At our Alaskan operations, we’re really lucky to have access to some extremely diverse trout fisheries. At any point during the season at Alaska West, we target trout by sight fishing for rainbows in side channels, fishing the main river on foot, or fishing from our jet boats ‘drift boat style.’ The beauty of our river is that trout can…
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Rapids Camp
Nice Fish, Bryan
Congrats to our own Bryan Burke for landing this monster of a rainbow trout from the Naknek River this fall! The Naknek River, home of our Rapids Camp Lodge operation, has been named the best trophy rainbow trout river in all of Alaska, and each fall more 30+ inch trout are landed than at any other…
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New Study: How Often Do Trout and Grayling Eat Mice?
In our neck of the woods, trout eat mice (well, shrews to be exact). It’s no secret, we write about it a lot.. Why? Because it’s awesome! However, did you know that grayling have also been known to take down their share of mammals as well? Its true, during certain times of year, particularly early…
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Why They’re Called Leopard Rainbows
Our rainbow trout in western Alaska look a little different than in the rest of the world. We call them leopard rainbows, and for good reason.. They look like this! Thanks to Alaska West regular, James Hambrick Jr. for tying into this beauty. We’re still trying to find an area on this trout that’s not…
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Popper Fishing for Salmon – 5 Tips
We may be winding down towards the end of the season at our Alaska operations, but chances are if you live near a river that is inhabited by silver salmon, the cohos are still pushing! We’re fortunate to live on a river that has an extremely productive silver salmon fishery (from late July through early…
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Ol’ Red
We have a tradition at Alaska West that on the last day of the week, guests and staff alike gather around for a slideshow of the week’s best photos. We’re fortunate to fish for a variety of fish species including big leopard rainbow trout and chrome bright salmon, all of which make for some good…
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Rapids Camp Lodge Fall Special
Love fall in Alaska like we do? Rapids Camp Lodge is celebrating its 20th anniversary by offering a fall trophy special. Including all the amenities RCL is known for, two fly-out day trips to area destinations of your choosing, and four days of fishing on the famed trophy trout waters of the Naknek River. Space…
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Adjustable Indicator Rigs
We’re on the back half of our season here in Alaska and that can only mean one thing.. It’s steak and eggs season! This time of year, our resident rainbow trout are taking full advantage of the continuous supply of salmon parts tumbling down river. Therefore, we ‘match the hatch’ and fish our share of flesh and…
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Sage METHOD Switch Rod 6119-4 – Review
Last year, we were fortunate to get a hold of the Sage METHOD 7126-4 spey rod for a week long testing on some hot Dean River steelhead at B.C. West. We loved it so much that when it came time to look for a new trout swinging stick we looked to the METHOD spey rod’s little…
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Set With the Swing
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, we find setting the hook to the side (as opposed to straight up) will result in more fish to the net. We often use the phrase ‘set towards the bank,’ however we realize this can be confusing when fishing anywhere other than a big long gravel bar. The…
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