When swinging flies for species like steelhead or king salmon, more often than not a slow uniform swing is best. Rarely do salmon and/or steelhead actively feed upon first entering freshwater. Therefore, a slow uniform swing swept past the nose of the fish is usually the most likely presentation to elicit a strike. The take may…
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Rapids Camp
Plan D Tube Fly Boxes
We fish a lot of tube flies at our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia. Tubes offer a number of advantages over flies tied on traditional hooks, but perhaps their biggest disadvantage is their inability to be stored in a traditional fly box. When it comes to housing a season’s worth of tube flies, most…
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Timeless Tips: The Best Time to Go Fishing in Alaska
When talking to folks about fly fishing in Alaska, inevitably we get asked the question, “what’s the best time to go fishing in Alaska?” Unlike other fisheries the ‘best time’ to go fishing in Alaska is extremely dependent on your own interests and goals. Our Alaskan seasons are extremely diverse – There is no ‘best time’ per…
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How to Avoid Twist in Your Fly Line – Video
Whether you fish freshwater or saltwater, warm water or cold water, single or double handed rods, or all of the above, fly line twist happens to everybody. But, believe it or not, it can be easily fixed! We recently stumbled upon a great video put together by our friends at RIO on how to avoid…
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The Coho Clouser – Tying Instructions
When asked about our favorite flies for silver salmon, many of our guests are surprised to hear that one of the most popular patterns amongst our guide staff at Alaska West is not a ‘typical’ Alaska-born coho pattern such as a hareball leech or dolly llama, but rather a plain ol’ pink and white Clouser…
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How to Repair Split Jungle Cock Nails
When it comes to fly tying materials, particularly in the world of salmon and steelhead flies, its safe to say there’s no feather more prized than jungle cock. Due to their stunning contrast of color and natural durable enamel-like coating, jungle cock eyes (or ‘nails’) have been sought after by fly tyers for over a hundred…
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Timeless Tips: 9 Questions About King Salmon You Were Afraid to Ask
Today we’re coming at you with another addition of a series of posts addressing some basic questions on the topics we cover most. We’ve already covered some of the basic questions involving Alaskan trout, bonefish, and even spey fishing. Now its time to address the biggest and baddest of them all, the king salmon. 9…
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How to Make a Single Hand Spey Cast – Video
Contrary to popular belief, spey casting is not limited to double handed rods or swinging flies for anadramous fish like salmon and steelhead. In fact, single-hand spey casting is an extremely valuable tool that allows for fishable casts under conditions that a traditional overhead, or even roll cast, wouldn’t otherwise allow, regardless what you fish…
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There’s Only One Bristol Bay
Our good friend and Sportman’s Alliance for Alaska director, Scott Hed, recently passed along a great writeup sharing a personal experience while stomping around Bristol Bay at our own Rapids Camp Lodge. For those interested in the true power of the Bristol Bay region itself, along with the current status of the proposed Pebble Mine…
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The Morrish Mouse 2.0 – Tying Instructions
Ken Morrish’s ‘Morrish Mouse’ is arguably one of the most well known (and effective) mouse patterns ever created. In fact, it’s one of our favorite flies at Rapids Camp Lodge. However, originally tied on a traditional down-riding hook, some believe the original Morrish Mouse has a tendency for shorter strikes and potentially a higher rate…
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