It’s no secret, excess wind is one of the most challenging variables to overcome when casting a fly rod.. Particularly on the flats. Many anglers fret the thought of having to deliver the fly directly into a stiff headwind, often practicing for hours into the wind in preparation of an upcoming trip. However, we find…
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Tips
Ed Ward on the Perry Poke – OPST Video
When it comes to skagit-style spey casting, we think its safe to say that the Perry Poke is one of the most versatile casts an angler can have in his/her repertoire. That being said, its actually one of the least used casts we tend to see from guests at our lodges. Therefore, when Alaska West…
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Fly Tying Tip: Anchoring Jungle Cock Eyes
We’re excited to have our good friend and world-renowned fly tyer, Stuart Foxall, in house this week at Alaska West. That means evenings in our ‘lounge-tent’ have been transformed from a casual social hour to a fly tying masterclass, and in no way is that a complaint. Stu recently shared a great tip with us…
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Mend to Fix
Mend: /mend/ verb. To repair (something that is broken or damaged). Synonyms: repair, fix. When fishing moving water, whether swinging flies for steelhead and salmon or dead drifting nymphs and/or dries for trout, great mends catch more fish than great casts. After all, a proper mend can create a effective presentation, and effective presentations (not casts) are…
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Mono vs. Fluoro from Hatch Outdoors
Our friends from Hatch Outdoors are back with some more great tips in video form on tying custom leaders for the salt. In their most recent edition of their video series, Bruce Chard covers the pros and cons of mono (nylon) versus fluorocarbon leader material and how they can be best used together when tying…
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Bush Rigging Broken Wading Boot Laces
There’s nothing quite like yanking on the laces of your wading boots in anticipation of a full day on the water when.. Snap! They finally give way. Broken laces are a bummer, but whether or not you’ve got a spare pair of laces in your boat bag, they don’t have to sour your day. Take…
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The Finer Points of Finer Points – How to Sharpen Hooks
A while back we told you about our favorite method for testing whether the hook on your fly is sharp enough or whether it’s in desperate need of a touch-up. After all, it doesn’t take much to dull a sharp hook, which is why we think a simple hook file is one of the most…
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Better Backcast Presentations – Roundup
For the last five weeks we’ve been coming at you with some common faults and fixes on one of the most important casts in fly fishing; presenting the fly on the backcast. Today, we thought we’d present you with a handy roundup of all our posts on how to (and how not to) effectively deliver…
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Old Head Cement for Tougher Flies
A couple months back, our pal and world renowned fly tyer, Stuart Foxall, showed us a clever way to repair split jungle cock nails using old, overly tacky, and otherwise unusable head cement/varnish. Stu recently showed us another use for that old tacky cement/varnish.. Adding durability to your flies! Old cement/varnish in which the solvent…
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River Etiquette
Fly fishing is a fraternity, and the level of camaraderie that can develop between two complete strangers upon learning that each prefers to fish with a fly rod never ceases to impress us. We see it every single week at our lodges and we’re sure you’ve experienced it on your home waters too. However, sometimes…
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