We recently kicked off our series of posts dedicated to improving one of the most important casts on the flats; the ability to present the fly on the backcast. Last week we touched on bracing; a useful technique to add power to your backstroke when casting into heavy winds with big rods and/or wind-resistant flies….
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Tips
Timeless Tips: 6 Tips for Landing Big Fish
A while back we ran a post on the top 5 mistakes made fighting big fish, where we highlighted some of the most common mistakes we see at our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia when fighting big fish like steelhead and salmon. However, fighting fish well does not always put the fish in the net. In…
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Better Backcast Presentations – Part 1: Bracing
Presenting the fly on your backcast is one of the most important casts on the flats. Not only does it allow you to make effective casts without the need for the guide to adjust the boat, its also a great option for presenting the fly under one of the most difficult casting scenarios; casting with…
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Timeless Tips: 5 Ways to Catch More Rainbow Trout
Catching rainbow trout at Alaska West is not all that difficult – in fact it’s easy to catch ‘some.’ That being said, great anglers catch more, and great anglers catch the bigger ones. Here are 5 ways you can make yourself into a ‘greater’ trout angler in our part of the world. Mend less. Our…
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How to Rig for Tarpon – Hatch Outdoors Video Series
The good folks from Hatch Outdoors just kicked off their new how-to video series featuring detailed tips and instruction from some of the best anglers and guides in the biz. New videos are due to drop every Thursday all summer long, and if the first installment of the series is any indication of the level…
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The Uni Knot – One Knot to Rule Them All
There are many ways to lose a fish, but there’s no way more disheartening than losing a fish to a faulty knot. Make no mistake, knot tying is a skill, and anglers who can tie good knots bring more fish to hand. There are many great fly fishing knots out there, most of which are…
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Fly Casting – Practice with Purpose
Practice makes proficient (there’s no such thing as perfect), but practice without purpose is a long road to improvement. Fly casting is no exception. As most anglers can attest, beautiful casting does not always translate to effective fishing. Therefore, if catching fish is your primary objective (which we have a feeling it might be), tailoring…
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Timeless Tips: 3 Slack-Line Presentations Every Trout Angler Should Know
As most effective trout anglers know, a well executed drift is far more important than a perfect cast. Whether we want our fly to drift naturally in the current, or swing through the water column at a particular depth, this is best achieved by mending – That is, repositioning the line on the water after the…
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Chill Out, Use Sunscreen
Sun exposure is no joke, and if you spend a lot of time on the water, protecting yourself against harmful UV rays is extremely important, particularly on the flats. Trust us on this one, please. The majority of sunburns occur during the afternoons, when the sun is high and the sunscreen most often applied at…
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Rigging for Barracuda – Wire Length
If it weren’t for the overwhelming number of eager bonefish, South Andros might best be known as a world-class flats fishery for barracuda. Barracuda are a blast to target with a fly and many of our guests find them to be an exciting change of pace in between shots at bonefish. They’re big, toothy, hit…
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