Don’t use a 4-weight on me. Photo: Cameron Miller We like the Sage 690-4 Z-Axis. Why? It’s got the backbone to land giant Kanektok River leopard rainbows. If you can only bring one trout rod to Alaska West, we’re going to recommend a 6 weight. We fish big flies on heavy tippet for big fish…
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Gear
Non-Slip Mono Loop
Learn this knot if you don’t know it already. The Non-Slip Mono Loop is one of the most versatile knots we know. We use it all over the world when we’re looking for a strong loop knot. After many days of use on the water, and some semi-scientific testing like guide knot tying contests, we’re…
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Sage 8134-4 Z-Axis
Similar but different. Last year Sage released the 8129-4 Z-Axis spey rod, and it quickly became a popular choice for anglers looking for a powerful, versatile rod in a somewhat shorter format. In case you’re not familiar with Sage’s nomenclature, 8129-4 translates to “8 weight, 12 feet 9 inches, 4 piece”. This year Sage released…
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Steelhead Rig Roundup
Gear matters. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve done a series of posts on how some expert steelhead anglers rig themselves when they fish two-handed rods for steelhead on the Dean River, our fishery at BC West. For a few different outlooks on steelhead fishing and a lesson in rigging two-handed rods, have a…
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Adam Tavender’s Steelhead Rig
Adam Tavender with some Dean chome. Photo: David Lambroughton Adam Tavender has been a part of Nakia Lodge on the Dean River since 1993. In early 2007, we at Deneki Outdoors had the good fortune to ‘take the torch’ from Adam and his wife Judy, and we now run the lodge as BC West. Having…
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Tube Flies and Stinger Hooks
Stinger hooks hold well. Photo: Cameron Miller John Toker, our former manager at BC West on the Dean River, checks in today with some comments on tube flies and stinger hooks. “The virtues of one style of hook or another is a fairly common topic of conversation among anglers. When you get around anglers whose…
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Chile Trout Flies
More than just a parachute Adams. Photo: Chris Price We talk a lot about the incredible variety in the trout fishing that we experience during our program at Chile West. Have a look at a typical selection of flies used during a trip with us, and you’ll get a good feel for what we mean….
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King Rig Roundup
Kanektok Kings – an embarassment of riches. Over the past couple of months, we’ve posted the two-handed rigs of six guys who spend a lot of time at Alaska West swinging flies for king salmon. There’s a wealth of information, and a wide range of opinions, in these posts. If you’re headed to Alaska West…
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Ed Ward’s King Rig
This is the first picture ever taken of Ed when he wasn’t casting, or holding a chrome anadromous fish. Photo: Cameron Miller Ed Ward has been called many things. ‘Jedi knight’, ‘Zen master’, ‘Buddha’ and more all apply to Ed when speaking of anadromous fish, particularly when two-handed rods are involved. Ed is one of…
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More From George Cook on King Fishing
If it ain’t chartreuse, it ain’t no use. In tidewater, at least. Photo: Cameron Miller We’ve looked at George Cook’s go-to king rig for fishing at Alaska West on the Kanektok, and we’ve seen what George’s quiver looks like when he’s chasing Kanektok kings. We’ll end our George Cook series with some of his thoughts…
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