Soft Hackles are a forgotten and underrated fly pattern in Alaska. They shouldn’t be. Soft hackles are divided into two categories; Buzz flies, which are tied with palmered hackle to represent an insect in motion, or winged flies, where the hackles are often a throat then a collar with wings set to imitate an insect…
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Rapids Camp
Deneki Chronicles: Top 5 Mistakes Fighting Big Fish
At Alaska West and Rapids Camp we see a lot of big fish fought by our guests – we’re talking steelhead and king salmon here. Sometimes our anglers do a great job fighting the big ones. Other times…not so much. Fight hard, fight smart, and get it over fast! Top 5 Mistakes Made Fighting Big…
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Rapids Camp Lodge Trip Overview
Operating a fly-out fishing lodge is often described as “a lot of moving parts”. While that description is accurate, it is also decertifying. There are too many moving parts to count. Every operating factor is an effort of controlled codependency with other factors. We operate because we live to wrangle the chaos into submission. In…
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Rapids Camp Lodge Availability
We at Deneki Outdoors are very fortunate and proud that our team at Rapids Camp Lodge was able to deliver sixteen weeks of fishing trips during the 2020 season without incident. With a little bit of luck, a lot of diligent hand washing, cleaning, and an amazing cast of angling guests, we had a fantastic…
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Fly Tying: Sculpin Toad
Kevin Foley’s philosophy on fly tying involves the use of natural and synthetic materials to create the illusion of life. As a scientist, having received his Master of Science in Fisheries, he believes that observation and time on the water is as important as time spent behind the vise, and that incorporating aspects of fish biology…
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Know Your Knots
Featured photo credit Heather Hodson In fly fishing especially, it pays to know your knots. Knots are quite often overlooked in the grand scheme of things. All the attention is paid to the perfect flies, the sleek fly rod, the fancy reel, and the smooth fly line, and the leader… What about the knot? It’s…
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Guide’s Corner: Chad Bryson, Rapids Camp Lodge Head Guide
Captain Chad Bryson is the Head Guide at Rapids Camp Lodge. He is a phenomenal fisherman, experienced fishing and hunting guide, with a hint of dry humor. Chad has forgotten more about fishing than most know. With over 16 years of guiding just in Bristol Bay, Alaska, Chad has the unique ability to provide a…
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The New Fly Angler, Welcome!
If you’re new to the Deneki Blog, maybe you heard about us through a friend or found our site during a search because you’re interested in fly fishing. We want to say, ‘welcome’ and we hope our content is helpful on your journey to new fly fishing pursuits. All of the members of our team…
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Deneki Custom Fly Series: Rapids Camp Smolt
There is a fish phenomenon that happens during the first part of the season at Rapids Camp Lodge during the month of June. The “smolt bust” is where predatory Rainbow Trout swim around the rapids section of the Naknek River and target smolt to eat. You can tell it’s a bust from the smolt and…
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Rapids Camp Lodge: Prime Trout Dates
This Post is courtesy of Rapids Camp Lodge Head Guide Chad Bryson. You could say that I live my entire life just so I can get in a floatplane to guide trout fishing in Bristol Bay, Alaska during August. It’s my favorite. It’s the irreproachable epitome of everything Alaska – bears, floatplanes, and sight casting…
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