In any avenue of fly fishing, one thing that separates successful anglers from not-so-successful anglers is complete, undivided, fully engaged, focus whenever your fly is in the water. Many fish are lost (or perhaps never hooked at all) from anglers who’s minds were wandering or whom were not expecting a fish to eat the fly in…
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Rapids Camp
Pebble Mine Update
For over ten years, the battle between sportsmen and the Pebble Mine project, a proposal for the world’s largest open-pit mine intended for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, has been underway. Many thought the project had been defeated in 2014, but make no mistake, Pebble Mine is still very alive. Many of you have asked…
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BTT and TU Establish Lefty Kreh Conservation Memorial Fund
Two of our favorite conservation organizations, The Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT) and Trout Unlimited (TU) have teemed up to establish a conservation fund in memory of legendary angler, instructor, writer, and conservationist, Bernard ‘Lefty’ Kreh, who passed earlier this year. According to BTT, the Lefty Kreh Memorial Conservation Fund will provide support to important…
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Setting the Hook: No Windups
We’ve written a lot of posts on our blog over the years on properly setting the hook on everything from bonefish and permit to king salmon, steelhead, and trout. That’s because the brief moment following the instant a fish grabs a fly is arguably the most critical to eventually bringing the fish to hand. Depending…
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Timeless Tips: 3 Uses for Opposing Wader Straps
Ever wonder why the buckles on your wader straps are opposite, male buckle on one strap and female buckle on the other? Most wader companies today incorporate this feature into their wader straps for good reason, its super handy! Odds are you may have found a use or two for the opposing buckles on your…
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Guide Poll: Favorite Fishing Layers
Those who live a life outside know that proper apparel is far more than just ‘clothing..’ It’s gear. Choosing the right layers is important to staying safe and comfortable on the water, and arguably no one understands this more than Alaska fishing guides. That’s why we asked out team of professional Alaska fly fishing guides…
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Spey Casting: Overhang and Tip, Head, and Rod Length
Last week we presented you with an informative write-up from our pal Stuart Foxall on the importance of adjusting the amount of overhang, an often overlooked principle in modern spey casting, depending on different variables such as wading depth, wind, obstructions, and so on. If you missed it, be sure to check it out by…
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Fly Tying Hack: Hold Materials With Hair Claw Clips
Ever thought a third hand would come in handy when tying flies? You’re not the only one. While there are many fly tying ‘material clips’ on the market designed to fix to your vise to hold single strand materials out of the way while tying, we’ve found the majority to do a less-than-adequate job of…
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Timeless Tips: Sight Fishing for Trout
We’re really lucky to have an extremely diverse trout fishery at Alaska West. It’s not uncommon during any part of our season to catch trout by swinging flies, stripping streamers, dead drifting sub-surface patterns, or skating mouse flies on top. However, one of our favorite ways to target big leopard rainbows is by sight fishing…
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Swinging Flies – 3 Random Tips
Its no secret that swinging flies on spey rods is one of our favorite ways to fish. We know that its many of yours too, which is largely why we’ve put together a whole bunch of tip articles on spey fishing on our blog, and today we thought we add a few more. Enjoy! Feel…
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