Fishing a dryline and skater for steelhead rules. Hitched muddlers. Bombers. Big foam creations—whatever. Love it all. There’s just something magic about the way our big, hot, Dean steelhead respond to the dry and the fact they tend to absolutely crush them makes the whole business of surface fishing even better! For those who agree,…
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Tips
A Fly in the Air Catches No Fish.
Three years ago we ran a post in which some expert anglers weighed in on the most common casting mistake made by novice anglers. One of the experts offered such a gem that we figured it deserved its own post. Besides, three years ago our readership pretty much consisted of your editor’s mom and a…
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Roll Cast – 5 Reasons We Love You
Oh, Mr. Roll Cast! You’re always there for us. You might not be as glamorous as your cousin Mrs. Ninety-Feet-Onto-a-Dinner-Plate, but we still love you. Here’s why. 5 Reasons We Love the Roll Cast Less time false casting. You don’t distract us with supposedly sexy loops flying back and forth through the air, burning valuable…
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More Random Bonefishing Tips
In honor of the upcoming start of our season at Andros South (this weekend!), we present you with three more random bonefishing tips. Keep the leash and your rod tip on the same side of the boat at all times. From our friend Bruce Chard comes this new way to look at the ready position…
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3 Ways to Catch More Bonefish
We have a whole bunch of bonefishing tips here on our blog. Today we thought we’d give you 3 random ones – some new, some old, all with the potential to make a difference. Don’t hold your fly by the wing or the body. When you’re in the ready position, whether on foot or on…
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Quick Nipper Lanyards
Nippers on any fishing trip are key, no two ways about it, and if you think our recommendation of the Abel nippers and lanyard is totally ridiculous, you might enjoy a little tried-and-true guide tip for making your own system. Its pretty simple, really. First, go to your local supermarket or Walgreens and buy as…
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Go Thunderdoming.
Super high, early season water in Western Alaska can mean our king salmon are less likely to hold on the gravel bars. That was the case in early 2012 and, though huge water years are not too common season-to-season, those who set foot on the tundra with an open mind can make some seriously fishy…
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The Power of Positivity
Adam Kryder was a fantastic addition to our guide staff at Alaska West this year. He noticed something pretty profound about angling and attitudes and was kind enough to write it up for us. Thanks, Adam! The Power of Positivity Guiding at Alaska West has given me a great gift. As a guide I am…
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Making Loops on Sinktips
A second installation in our sinktip strategies novella, here’s a looping method that began as what Alaska West guide Jeff Hickman dubbed a ‘bush fix,’ and has since become one of the two main ways we’re custom building on-the-river sinktips to suit the current conditions. First off, get yourself about 40 feet of Rio’s T-whatever….
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Skagit Casting – Keep Your Hands Close
When you’re making spey casts in the Skagit style, try to keep your hands as close to your body as possible! Ed Ward, long-time guide at Alaska West and one of the fathers of Skagit-style spey casting, has been called “the man who can spey cast inside a phone booth”. That’s a bit of an…
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