School’s in session. Class, note the V-loop. Photo: Cameron Miller George Cook invented swinging for kings. Well, maybe not, but George Cook has spent more time than anybody swinging for kings on the most productive river on the planet for kings on swung flies. George has a long and storied career in the world of…
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Gear
Dec Hogan’s King Rig
Photo: Cameron Miller Dec Hogan has been a legend for years in the Northwest anadromous fishing world. An amazing guide, angler and instructor, Dec is also the author most recently of A Passion for Steelhead. Dec will be returning to Alaska West this summer from June 13 – 20 to host our spey instruction program…
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Rick Sisler’s Rainbow Rig
The lower Kanektok River holds some fat rainbow trout, and Rick Sisler has gotten up close and personal with more of these slabs than anybody. Rick started guiding at Alaska West in 1998. He spent 8 years guiding on the river, and we’re now lucky enough to have him as a core member of the…
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Simms Softshell Hoody
Photo: Simms Fishing Products Ever since it was released, we’ve been huge fans of the Simms Windstopper Softshell Jacket. It’s comfortable, warm, provides some protection against anything other than hard rain, and is also a great looking jacket to wear around town. But we love hoods! There’s nothing better than a hood to add a…
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Brian Niska’s King Rig
Photo: Cameron Miller Brian Niska owns and operates Whistler Fly Fishing, a fly fishing school, guide service and specialty fly shop in Whistler, BC. Brian is a certified Master Casting Instructor and Two Handed Casting Instructor with the FFF, and we’re lucky to have him as a guest spey instructor at Alaska West. Brian will…
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Michael White’s King Rig
Way back when, Michael White was a guide at Alaska West. These days, he’s the owner of Blue Ribbon Sales, representing Simms, Loomis, Ross and other great lines to shops in the Southern Rockies. “Whitey” is one fishy dude, and he loves sharing his enthusiasm with anyone within shouting distance on the river. Whitey is a…
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South Andros Bonefish Flies
Photo: rustychinnisimages.com Big and Light. At Andros South, we have the luxury of chasing bonefish under a pretty unique set of circumstances. Bigger fish than normal More aggressive fish than normal Shallower water than normal This combination is exactly what most bonefish anglers would ask for, but it can present some problems for guests who…
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Charles St. Pierre’s King Rig
During the second week of our king season at Alaska West, our spey instruction program is taught by Charles St. Pierre, the owner and operator of Northwest Spey Casting. Charles is a Kanektok veteran and an incredibly well-rounded caster– long belly, short belly, sustained anchor, touch-and-go, underhand, Skagit, AFS…the list goes on and on. He’s…
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Bruce Chard’s Bonefish Rig
On this page we’ll periodically be profiling the gear setups of world-class anglers, to let you know from top to bottom how they ready their equipment when they head to our fisheries. Our first installment comes from Captain Bruce Chard, legendary Keys guide and teacher of our bonefishing schools at Andros South. Here’s what Bruce…
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