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…
Read More
Gear
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…
Read More
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….
Read More
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…
Read More
John Toker’s Steelhead Rig
John Toker, livin’ the life on the Dean. John Toker is a long-time fanatical steelheader who used to manage BC West, our lodge on the Dean River. John likes using a lot of different two-handed rigs when he’s chasing steelhead, but if you encountered him on the Dean on any given day, he might just…
Read More
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…
Read More
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….
Read More
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…
Read More
Autotethers
We’ve installed Autotethers on all of our boats at Andros South. This is a great new wireless system that replaces a lanyard connection to the kill switch on our motors. If for any reason the guide exits the boat while running, the motor is automatically killed without the need for clipping into a lanyard before…
Read More
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…
Read More