Everybody loves fishing dry flies. There’s just nothing that beats the excitement of a surface take. In Western Alaska we fish dry flies quite a lot, but the vast majority of the time they’re about as far as you can get from a traditional “match the hatching insect” dry fly program. Here are 4 ways…
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Search Results for: big fish
Fighting Fish – Pull With the Rod, Gain With the Reel
Our ridiculous run of silver salmon has just begun to show up in full force, which means alongside four other species of pacific salmon, including voracious chums and feisty pinks, there’s no shortage of practice for fighting big fish. One thing we see on a regular basis from our first-time anglers upon hooking a hefty…
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Spey Fishing – Pulsing the Swing (Video)
The “tug” might be the “drug,” but most anglers would agree that a tug that stays attached is ideal. Unfortunately, when swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, that’s not always the case. Quick strikes, followed by an unanswered swing, are common when spey fishing, and can be frustrating at the very least. So what do…
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Mouse Fishing for Trout – Try a Dead Drift
When fishing mouse flies for hungry Alaskan rainbows, a typical presentation goes something like this – Cast at a slightly downstream angle above your target, raise your rod tip, wiggle your rod tip back and forth roughly 8 inches apart while at the same time slowly drawing in line with your line hand. This creates…
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Nice Fish, Joe!
When we first got wind that our good friend and long time Alaska West guest, Joe Dudra, was going to be joining us for not one, but two whole weeks during our king season this year, we were pretty darn excited.. Why? Because those that know Joe, know that he’s a fish magnet, and that…
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Weekly Fish Story – First Fish of the Season
There are many questions that run through a guide’s head on the first day of the season. “Where should I fish? Did I tie the right flies? Are the fish going to cooperate?” However, the more time and seasons spent out on the water, the more these questions begin to fade and become easier to…
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Arctic Grayling – Fish the Traditionals
For the majority of our guests at Alaska West, the first few weeks of our season is all about two things -swinging flies for big bright king salmon and/or chucking big mouse and sculpin imitations for hungry rainbow trout. However, during the first part of our season, an often overlooked species on our river are…
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Timeless Tip: Rainbow Trout Fishing – Mend Less
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 Kanektok is not one of those rivers. Before we cover…
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Nice Fish, JC!
We’ve been looking back on some photos from this past bonefishing season and recently came across this gem – Our pal JC Weeks of Fishwest hoisting a beauty during his most recent stay at Andros South. We think a fish like that deserves some love, so what more can we say, except – Good work JC! Nice…
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Timeless Tips Tuesday: 6 Tips When Poling for Bonefish
So you’re in a fishery like ours on South Andros that’s loaded with bonefish, and you’re fishing from the boat, with your guide on the push pole. What should you do to make sure you’re successful? Here’s what. Be quiet. Bonefish are really sensitive to noise, so be quiet! Close the cooler quietly. Don’t drop…
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