Want some serious traction on your rubber soled wading boots? Load ’em up with studs! You’ve got lots of options for studs these days, depending on who makes your wading boots. For the Simms boots pictured above with StreamTread soles, Simms makes 3 different kind of studs. HardBite Boot Studs – ‘traditional’ screw-type studs with…
Read More
Search Results for: big fish
Quick Nipper Lanyards
Nippers on any fishing trip are key, no two ways about it, and if you think our recommendation of the Abel nippers and lanyard is totally ridiculous, you might enjoy a little tried-and-true guide tip for making your own system. Its pretty simple, really. First, go to your local supermarket or Walgreens and buy as…
Read More
Keep Your Hooks Sharp
Spencer Dixon was a first-year guide at Alaska West this year, and everybody who met him was blown away by his skill, his work ethic, his enthusiasm and his fishiness. Turns out Spencer can write too! Here’s the first what we hope will be a long series of posts from him. Thanks, Spencer! The Importance…
Read More
Bullet Weights, Part 2: Still Crittery
Last week we gave you a glimpse into the very non-traditional world of using bullet weights with your steelhead and salmon flies. Today, more details! Next time you’re at the vise setting strategy for the ultimate Alaska West or BC West fly program, consider tying a bunch of flies without any weight. Tying on plastic…
Read More
Keep Him Out of the Mangroves
If you’re fighting a bonefish and he swims towards the mangroves, you should probably pull hard in the other direction to try to keep him out. Yes, you might pull the hook or straighten the hook or pop your leader – but if he swims through the mangroves connected to your fly line, your chances…
Read More
Simms G4Z Waders Update
The granddaddy of waders is getting an update. Simms has been making their G4 waders with a zipper for a few years now. Zippered waders get a lot of flack from folks who haven’t tried them, but those of us who have spent time in them tend to agree that the zipper is the way…
Read More
Two Million Pageviews
Every once in a while we come across some metric related to our web site that knocks our socks off. Today was one of those days. You see, our real business is running fishing lodges. A few years back we started posting content on our site that we thought would be interesting and helpful to…
Read More
The High Sun Game Plan
Yes, we have sun in Alaska. Sometimes, a whole lotta sun, and that can make for a very cool day of fishing if you’re ready for it. A primer: During later-season king weeks, the river is often dropping and clearing—a big reason you’ll wail on kings and chum in the mornings as the foggy marine…
Read More
A Gagatron Going Richter?
From chokers to chumblers, crittery schnittles to chinkus flinkus and disc drags set to Stun Mode, the guidespeak at our lodges has become a venerable Northern dialect that’s invaded the Pacific Northwest and points East. Special note: if you’re new to all this gobbledygook, this glossary might help. The unique descriptions of giant fish and…
Read More
The Art of Alaska West Guide Jim Palmersheim
Most of our past and current Alaska West guests know Jim Palmersheim as a super-mellow, very friendly, mega-fishy guy who’s not above handing you a hot, riverine cup of French-pressed espresso mid-swing. All true. What you might not know—probably because Jim’s far too humble to talk about himself—is that he’s a world-class pastel artist when…
Read More