When it comes to commercial spey/swing style fly patterns (i.e. those that you can pick up at your local fly shop), one manufacturer in particular has been standing out amongst the crowd; Aqua Flies. We’ve been pointing anglers bound for our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia towards Aqua Flies for years. Why? Aside from…
Read More
Search Results for: King Salmon
Gear You Need: Sitka Fanatic Hoody
As folks who spend the majority of our time outside, like many of you, we’re on the never-ending quest to find the perfect layer for our pursuits. Lately, we’ve been impressed by the latest offerings from the folks at Sitka; an outdoor clothing/gear company based out of Bozeman, Montana. Although geared primarily towards the hunting…
Read More
That’s a wrap!
Today we wrap up the last fishing day of our 2018 season at Alaska West and want to extend a huge thanks to all who made it one of our most memorable seasons to date. To all of you who joined us on the Kanektok this year, along with with those who followed along vicariously…
Read More
Now, That’s a Dolly
At Alaska West, we’re lucky to experience a run of anadramous (sea-run) dolly varden that’s nothing shy of remarkable. Towards the back half of our season, they undergo a stunning change in appearance from the bright silver garb of their time at sea to their fall spawning colors of fluorescent orange, red, yellow, and green….
Read More
Guide Poll: The Difference Between a ‘Good’ and an ‘Elite’ Angler
We pride ourselves on the experience and know-how of our guide staffs at our lodges, many of whom have extensive guiding and/or fishing experience from all over the globe. That means we’re extremely fortunate to pull from a huge braintrust of uber-fishy people to consistently bring you the latest and greatest in fly fishing. With…
Read More
Smoked Chum
We pride ourselves in keeping the best interest of our fisheries in mind at all times. That’s largely why we’ve adopted camp policies at Alaska West such as 100% barbless hooks, catch and release only on king salmon, as well as aim to handle to-be-released fish as ethically as possible. That being said, we’re also…
Read More
Nice Fish, Jack!
Today we interrupt your scheduled Deneki programming to give a much deserved congrats to our pal and Alaska West regular, Jack Overly. Jack has been joining us during our king season since 2013 where he, like many of our guests, first caught the spey bug. He’s been swinging flies with us ever since, hooking gobs…
Read More
Nice Fish, Kathy!
We love coming at you daily with the latest tips, tricks, gear, news, and stories in fly fishing. However, sometimes we like to take a day to simply admire what most of us are really after.. Really. Big. Fish! Long time Deneki guest and envy-inducing fish magnet, Kathy Whiting, joined us last week to swing…
Read More
Mend to Fix
Mend: /mend/ verb. To repair (something that is broken or damaged). Synonyms: repair, fix. When fishing moving water, whether swinging flies for steelhead and salmon or dead drifting nymphs and/or dries for trout, great mends catch more fish than great casts. After all, a proper mend can create a effective presentation, and effective presentations (not casts) are…
Read More
Opening Day at Alaska West
We just kicked off our season at Alaska West and we’re happy to report that our first run of king salmon have arrived! Despite higher-than-average water conditions, our opening day yielded steady action, with some healthy adult kings landed, and more than a few heartbreakers lost. We’re going to be on-site all season long and…
Read More