Jason Koertge has caught a lot of fish on swung flies. Besides having landed 52% of the kings and steelhead that have swum into Oregon since 2003, Jason has also chased kings with us on the Kanektok and the Dean as well. Needless to say, he’s learned a lot in the process, and in particular…
Read More
Search Results for: tube flies
AquaTalon Swing Hooks
Our good friends from Aqua Flies have teemed up once again with our pal and Alaska West alum, Jerry French, to bring the latest in hook design with their new AquaTalon Swing Hooks designed specifically for swinging flies for salmon, steelhead, trout, or anything for that matter. Although he needs no introduction, Jerry is arguably…
Read More
The Stain Remover – Tying Instructions
A while back our pal, Daniel Cope, gave us a great fly tying step by step on his go-to pattern for coastal steelhead; the Steelhead Phantam. For those who don’t know Daniel, he’s one heck of a fly tyer. He’s also a frequenter of our humble little blog, so naturally we were honored when he…
Read More
Fly Tying Step by Steps – Roundup
Way back in 2014 we started putting together detailed fly tying step by steps on how to tie some of our favorite fly patterns for salmon, steelhead, trout, bonefish, and more. We’ve accumulated quite a few since then, so we thought it was time to put together an updated roundup of all of our step…
Read More
How to Rig for Bonefish – Hatch Video Series
Our friends at Hatch Outdoors recently launched their how-to video series featuring tips and tricks from some of the most recognized guides and anglers in the industry. A couple weeks ago we shared their inaugural video on how to rig for tarpon. Last week, they also released great video on how to rig for permit…
Read More
The Steelhead Phantam – Tying Instructions
Great flies are developed out of necessity. To solve a problem. To catch fish in challenging conditions or situations where other patterns just don’t quite get the job done. That’s the basis behind Deneki pal, Daniel Cope’s Steelhead Phantam; a clever spin on Miguel Morejohn’s popular steelhead pattern, the Bantam, designed to target small-water coastal…
Read More
How to Tie Trevor Covich’s Guide Fly for Steelhead – Video
guide fly /ɡīd – flī/ noun. An artificial imitation designed to catch maximum numbers of fish with minimum effort or production time. Typically comprised of inexpensive, durable, and/or readily available materials. Guide flies are a crucial part of a fishing guide’s arsenal. The ability to turn out a day’s worth of flies in an evening allows…
Read More
Jerry French’s ‘Ultra Squid’ Coming to a Fly Shop Near You
The good folks at Aqua Flies have teemed up once again with our good friend and Alaska West alum, Jerry French, to bring the latest and greatest in steelhead/salmon flies; The Ultra Squid. Responsible for the design of innovative patterns like the the Intruder and the Dirty hoh, Jerry is widely accepted as one of…
Read More
Spey Fishing: How Many Steps to Take Between Casts (Video)
When swinging flies for salmon and/or steelhead, a common conundrum is how many steps should be taken in between casts. In other words, how much water should you cover with each cast? It’s a question we get asked a lot from our anglers, which is why today we share with you a great video from…
Read More
OPST Shank Chuck Tool – Why We Like It
We a tie a lot of trailer-hook style flies on both tubes and shanks at our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia. That’s mostly because salmon, steelhead, and even trout in our neck of the woods typically prefer big flies, and a trailer hook allows us to fish large profile flies with fish-friendly sized hooks….
Read More