Stuart Foxall is back today with another great step by step! So, grab a cup of coffee and kick off your weekend right, by filling up those fly boxes! Stu’s Tube Leech – Tying Instructions Last week we dressed a simple but super effective bunny leech pattern, the Miles Davis Leech. Today we are going to be…
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Rapids Camp
Swinging for Trout – The Tumble Rig
We really enjoy swinging flies for trout on small spey or switch rods. Here at Alaska West, that usually means swinging large sculpin or flesh flies on or near the bottom. In other words, getting your fly down is often the name of the game. Earlier this year, we were fortunate to spend a week…
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Rigging Tip: Bunny Tails and Stinger Hooks
We fish a lot of articulated ‘leech’ style flies at our lodges. Why? Because they work really well! In fact, we just ran a step by step fly tying post on one here. However, one down side to most stinger style leech patterns is that once the stinger hook becomes dull or straightened, the hook…
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Bright is Beautiful
Today we present you with nothing more than what we think is a super cool perspective of a silver salmon caught during the last week of our season at Alaska West. Contrary to popular belief, our run of silvers actually extends well past when we finish up our season. Plus, we’re located only six miles…
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The Miles Davis Leech – Tying Instructions
Our buddy Stuart Foxall is back again with yet another great step by step fly tying post. Today’s pattern? The Miles Davis Leech, a super effective fly for steelhead, salmon, or even big trout. Thanks Stu! The Miles Davis Leech – Tying Instructions The Miles Davis black leech pattern is an amazingly simple but effective…
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Three Good Articles
Today we’re back with our monthly edition of ‘Three Good Articles,’ where we highlight fly fishing articles from the past month, from other websites, that we found particularly interesting and think you will too. Enjoy! Three Good Articles The Damaging Effects of Flies. BC West alum, Scott Baker-McGarva, offers some extremely interesting thoughts on rigging stinger…
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SPEY TV Episode 3: Snap T,Z, and C
Our buddy George Cook is back with another great edition of Spey TV, a video series dedicated to all things spey related. Today’s topic? The finer points of perhaps the most widely used skagit casts out there, the snap T. From casting variations, to fishing situations, to the basic history of the cast, this video…
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The Strip Set – Not Just for Bonefish
“Don’t trout set,” are words nearly every saltwater angler has heard at one time or another. That’s because when it comes to hard mouthed species like bonefish it’s crucial to set the hook by stripping the fly as opposed to raising the rod in typical ‘trout’ fashion. Raising the rod does a great job at…
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OPST Swing Hooks – Why We Like Them
When swinging for anadramous fish, we really like fishing flies with trailer hooks. Whether tied on tubes or ‘articulated’ style, flies rigged with a trailer hook offer a number of advantages over flies tied on a traditional long shank streamer hook. However, there’s a lot of debate over the best trailer hook out there. In…
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Battle
Today we present you with nothing more than a super cool photo of our good friend and long time Deneki guest, Frank Carlton, battling a hefty coho at Alaska West. Good work, Frank! More on Fighting Fish Top 5 Mistakes Made When Fighting Big Fish 6 Tips for Landing Big Fish Landing Fish Without a…
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