We really like tube flies. They’re fun to tie, fun to fish, and offer advantages that traditional shank or hook style flies just can’t compete with. However, not all tube materials are created equal. We’ve tied on many styles of tubing from inexpensive ‘Q-Tip’ tubes to many of the commercial fly tying tubes available today, but…
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Search Results for: tube flies
Dry Out Your Flies
Today, you’re humble editor is throwing away not one, not two, but roughly ten dozen marabou tube flies. Why exactly? Because he failed to practice the universal fly fishing tip of drying out your gear, leaving a season’s worth of flies matted, smelly, and a vibrant uniform color of grayish-brown. Waterproof fly boxes do a…
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Stu’s Quick-Tie Sculpin Tube Fly – Tying Instructions
When we asked you, what you would like to see more of on our blog, many of you suggested we run more step by step fly tying posts. Some of you were a little more specific, requesting tying instructions on some of our favorite sculpin patterns. A few of you even requested information on tying…
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HMH Tube Spinner Vise
We tie a lot of tube flies throughout the year at our lodges in Alaska, British Columbia, and even in the Bahamas (that’s a topic of another post). Until now, we have tied most of our tubes using tube fly adapters and mandrels made to fit directly into the jaws of any standard fly tying…
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Tie Your Own Flies!
Catching a fish on a fly you tied yourself is a special thing. It gives you a closer connection to the sport and the fish itself. If you have never experienced this, Alaska is the place to do it! Whether you’re a beginner or experienced fly tyer, here are a few patterns that we tie…
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Fly Fishing Videos on YouTube
Did you know that we have a channel on YouTube that’s currently home to 67 videos on fly fishing? Did you know that the vast majority of those videos are focused on tips to help you be a better angler? Here’s a little sample. If you’re viewing this in a newsletter or a reader, you’ll…
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King Flies – Size Does Matter
Jeff Hickman is a two-handed rod steelhead guide from Oregon who owns Fish The Swing LLC. He is a signature Idylwilde flies tier and Deneki veteran who will be joining us again this season to guide kings at Alaska West. Here is a quick little tip from Jeff about fly selection when targeting Chinook salmon. Size Matters It seems…
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Rainbow Trout Flies – 5 Favorites for Alaska
As we mentioned on Friday, it’s trout time at Alaska West. Late July trout fishing rocks! If you’re headed to Alaska West to chase our legendary leopard rainbows, here are 5 flies that we think you should bring along. Idylwilde makes some pretty awesome trout flies – these are all available from your local Idylwilde…
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Classic Flies Work Too
True, at BC West we like fishing big burly modern patterns like the Wombat, Intruder variations and Silvey’s Tube Snake. Don’t forget, though – the fish don’t know that big flies are supposed to be cool now. Classic patterns like the General Practitioner, the Dean River Lantern and the Lady Caroline still deserve a place…
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Silvey’s Tandem Tube – How to Rig It
Installment #3 is a very special episode in our tube fly rigging mini-series by Eric Neufeld. It’s about a fly called Silvey’s Tandem Tube that requires some special attention in order to perform its best. Brian Silvey has a series of Idylwilde tube flies – the Tandem Tube, the Tail Light, and the Tube Snake…
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