Alaska Chinook Salmon are the Kings of the North. These mighty fish are beyond a thrill to catch and fight. The Nushagak River is known for its abundant run of Chinook Salmon. The Nushagak River is only accessible by floatplane. At Rapids Camp Lodge, the program is relatively simple. You wake up, eat a hearty…
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Spey Fishing
Gear Review: Sage Spey Reel
We like Spey fishing throughout Alaska. From Southeast Alaska, through Southcentral and Western Alaska, Spey fishing is not only a prevalent method of fly fishing; many would say it is preferred. Sage makes a variety of Spey rods and reels. One of the best reels they have come up with is the Sage Spey Reel….
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Deneki Chronicles: Fighting King Salmon – Bend the Butt Section
In this week’s Deneki Chronicles we explore how to leverage your rod to fight Large Anadromous fish like King Salmon. Keep the fish Under Pressure! Our King Salmon seasons in Alaska and British Columbia are underway, so today we present you with a friendly reminder of one of the most common mistakes made when fighting…
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Fly Tying: Sunburst Scandi
When we think of King (Chinook) Salmon, we often reach for big flashy patterns, and rightfully so. They work, and King Salmon seems to have an affinity for them. Interestingly, Scandinavian fishermen will often have great success fishing for our Pacific fish with their patterns, such as Temple dogs, FNS, Pot-bellied pigs, etc. I think there…
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Fly Tying: Chinook Runner
Chrome fresh King (Chinook) Salmon are awesome! It’s an absolute favorite gamefish to target on a Spey rod. They can be challenging to figure out, and even more so to get to the net. There are a few special rivers though where these incredible fish come in silver and aggressive, and this is a go…
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Fly Tying: PNW Munker
“Bright day, bright fly. Dark day, dark fly.” right? More on that later. The PNW Munker is just that, Bright. With a wide profile and well-balanced fly, this fly is very effective for Steelhead and Pacific Salmon. Tie Instructions and photos by Alex Belonga. If you’d like to see more of Alex’s flies or want…
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Spey Casts You Need to Learn
When it comes to Spey casting, everyone has their “go-to” cast. Your go-to cast is probably the first Spey cast you learned, and since you got good at it, you’ve built confidence, you stuck with it. We get it. We’ve been there too. The reality is mother nature, and the river itself can put you…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Casting – The Lift
Many spey casting faults can be traced all the way back to the very beginning of the cast, that’s right, on the lift. It’s the lift that sets the stage for a well executed cast, yet it receives little attention from those looking to fine-tune their casting. However, we won’t waste time trying to convince you…
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