From our Head Guide at Rapids Camp Lodge Chad Bryson drops some great tips on building leaders. Since it’s coming from Chad…I’d take it to heart. Enjoy! There are probably as many different opinions about how to build the perfect Alaska fly fishing leader as there are opinions on the perfect Alaska fly rod. So…
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Search Results for: fly tying
Mousin’ with Stuart Foxall
It’s pretty well known that one of the most exciting and fun ways to catch fish at Alaska West or fly outs from Rapids Camp Lodge is mouse fishing. It really does get the heart racing. One of the issues with mouse fishing is “bumping” fish. Bumping fish is when a fish want’s your mouse…
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Why Knot
Ask 5 angling professionals which 5 knots are most important, and you may very well get 25 answers. In our humble opinion, here are the 5 knots you need to know for fly fishing, in priority order. Non-Slip Mono Loop. For attaching any sub-surface fly to your leader, this is our go-to knot. It’s extremely…
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Silver (Coho) salmon Flies: Updated Favorite List
Silver (Coho) salmon are starting to show up here in Alaska. Silver salmon are known to be super aggressive. Either straight out of the ocean or even 100 miles upriver, silver salmon are a hoot to target and super fun on the fly. The nice thing about Silver salmon is they will attack various flies,…
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Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp – From Its Creator
Classic fly patterns are classics for a reason. They simply work. Bob Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp is one of those patterns. Classic flies, like classic cars, can be modified, painted a new color, add or take away parts to match personalties. Some would say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Whichever way you lean, this…
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Deneki Chronicles: Ed Ward’s King Rig
This post is one of our favorites from 2009 about one of our favorite people, Ed Ward and his arsenal for striking kings. This is the first picture ever taken of Ed when he wasn’t casting, or holding a chrome anadromous fish. Photo: Cameron Miller Ed Ward has been called many things. ‘Jedi knight’, ‘Zen…
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Friend of Deneki: Jerry French
What can we say about Jerry French…pioneer, innovator, inventor, creative…all adverbs to describe Jerry. You can add up the years of experience like dog years…they are exponential. Through trial and error, collaboration and many years on the water, Jerry French is a purveyor of all things fly fishing. From flies, to rods, and reels, Jerry’s…
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Weights In Front Of Your Streamer
At the recommendation of a very fishy friend, I have been experimenting with putting weights in front of my streamers or baitfish flies. There are some things in fly fishing that I just cannot explain. After awhile I give up trying to figure out why exactly they work, I just simply let the fish tell…
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Head Cement
For the majority of the flies I tie, I rarely use head cement on my whip finish. But if I am tying a saltwater fly or a larger streamer type pattern, I do like to put a drop of my favorite glue, Liquid Fusion, on to help increase the durability. Most people put the head…
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Target Species // Trigger Fish
One of the more popular fish to target right now are the subjectively beautiful trigger fish. While not a species we get to chase at any of our lodges, we know our guests and readers fish worldwide so we figured we would discuss anyways. There are over 40 species of trigger fish, most of…
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