Over the years Alaska West has had many memorable guests who have become woven into the fabric of our lodge. Don Leydon is surely one of them. For years his gifts to Alaska West have hung in our lounge and dining tents as reminders of our past. One of the pictures shows “Salmon Camp” in…
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Tips
Hooks When Swinging for Kings
When our guides at Alaska West are fishing the Kanektok one thing you will notice is the constant adjustments that they make to an angler’s fishing setup. Most of the time those adjustments are things like switching tips on Spey setups or working on leaders and changing flies. One thing not so obvious is the…
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Deneki Chronicles: Sight Fishing for Trout
We’re really lucky to have an extremely diverse trout fishery at Alaska West. It’s not uncommon during any part of our season to catch trout by swinging flies, stripping streamers, dead drifting sub-surface patterns, or skating mouse flies on top. However, one of our favorite ways to target big leopard rainbows is by sight fishing…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Fishing – Finish Your Swing with Some Action
Here’s a scenario that most two-handed anglers can relate to; You’ve made a nice cast to the opposite bank, kicked over a big mend, and stepped down the run setting up your swing to perfection. Your fly tracks through the gut of the run at that magical speed at what you’re confident in the perfect…
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Mousin’ with Stuart Foxall
It’s pretty well known that one of the most exciting and fun ways to catch fish at Alaska West or fly outs from Rapids Camp Lodge is mouse fishing. It really does get the heart racing. One of the issues with mouse fishing is “bumping” fish. Bumping fish is when a fish want’s your mouse…
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Deneki Chronicles: Flats Fishing and Humility
Conversations About First-Time Flats Fishing When we talk to guests about their first flats fishing trip to Andros South, we always get a lot of questions about angling skill. “Is it really that hard to see bonefish?” “How far do I have to cast?” “What about casting in the wind?” So we explain that the…
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Deneki Chronicles: How Far Do You Have to Cast to Catch Bonefish?
File today’s post in the “questions we get asked a lot” category. Lots of new flats anglers worry about whether or not they have the casting skill to catch bonefish, apparently. We’ll answer twice. Answer #1: It Depends Where You’re Fishing Fisheries for bonefish vary widely. In places with a lot of fishing pressure, bonefish…
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Deneki Chronicles: Landing Fish Without a Net – 6 Tips
The ability to ‘tail’ a fish, that is, the ability to land fish safely and effectively without a net is a skill every angler should possess. After all, we’ve all been on a trip where the net didn’t make it into the back of the pickup. Regardless, the old adage reigns true; if you want…
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Visualizing Sink Tips
In the world of Spey casting making sure you’re using the right sink tip, let’s be honest is confusing. There are a variety of lengths, sink rates, density, and style of sink tip, and trying to match the right sink tip, to the river your fishing and your own preference can be a daunting task….
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Guide Speak Glossary: Alaska West Edition
In our second edition of Guide Speak we visit Alaska West on the Kanektok. The Kanektok is many a fly fisherman’s mecca, or summit, so to speak. It’s also a place that makes coming up with new fishing oriented words and phrases quite easy due to the intense focus on fishing and lodge life. With…
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