If you’ve spent much time around our web site, you’ve probably seen Aaron Adams’ work before. Aaron is the Director of Operations for Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, and one of the world’s leading biologists when it comes to – guess what – bonefish, tarpon and other critters that swim around on the flats. He also…
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Tips
Set Towards the Tail
Today we address one of the most common mistakes we see made on the river; setting the hook in the wrong direction. When fishing in moving water, the direction in which your rod tip moves when lifting the rod to set the hook can be the difference between a fish that makes it to the…
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Best Fly Lines for Trout Spey – North 40 Video
Last week we shared a video from our friends over at North 40 Fly Shop featuring George Cook on the particulars of choosing a proper spey rod for trout. If you missed it, be sure to give it a watch by clicking right here. A few days ago, they released another great from their latest…
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Timeless Tips: Fly Fishing for Fussy Silver Salmon
At Alaska West, we have the pleasure of closing out our season with truly prolific runs of silver salmon. Silvers get under the skin of many of our guests due to their strength, acrobatics, and willingness to grab a fly. However, contrary to popular belief, there are times when silver salmon are reluctant to eat…
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How to Choose the Right Spey Rod for Trout – Video
Over the last ten years or so, the notion of ‘trout spey’ has become one of the fastest growing sectors of fly fishing. We love targeting trout on swung flies with small spey/switch rods and we do a decent amount of it at both of our lodges in Alaska. Nonetheless, with more trout-appropriate spey rods…
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Timeless tips: 5 Advantages of High Water
Over the past few seasons, mild winters and reasonably dry summers have made for some low water conditions on our home river at Alaska West. However, this year we’ve been experiencing significantly higher water levels of late, and we really dig it! Due to a few substantial rain (and even hail) storms, we’ve seen a couple…
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Rigging Beads for Trout – Mind Your Peg
Like it or not, no Alaska fly box is complete without a selection of egg patterns. Rainbow trout throughout Western Alaska rely heavily on salmon eggs throughout the back half of our season and those who choose not to imitate this natural occurrence are ignoring one of the most important food sources for Alaskan trout…
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Popper Fishing for Silvers – Tie Direct
It’s silver season in our neck of the woods, and when it comes to fly fishing for silver salmon, there’s no way we like targeting them more than on the surface! To elicit top-water coho takes, the majority of our guides prefer foam, deer hair, or hard-bodied poppers over more traditional ‘pollywog’ or skater style…
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Timeless Tips: Quicker Rig/Fly Changes – 9 Options
Time spent rigging is time spent not fishing, and some of you have asked for quicker ways to switch between different rigs, flies, and tactics. So, today we’ve compiled a few simple tips to help you change your rig quicker and easier to get your fly back in the water. Enjoy! 9 Tips for Quicker Rig…
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Poor Man’s Rain Pants
While digging through photos from the weeks past we were recently reminded of a commonly (and regretfully) forgotten item at our lodges; rain pants! We always encourage our guests to pack quality rain gear when traveling to our lodges, both in Alaska and the Bahamas. By that we mean both a rain jacket and a pair of…
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