For far too long, high performance fly rods have been associated with astonishingly high prices. Sure, some of our favorite rod series have rang in at premium-level prices, but not all of them. Believe it or not, when it comes to fly rods, performance doesn’t have to be sacrificed for affordability, and the folks at…
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Search Results for: big fish
George Cook on the Importance of ‘Engagement Range’ When Swinging Flies
Our good friend and legendary sales rep for some of the most respected brands in the biz, George Cook, has been at the forefront of modern spey fishing since the beginning. Simply put, he’s been swinging flies for steelhead, sea-run browns, resident trout, and everything in-between long before it was cool. So, when he’s willing…
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Spey Casting and Current Speed
When determining which spey cast to use in a given situation, most experienced spey anglers take into account three primary variables; wind direction (upstream wind, downstream wind, etc.), river position (which side of the river you’re casting from), and obstacles (trees, rocks, banks, or other obstructions that limit your casting area). The majority of the…
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Pebble Mine Update
For over ten years, the battle between sportsmen and the Pebble Mine project, a proposal for the world’s largest open-pit mine intended for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, has been underway. Many thought the project had been defeated in 2014, but make no mistake, Pebble Mine is still very alive. Many of you have asked…
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Setting the Hook: No Windups
We’ve written a lot of posts on our blog over the years on properly setting the hook on everything from bonefish and permit to king salmon, steelhead, and trout. That’s because the brief moment following the instant a fish grabs a fly is arguably the most critical to eventually bringing the fish to hand. Depending…
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Happy Hump Day
It’s hump day, and every now and then we like to celebrate by paying homage to one of the most under-appreciated and oft-forgotten species that frequent our waters at Alaska West; the almighty humpy, aka the pink salmon. Why? Because pinks are fun! They’re aggressive, they look really cool, they smash surface flies, they’re a requirement…
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Swinging Flies – 3 Random Tips
Its no secret that swinging flies on spey rods is one of our favorite ways to fish. We know that its many of yours too, which is largely why we’ve put together a whole bunch of tip articles on spey fishing on our blog, and today we thought we add a few more. Enjoy! Feel…
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Spey Casting Tips – Stuart Foxall on Adjusting Overhang
Over the last several years of hosting trips and spending days on the river almost exclusively with spey anglers, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of overhang; the term used to describe the amount of running line left outside the rod tip during the cast. Adjusting the amount of overhang can greatly alter the…
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King Salmon Can’t Jump
King salmon on our home river at Alaska West are known for many things; blistering runs, breaking gear, being unusually aggressive towards swung flies.. However, while earning a reputation for one of the hardest fighting fish in freshwater, they’re also known for spending the majority of that fight under the surface of the water. Well,…
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Pro Tip: Stripping Flies – Force the Rod Tip Down
Whether you’re stripping flies for salmon, trout, or bonefish, when fishing streamers the name of the game is action. The more action you’re able to impose onto your fly, or better yet, the more control you’re able to have over the action of your fly, odds are the more effective your fly is able to…
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