With fishing lodges around the world, we receive a lot of questions from our guests about traveling with fishing gear. If you’re an experienced traveler, you understand that there are hardly any guarantees or set rules among competing airlines, and unfortunately this is out of our control. However, what we can do is share a…
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Tips
Better Mono Eyes
Adding mono eyes to your bonefish flies is a simple way to increase the realism of your patterns. Mono eyes are very simple to make and offer a good imitation of the beady eyes of most shrimp. Sure, we could debate on whether the fish notice such details or not, but it sure doesn’t seem…
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Double Up Your Loop to Loop Connections
Earlier this month we had the pleasure of fishing the flats with Andros South guest Harrison Perrin. While rigging up, he offered this simple tip when making the loop to loop connection between your fly line and leader to prolong the life of the coating on your factory loop. Check it out – we think…
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Don’t Trout Set.
Here’s a friendly reminder to avoid the ‘trout set’ when you’re bonefishing. When fishing for bonefish it’s crucial to set the hook using a long hard strip rather than raising the rod tip. We have written detailed posts on this very subject in the past and if you have fished for bonefish before, you know…
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Hair Ties as Rod Straps
If you’re headed out to fish a local piece of water, there’s often no need to bring your rod in a tube – rod tubes are bombproof, but they’re also clunky to carry and pack, they make you take the reel off your rod, and they’re totally overkill if you’re just hopping in your car….
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Three Random Bonefishing Tips
Here are three things you can do to catch more bonefish. Enjoy! Use a stiff leader. Stiff leaders help turn over bigger flies, and they make your cast land straighter too. Here’s how to tie your own. Try a curl cast to a fish swimming away. Advanced anglers only on this one! Shots at fish…
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Slow Your Swing Down First
When you’re swinging flies for steelhead or salmon, there are times when ‘the perfect swing’ doesn’t elicit the response you were hoping for. We’ve all been there, right? Perhaps the presentation goes unnoticed through the bucket, or you feel the slightest hint of a grab, but no fish to follow. Your first thought might be…
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12 Ways to Tie Better Flies Faster
Winter is here, and for many of us that means it’s fly tying season. If you’re looking to restock your boxes for next season, try a few of these tips to fill them up faster! Take Your Time on the First Pattern. Before you hit production mode, take your time on your first fly pattern. Experiment…
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Cotton Swab Tube Flies
We fish a lot of tube flies at Alaska West, especially when targeting fish on the swing. While there a lot of different tube materials out there marketed by various fly tying companies, when you tie as many flies as we do over the course of the season, sometimes the cheapest option is best. Next time you are…
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5 Reasons to Swing for Trout This Winter
Let’s face it, winter trout fishing is hard. If you are crazy like us, odds are you are not going to sit around and twiddle your thumbs until your next trip to Alaska or B.C. – you’re going to fish! Having hailed from all over the Northern U.S. and Canada (Alaska, Washington, Maine, British Columbia…
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