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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Dana Sturn’s Steelhead Rig
What Dana Sturn will be doing on July 4, 2009. Dana Sturn and his partner Sean Ransom run Speypages.com – the internet’s premier resource for information related to spey casting and spey fishing. Dana started Speypages in 2000 and is an active spey instructor and destination travel host.Dana started fishing the Dean in the late…
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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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Simms Headwaters Backpacks
A good choice for a day on the water. Photo: Simms Fishing Products Simms has come out with a whole bunch of really good new packs this year, and one of our favorites is the Headwaters Day Pack. Like its big brother the Headwaters Backpack, it’s a really well-designed pack, purpose-built for fishing. The feature…
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John Hazel’s Steelhead Rig
John Hazel knows his way around the Dean. John Hazel and his wife Amy own and operate Deschutes Angler Fly Shop and Guide Service in Maupin, Oregon. John is a renowned angler and guide in the Northwest, and has spent many a day swinging flies through famous runs on the Dean looking for steelhead. Deschutes…
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Alaska Fly Tackle Recommendations
Something in here’s gotta work. Photo: Mike Duffy Our Alaska West web site has a whole bunch of information about the fly tackle required in the pursuit of the eight different species we target on the Kanektok River. Whether you’re headed to Alaska West or elsewhere in Alaska, have a look at our tackle recommendations….
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Simms Dry Creek Flats Pack
We love the new Simms Dry Creek Flats Pack. It’s perfect for walking the flats of South Andros. Throw in your fly box, leaders and tippet, clip on your pliers, and you’re good to go. What’s to like about the pack? Zippers on dry packs are hard to get right. This one keeps out rain…
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