In less than two weeks we’re going to be kicking off our seasons in Alaska and British Columbia. With it comes the year’s return of ocean fresh chinook. So, in light of their return we offer a simple tip practiced by most experienced chinook anglers.. When you land a nice fish, celebrate, but get back…
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Rapids Camp
The Retro Smolt – Tying Instructions
If you’re planning on targeting early season Alaskan Rainbows this year, it is in your best interest to have some smolt patterns in your box. Spring marks the time of year when venerable salmon fry begin the smolting process as they make their migration to the sea. During this transition, the colorful salmon fry lose…
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This. Is. King Fishing
A picture might be worth a thousand words, but we think this photo illustrates what king fishing at Alaska West is all about in far less.. Spey rod. Angler struggling to hold on to said spey rod. Really big, bright, king salmon breaking the surface a really long ways out. That is king fishing. Come join us…
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Plano 3601 THIN Boxes
When it comes to gear, we think organization is pretty important. Heck we’d we go so far as to say the better organized your gear is, the more fish you’re going to catch. After all, the percentage of fish caught while while fumbling around looking for the right fly, tippet, sink tip, or so on,…
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ADF&G ‘Chinook News’ – Spring 2016 Newsletter Available
The good folks at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have recently released their spring edition of ‘Chinook News’ – An online newsletter highlighting current research being conducted on our beloved chinook salmon across the state of Alaska. This month’s issue focuses on research projects underway on some major Alaska River systems such as the Kenai…
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The Sculpzilla – Tying Instructions
Sculpins make up a large part of the diet for trout in our neck of the woods. They’re also available all season long which means if you’re not sure what to tie on, a solid sculpin imitation is probably a safe bet. While they work well in western Alaska, sculpins are also one the most abundant…
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FireLine for Stinger Loops
Our guides are in the process of turning out a whole bunch of flies for the upcoming season. We use a lot of stinger style fly patterns at our lodges – Flies tied to incorporate a trailing hook positioned at the back of the fly. They offer a number of advantages over flies tied on…
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Spey Fishing Roundup
Our summer seasons in Alaska and British Columbia are just around the corner. That means it won’t be long before we’re swinging flies for ocean bright anadramous critters. When it comes to steelhed and salmon (and heck, trout for that matter) we really love spey fishing. We know a lot of you do too, so…
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“790-4” – A Story from the Naknek
A While back, we told you why many of our guides actually prefer 7-weight rods when targeting big Alaskan rainbow trout. Today, our own Dan Herrig put together a great write-up on his weapon of choice (that’s right, a 7-weight) when fishing for huge rainbow trout during the annual ‘Smolt Bust’ on the Naknek River,…
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Selecting King Salmon Flies
In just over a month we kick off our summer seasons at our Alaska operations. That means it won’t be long before we’re swinging flies for big, bright, king salmon.. Heck, we’re getting antsy just writing about it! When selecting flies for king salmon, most of the time exact fly pattern is not overly important….
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