When most anglers think of bonefishing, the image of fish cruising through gin-clear water, over white sandy bottoms, under the high sun of a blue-bird day is most likely what comes to mind. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. If that was always the case, heck, spotting bonefish would be easy! But its not. Occasional…
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Search Results for: big fish
Nymphing Tip: Tag Your Split Shot
Way back in 2011, Alaska West alum and trout guru, JEB Hall, gave us the details for his go-to rig when slinging beads for big leopard rainbow trout. It’s still as current as it was six long years ago, so if you haven’t checked it out, be sure to hit the link to give it…
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Keep Your Rod on Point
You’re patiently scanning the flats when you spot a fish off in the distance. You start closing in on your target when something; a flash, a shadow, a sound, catches your attention. You look away for no more than a second when you realize, “what, he disappeared!?” You scan around frantically for the fish you…
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Swinging for Trout – Naknek Style
The Naknek River is regarded by many anglers as one of the most prolific fisheries for trophy rainbow trout in the world. Feisty, native, resident rainbows exceeding thirty inches aren’t uncommon on the Nak, which is why we’re really lucky to call it our home water at our Rapids Camp Lodge operation. In fact, just…
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Reeling Right or Wrong?
Over the course of the year, we’re lucky to share the water with a lot of super great, super fishy, people from countries all over the world. That lends itself to some healthy angler debate at times, allowing us to keep up to date on the latest tips and techniques in the fly fishing world….
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Why Are They Called ‘Leopard’ Rainbows?
Today we present you with nothing more than a photo of what we think might be the best explanation of why our strain of resident rainbow trout at Alaska West are known throughout the angling community as ‘leopard’ rainbows. Call us biased, but we think they’re some of the prettiest trout on the planet, and…
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Nymphing with Indicators – 5 tips
It’s August, and in our neck of the woods that means our rainbow trout, dolly varden, and Arctic grayling populations are keying in heavily on the conveyor belt of salmon eggs and flesh making its way down river. Therefore, fishing sub-surface is the name of the game this time of year, and with that, like…
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Simms G4 Pro Sling Pack – Review
From the river to the flats, we’ve long been fans of sling packs for toting around our gear, especially whenever fishing on foot. We think they’re a great cross between the versatility of a hip pack, with the high-riding comfort of a full back pack, and rarely hit the water these days without one. However,…
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Keep ‘Em Wet with Slow Motion Release Shots (Video)
Photography has become a big part of the fly fishing culture over the years, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t understand the importance of capturing the moment with that special fish. That said, we also believe that fish destined to be released should always be treated with the utmost respect, held close…
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Spey Rods for King Salmon – Our Favorites
Spey fishing for king salmon is not for the light hearted. It puts rods, reels, lines, knots, and mental toughness to the test. It’s not uncommon for one (or more) of the aforementioned to break, and more often than not, its the latter. However, today we’re not talking about broken hearts, we’re talking about rods…..
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