The Tropical Clouser makes us happy. Need to turn over big flies fast in warm saltwater? At Andros South we do, and for that job we like the Rio Tropical Clouser. Many of our bonefish flies are #2 or bigger. Getting the fly in front of the fish quickly, with minimal false casting, greatly increases…
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Gear
Favorite Trout Rod Roundup
Catching me required neither a laser loop nor an 80′ cast into the wind. Photo: Chris Price Thanks to the folks who weighed in on our “What’s Your Favorite Trout Rod?” post last week, we’ve got some somewhat interesting, statistically sort-of-significant, semi-scientific data to present today! Actually we got some great input across the board….
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5 Flies for Kings on the Kanektok
There are a bunch of anglers out there who are pretty darned excited these days, because they’re headed to the Kanektok River this summer to swing flies for kings. The ice is out on the Kanektok, our setup crew heads in just a couple of weeks from now, and fly boxes are starting to get…
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Maxima Ultragreen – Why We Like It
The old standard, for a reason. 5 reasons, actually. There are a lot of high-tech leader materials out there, but if you visit one of our lodges in Alaska, British Columbia, the Bahamas or Chile, the material that we’re most likely to suggest you knot to your fly is Maxima Ultragreen. Why is that? It…
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Secrets of the Flesh Fly
Sometimes all it takes is a little flesh. Photo: Ramsey Smith Trout that live in the lower sections of rivers like the Kanektok and the Arolik in Western Alaska get a lot of their calories from salmon flesh. That means that at Alaska West we spend a lot of time tying and fishing patterns that…
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7 Reasons This Fly Works on South Andros Island
One of many, many flies that works on South Andros Tying your own flies for bonefish on South Andros Island can really help your ego – anything reasonable works. As always, however, the best flies tend to have some things in common. Here’s why this one works. It’s big. That’s a #2 Tiemco 811S, and…
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Offshore Upgrade at Andros South
Cozy times offshore. Photo: Rick Sisler We’ve been running a really successful offshore fishing program at Andros South for the past few years, and we’re pleased to announce that the offshore fun just got upgraded. Our captain is now running a 30′ Prowler catamaran with twin Suzuki 300s. This new boat makes for some really…
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Sage 690-4 Z-Axis – 5 Things to Like
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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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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