No longer considered a “trash fish” by fly anglers, carp present a challenging fresh water game fish that provide anglers a saltwater vibe. To those who have previously targeted carp on the fly there is no doubt they have earned your respect. If you have not chased carp with a fly, we encourage you to…
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Tips
Timeless Tips // Why Bow When A Fish Jumps?
One of the most commonly used expressions when people are fishing for tarpon is, “bow to the king!” This is basically telling the angler to drop their rod tip when the fish jumps. To most this is a very counterintuitive statement. When fighting a fish, slack is normally the enemy, so why try and intentionally…
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Grayling On Dry Flies
There are certain circles of fly anglers that consider the Arctic Grayling one of the most underrated sport fish in Alaska. Other groups of fly anglers don’t give it the time of day. Your point of view on this fish may vary but, every angler that has ever encountered one agrees that the raw beauty…
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Trout Setting Too Much?
Are you trout setting too much? We get it, it is muscle memory. You grew up setting the hook with the rod and that is a hard habit to change. This doesn’t mean the shame from your guide’s eyes are going to feel any better when you blow the fish though. Once you get into the…
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Target Species // The Northern Pike
Yesterday we discussed fly fishing for Bass. Today we wanted to look at the Northern Pike. Pike have gone from a species that many considered a nuisance to a popular game fish throughout North America and Europe. Pike are a fairly adaptable fish allowing them to thrive in a range locations. This is why they…
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Fly Fishing For Bass
In my home state of Colorado, the month of May is one I get excited for as that is when the bass fishing starts to turn on. That is right, in a state filled with trout water, I get excited to fly fish for bass. Largemouth and smallmouth are some of the most popular gamefish…
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Mouse Fishing In Katmai
Every Bristol Bay season, I am inadvertently asked the question that so many Alaskan guides are asked, “Exactly which bugs are hatching right now?” All of us answer it a little differently but give basically the same answer. My standard reply is, “Our hatches here are salmon eggs, salmon flesh, salmon smolt, sculpins, leeches and…
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Benefits Of Wading A Large River
When people think of iconic Western trout streams like the Madison or the Big Horn, they think of floating down the river in a drift boat, casting towards the banks. More often than not, this is the best way to catch the most numbers of fish. You cover large amounts of water and find the…
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Fly Fishing with Rapids Camp Lodge
None of us need and excuse to buy more fishing gear. None of us. However, there is always that special reason to indulge yourself or to let someone else indulge on you. At Rapids Camp Lodge, our fishing program is fairly diverse. As a Bristol Bay fly out lodge, we fly out to a variety…
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Pegging Your Squirmy Worms
If you are a purist you can stop reading now. I do not want to offend anyone with this post, just want to share a rigging technique that some trout anglers might find useful this runoff. Anglers peg their trout beads and anglers also fish san juan worms, why not combine them both? I find…
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