‘Catch and release’ has become a cornerstone of the fly fishing culture. Not only has it helped conserve fisheries all around the world, the very notion of ‘catch and release’ has inspired a desire in multiple generations of anglers to preserve their own fisheries – which is a really good thing. That said, despite our…
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conservation
BTT Bahamas Initiative Update
Our friends from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust just released their 2017 update of their Bahamas Initiative and we think you should give it a look! For those who aren’t familiar with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, their easily the most active conservation group looking after the well being of not only our beloved flats…
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Wild Steelheaders United on Understanding Steelhead Hatcheries
Our good friends from Wild Steelheaders United have been putting out some seriously informative content of late as part of their ‘Science Friday‘ series of posts, where each Friday they share the latest in steelhead science. As part of TU’s ‘Wild Steelhead Initiative,’ Wild Steelheaders United’s mission statement is beautifully simple – to educate steelhead anglers…
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BTT On Bahamian Bonefish
As usual, our friends from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT) have been conducting some pretty ground-breaking research in hopes to better understand bonefish populations around the world. Over the last month, they have released several articles on the BTT blog highlighting their recent work, along with some pretty interesting findings, surrounding bonefish populations in…
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BTT Tarpon Genetics Program – Results
The good folks from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust just concluded their study with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in attempts to determine just how many distinct populations of Atlantic Tarpon exist around the world. Why bother? Because a sound understanding of whether or not global populations are related makes a huge difference…
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Land Your Bonefish in the Shallows
When releasing a bonefish, most anglers are aware that its really important to revive an exhausted fish before sending it on its way – especially if the fish loses equilibrium (cannot remain upright on its own). Unlike a trout stream, there are a lot of predators on the flats, and the erratic behavior of a…
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Are You Holding Fish Correctly?
Handling fish appropriately to ensure the best chance of survival is important when releasing fish. In fact, we’ll be the first to agree that there’s no better practice for the well being of a released fish than never being taken out of the water in the first place. However, we also understand that fish are going…
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Pinch Your Barbs Beforehand
When fishing for fish destined to be released, we think that pinching down your barb is pretty cool. Fish are fragile, and removing hooks with barbs causes more damage than removing hooks without barbs.. It’s that simple. In fact, at Alaska West we do our best to instill a 100 percent barbless policy, encouraging all…
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Help the People Who Help Our Potcakes
Potcake (pɒt-keɪk): noun. Mixed breed of dogs indigenous to the Bahamas, officially recognized as the Royal Bahamian Potcake. No fishing lodge is complete without a camp dog, and those who have joined us at Andros South have surely been aquainted with a few of the local potcakes who frequent our grounds on a regular basis. In fact,…
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Show Some Respect
Today we present you with a quick write up and video, courtesy of our pal Stuart Foxall, on a topic near and dear to our heart; the importance of showing a little respect to your quarry. Thanks Stu! Show Some Respect! Earlier this summer, I was fortunate to fish with Alaska West guide, Jerry French, for…
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