alaska in June is pretty obvious…April in the Bahamas might be a little…
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Spey Lines for Switch Rods
Today’s post is about using spey lines on switch rods, including some background on why you probably should cut a line for your rod, and the steps you can take to do just that. It’s written for people who have a bit of spey casting experience. Background First, a disclaimer that today we’re mainly talking…
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Alaska King Salmon Season – Your Quiver
Today’s installment of our series on rod quivers focuses on our fishery in Alaska from mid-June to mid-July. This time is often referred to as ‘king season’, and that it certainly is, but kings aren’t the only game in town. Must Have A 9 weight spey rod between 12 and 14 feet long for kings….
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Simms Guide Windstopper Jacket Review
We like softshells because we think they’re a great compromise between warmth, comfort and breathability. The fact is, most of the time you’re on the water, a true hard shell like Gore-Tex is more waterproof, but less breathable and comfortable than it needs to be. We like hoods because they keep rain, cold air,…
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Chile West – Your Quiver
Our ‘which rods should you bring’ series continues today with the right selection for a trip to Chile West. Although there are certainly differences in the fishery while we’re open from November to April, your overall rod selection doesn’t need to change too much. We’re fishing primarily for rainbows, browns and brookies in rivers from…
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Trout Food: Flesh Fly
Last week we started our series on Alaskan trout foods with some information on salmon flesh. Today we’re covering a simple, effective fly pattern that’s used to imitate salmon flesh – your basic ‘Flesh Fly’. Our recipe and photos are courtesy of Matt Hynes, senior guide at Alaska West and recent addition to our management…
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Late July in Alaska – Your Quiver
We continue our series on rod quivers today – combinations of rods that are appropriate for our fisheries at various times of year. Today’s fishery is the ultimate in ‘bring the tackle shop along if you’ve got it’. During late July at Alaska West, we fish for all 5 species of Pacific salmon, as well…
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