When I left Alaska three weeks ago to go back to Texas for a few weeks, I couldn’t help but dread leaving the early Alaska fall with the cooler temps and beautiful leaf changes and going back to beyond uncomfortable heat and humidity. I didn’t have to be dreadful for too long though, because I…
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Search Results for: big fish
Fly Tying: Flesh & Bone
To start off I’d like to tell you of an early experience in my Alaska sportfishing career that might help you make a bit of sense out of the fly recipe below. This was the early 90’s and I had only been in Alaska a couple of years at that point and also just out…
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Deneki Chronicles: Secrets of the Flesh Fly
Sometimes all it takes is a little flesh. Photo: Ramsey Smith Trout that live in the lower sections of rivers like the Kanektok and the Arolik in Western Alaska gets a lot of their calories from salmon flesh. That means that at Alaska West we spend a lot of time tying and fishing patterns that…
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Swing is King
Swing is king. Long casts, and big mends, swinging is a technique that we not only appreciate here in Alaska West and Rapids Camp, but it is a method we enjoy. D loops, ripping the line off the water resulting in long, bombing casts then having faith that while the fly is going down and…
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Why Knot
Ask 5 angling professionals which 5 knots are most important, and you may very well get 25 answers. In our humble opinion, here are the 5 knots you need to know for fly fishing, in priority order. Non-Slip Mono Loop. For attaching any sub-surface fly to your leader, this is our go-to knot. It’s extremely…
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Gear Review: Simms BugStopper SolarFlex Hoody
While fishing in Alaska, you need to be prepared for a variety of elements. Rain, wind, sun, and bugs. You can experience all of those things in one day of fishing in Alaska especially in Bristol Bay or Western Alaska. The rain is inevitable, the sun, when it’s out is intense, and the bugs are…well,…
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Pebble Mine Update August 31, 2020
Here’s the latest Pebble Mine Update from our friends at TU and Save Bristol Bay. Dear Bristol Bay supporters, Last week was big for Bristol Bay. A week ago, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that the current Pebble proposal would not receive its key federal permit, a major step in the right direction toward stopping…
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Fly Tying: String Leech
Traditionally the String Leech is a great fall and winter, steelhead pattern that is optimal for swinging with heavier tips. This past summer at Rapids Camp on the Naknek River the String Leech was very effective in hooking up with rainbow trout and that is the reason why we are featuring it now. With great…
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Deneki Chronicles: Secrets of the Flesh Fly
Sometimes all it takes is a little flesh. Photo: Ramsey Smith Trout that live in the lower sections of rivers like the Kanektok and the Arolik in Western Alaska get a lot of their calories from salmon flesh. That means that at Alaska West we spend a lot of time tying and fishing patterns that…
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Char and Dolly: Alaska’s Under-Appreciated Species
Last week, a guest at Rapids Camp Lodge asked me what species I like to fish for the most. I told him I honestly don’t have a favorite. Although Alaska is known for its salmon and trophy rainbows and many people, including myself, desire those time and time again, I also love Char fishing. This…
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