Fly fishing is a fraternity, and the level of camaraderie that can develop between two complete strangers upon learning that each prefers to fish with a fly rod never ceases to impress us. We see it every single week at our lodges and we’re sure you’ve experienced it on your home waters too. However, sometimes…
Read More
Rapids Camp
The Stain Remover – Tying Instructions
A while back our pal, Daniel Cope, gave us a great fly tying step by step on his go-to pattern for coastal steelhead; the Steelhead Phantam. For those who don’t know Daniel, he’s one heck of a fly tyer. He’s also a frequenter of our humble little blog, so naturally we were honored when he…
Read More
Timeless Tips: Spey Fishing – Finish Your Swing with Some Action
Here’s a scenario that most two handed anglers can relate to; You’ve made a nice cast to the opposite bank, kicked over a big mend, and stepped down the run setting up your swing to perfection. Your fly tracks through the gut of the run at that magical speed at what you’re confident is the…
Read More
Fly Tying Step by Steps – Roundup
Way back in 2014 we started putting together detailed fly tying step by steps on how to tie some of our favorite fly patterns for salmon, steelhead, trout, bonefish, and more. We’ve accumulated quite a few since then, so we thought it was time to put together an updated roundup of all of our step…
Read More
What’s Your Favorite Fly Tying Thread?
We’re less than a month away from the opening day of our summer seasons in Alaska and British Columbia. That means we’re spending a lot of time at the vise these days to fill our boxes for another great season, and we hope you are too! Needless to say, we’ve got fly tying on the…
Read More
Is Your Hook Sharp Enough?
It goes without saying; sharp hooks catch more fish than dull hooks. Not only do they allow for better penetration into the hard mouths of tough fish, sticky-sharp hooks also allow for a greater margin of error for poor hook-sets as well. Regardless, we find many anglers still regularly fish hooks that are not nearly…
Read More
New Fly Tying Shanks from Aqua Flies
If you’ve been following along on our blog/newsletter or have spent any time with us at our lodges in Alaska or British Columbia, you know we love fishing stinger/trailer hook style fly patterns for everything from king salmon, to steelhead, to resident trout and char. For years, the majority of stinger style ‘shank’ flies constructed…
Read More
Timeless Tips: 6 Tips for Landing Big Fish
A while back we ran a post on the top 5 mistakes made fighting big fish, where we highlighted some of the most common mistakes we see at our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia when fighting big fish like steelhead and salmon. However, fighting fish well does not always put the fish in the net. In…
Read More
Timeless Tips: 5 Ways to Catch More Rainbow Trout
Catching rainbow trout at Alaska West is not all that difficult – in fact it’s easy to catch ‘some.’ That being said, great anglers catch more, and great anglers catch the bigger ones. Here are 5 ways you can make yourself into a ‘greater’ trout angler in our part of the world. Mend less. Our…
Read More
Extended Trip Special at Rapids Camp Lodge
Ever feel like a week of fishing just isn’t enough? You’re not alone. That’s why we’re pleased to announce that we are offering an extended trip special during two incredible weeks of our 2018 season at Rapids Camp Lodge; our full service fly-out lodge located on the banks of the world-renowned Naknek River in Bristol…
Read More