When you’re swinging flies for steelhead or salmon, there are times when ‘the perfect swing’ doesn’t elicit the response you were hoping for. We’ve all been there, right? Perhaps the presentation goes unnoticed through the bucket, or you feel the slightest hint of a grab, but no fish to follow. Your first thought might be…
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Search Results for: King Salmon
Cotton Swab Tube Flies
We fish a lot of tube flies at Alaska West, especially when targeting fish on the swing. While there a lot of different tube materials out there marketed by various fly tying companies, when you tie as many flies as we do over the course of the season, sometimes the cheapest option is best. Next time you are…
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Kyle Shea’s Nymphing Rig
Have you noticed lately that a bunch of the posts on our blog have been tagged ‘Kyle Shea‘? That’s because Kyle has been writing a bunch of posts lately! Kyle cut his teeth fishing and guiding for trout and salmon in his home waters of Maine. He now spends his summers guiding on the Kanektok…
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Comfortable, Casual Accommodations
Our Lodge In the main lodge we have eight spacious, double occupancy rooms, each with a private bathroom. We also have a two-bedroom “House on the Hill” that accommodates 3 or 4 people. Nestled into the bluff this house gives small groups or families a wonderful private setting. No matter which lodging option you chose,…
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Tie Your Own Flies!
Catching a fish on a fly you tied yourself is a special thing. It gives you a closer connection to the sport and the fish itself. If you have never experienced this, Alaska is the place to do it! Whether you’re a beginner or experienced fly tyer, here are a few patterns that we tie…
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It’s How Your Fly Swims That Matters
For anglers learning the basics of swinging flies for steelhead and salmon, the simplest way to think about presentation is to watch the head of the fly line during the swing and make adjustments. We’re taught that, for example, you can speed up your fly by mending in a downstream belly – meaning that the…
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Swinging Flies for Dolly Varden
If you have spent much time fishing in Alaska, odds are you have seen your share of Dolly flats. During the second half of our season at Alaska West, we see an impressive push of Dolly Varden. Once the season’s first wave of salmon begin dropping eggs, these Dollies as well as rainbow trout congregate…
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Bring the Kids Along
If you have followed our blog much, you know we love having families with kids join us at Alaska West. The Kanektok River is a great place to get kids excited about fishing due to the fact that it’s so darn productive. Although typical of a younger beginning angler, “I’m bored” or “I wish there…
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Older Posts You Should Read
Every so often when browsing through the Deneki blog post archive (1,648 of them and counting…), we see an post or two and think “wow, forgot about that one – that was a good one”. Today we present to you nothing more than that – no particular category, just some posts that we think you’ll…
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Teaching, Fly Casting and Guiding
Whitney Gould – guide, teacher and caster extraordinaire – is part of our totally stacked team at Alaska West. Here’s a great article she put together that shows you the mindset that takes days on the water to another level. Thanks Whitney! Teaching, Fly Casting and Guiding Willa, my dog, has rolled in half dead…
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