The flesh and bead bite is on in Alaska, and we’re all excited. You have your rod and reel prepped, your bead box is ready, and your fly box is full of fleshy goodness. As for the leader setup, you’ve got your indicator locked securely in place. However, there are times you need a long…
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Tips
Deneki Chronicles: Streamer Fishing for Trout – 5 Techniques
Yesterday marked the first official day of Autumn here in the northern hemisphere, and for many of us, that means streamer season. Fall spawning trout (brook and brown trout) are most territorial during this time, rainbow trout are on the prowl for large food items to fatten up for the long winter ahead, and as always, the…
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Alaska West Loop Knot
It sure seems like there are as many knots as the number of fish species we use them for. Every once in a while, we run into a particular knot that is simple, super easy to tie, and is very effective. This knot is one of them, and we’re here to show you how to…
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Deneki Chronicles: Fighting Bonefish in the Mangroves
You spotted your bonefish, made a beautiful cast despite the wind, retrieved your fly at just the right pace to get the follow, and the fish took the fly. You even fought the urge to trout set, and instead strip set the fly making a solid connection. Fish on! Although you did everything right, your…
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Deneki Chronicles: 5 Ways to Avoid Tangles in Your Running Line
One of the most frustrating things about fishing with any kind of shooting head system (spey casting Skagit heads comes to mind) is the tangling that inevitably, occasionally, happens in your running line. You make what was otherwise a beautiful cast, it stops suddenly way short of its target, you say some bad words, and…
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Deneki Chronicles: Silver Salmon Round-Up
Coming soon to a river near us, Silver Salmon! It is just about that time of year when the acrobatic Silver Salmon fill the rivers outside both Alaska West and Rapids Camp Lodge. We are already anticipating the first topwater explosion from a Coho on a bright pink Pollywog. In honor of this event, we…
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Deneki Chronicles: 7 Reasons We Like To Fish Flesh
Our Alaskan season is just around the corner (71 days in fact, but who’s counting?), and that means it won’t be long before we’re chucking big flies for even bigger Alaskan rainbow trout. We’re really lucky to be able to target trout effectively using a whole bunch techniques from stripping and swinging streamers, to skating…
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Deneki Chronicles: Don’t Touch Dat Drag!
Today we present you with a simple tip when fighting hard fighting fish like bonefish that we were reminded of recently while listening to Deneki guest, Chuck Keller’s, recount of his largest landed bonefish to date. According to Chuck, during the first blistering run by his trophy fish, Andros South guide, Josie Sands, muttered the words…
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Don’t Be Like “Jim”
Recently a guest came to Alaska West Lodge to fish the Kanektok River. We’ll call him “Jim,” protecting his true identity. Jim is packed, has all this clothing (maybe too much clothing), Spey rods, single-handed rods, reels to match, leaders, tips, and flies…everything you’ll need and can fit into an assortment of bags up to…
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Deneki Chronicles: Nymphing Without an Indicator – 8 Tips
Last month we ran a post on the advantages of nymphing without an indicator. Judging by the number of comments we received, we’re happy to report that nymphing without an indicator is a popular topic! Therefore, today we’re coming at you with a follow up post on how to increase your success when fishing without…
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