Originator: Dave Stanley. Photos and Instruction by Mike Brown. Mike Brown is the owner of Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, AK. A lifelong Alaskan with a passion for family, fly fishing and fly tying. There is always going to be a huge debate amongst Sockeye fishermen whether Sockeye (Red) Salmon will eat a fly or…
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Search Results for: King Salmon
Guide Speak Glossary: Alaska West Edition
In our second edition of Guide Speak we visit Alaska West on the Kanektok. The Kanektok is many a fly fisherman’s mecca, or summit, so to speak. It’s also a place that makes coming up with new fishing oriented words and phrases quite easy due to the intense focus on fishing and lodge life. With…
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Guide’s Corner: Ben West, Alaska West Head Guide
Unfortunately, I have only known Ben since the spring of 2019 when I came back to Alaska West as Operations Manager. It had been 7 years since I left Alaska West and for the most part, the crew was entirely new to me, but something about the attitude of this staff made it seem as…
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Advanced Bead Fishing for Trout: Matching the Hatch
Tis this season for BIG rainbows in Alaska, especially on the Naknek river here at Rapids Camp Lodge, where the rainbow trout are particularly mega. Salmon eggs make up a huge portion of the diet for our Alaskan rainbow trout, which is why bead fishing is arguably one of the most effective means of targeting…
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Dads & Rainbows
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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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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Selecting Sink Tips
When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, a question we get asked a lot is ‘what sink tip should I use?’ or ‘how do I know what sink tip to start with?’ Like all things fly fishing, there is no rule of thumb that pertains to every situation. There are far too many variables…
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10 Tips to Wade Safely
As fly fishing anglers, wherever you fish, you’re probably moving and at some point have to wade in the water you’re fishing. You move up, down, and across streams to find and access to the holes, sloughs, and seams that hold fish. With constant movement, it is inevitable you encounter a variety of currents, depth,…
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Rainbow Trout Fishing – Mend Less.
It’s summer, so I have to eat. Photo: Cameron Miller There are trout streams out there where highly educated trout demand perfect presentation. Long, light tippets are key. Pure, drag-free drift is essential, and if your fourth mend falls 3 inches left of where it should have, that fish is not going to eat. The…
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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…
Read More