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
Search Results for: King Salmon
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
We Have Water
This just in.. Fish need water. That’s a really good thing, because we have a lot of it this year at Alaska West! For several years now, we’ve been experiencing lower than average water conditions throughout our king season at Alaska West. Does that mean bad fishing? Trust us, it definitely doesn’t! However, when it…
Read More
New Fly Tying Shanks from Aqua Flies
If you’ve been following along on our blog/newsletter or have spent any time with us at our lodges in Alaska or British Columbia, you know we love fishing stinger/trailer hook style fly patterns for everything from king salmon, to steelhead, to resident trout and char. For years, the majority of stinger style ‘shank’ flies constructed…
Read More
Timeless Tips: 5 Ways to Catch More Rainbow Trout
Catching rainbow trout at Alaska West is not all that difficult – in fact it’s easy to catch ‘some.’ That being said, great anglers catch more, and great anglers catch the bigger ones. Here are 5 ways you can make yourself into a ‘greater’ trout angler in our part of the world. Mend less. Our…
Read More
Timeless Tips: Active Swinging Techniques for Trout
When swinging flies for species like steelhead or king salmon, more often than not a slow uniform swing is best. Rarely do salmon and/or steelhead actively feed upon first entering freshwater. Therefore, a slow uniform swing swept past the nose of the fish is usually the most likely presentation to elicit a strike. The take may…
Read More
Timeless Tips: The Best Time to Go Fishing in Alaska
When talking to folks about fly fishing in Alaska, inevitably we get asked the question, “what’s the best time to go fishing in Alaska?” Unlike other fisheries the ‘best time’ to go fishing in Alaska is extremely dependent on your own interests and goals. Our Alaskan seasons are extremely diverse – There is no ‘best time’ per…
Read More