The ability to ‘tail’ a fish, that is, the ability to land fish safely and effectively without a net is a skill every angler should possess. After all, we’ve all been on a trip where the net didn’t make it into the back of the pickup. Regardless, the old adage reigns true; if you want…
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fighting fish
How To Fight A Bonefish
It is no secret that we admire bonefish and want to make sure the ones that are caught, are safely released to fight another day. One way to ensure this is to land a bonefish as quickly as possible. This obviously is much easier said than done as anyone who has hooked into these fish…
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Slack is the Enemy, 3 Examples Why
Fly fishing words to live by, “Slack is the Enemy” The cast, the feed, and the fight. 3 crucial steps to success in fly fishing and guess what, slack can ruin them all! The Cast – when slack finds its way into your cast, it ruins your line speed. The Feed – if slack occurs…
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Timeless Tips: Avoid Breaking your Rod when Fighting Fish
We are going to keep it simple for you here. For the sake of this article, try and forget about your two handed rod (I know this is hard, I hated even typing the words) but lets just focus on a 9 ft 8 wt rod. The perfect weapon for Andros South among many other…
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Going from Freshwater to Salt
The transition from freshwater fly fishing to saltwater does not need to be an intimidating one. While the gear and target species may be different, you can use a lot of the knowledge and skills you have acquired freshwater fishing to help establish a saltwater foundation to build on. One of the major differences you…
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Guide Poll: Most Common Mistake Made Fighting Big Fish
There aren’t many moments on the water more exciting than the first realization that you’ve hooked into a big fish. A trophy fish. Walter. Perhaps that fish of a lifetime. Unfortunately, that moment is all too often followed by one of the most discouraging moments on the water; when that fish of a lifetime comes…
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Net Bender
Today we present you with nothing more than one of our favorite photos from this past summer season courtesy of Alaska West guide, Lucas Young. Net shot. Spey rod. And fish so big that it buckles the fiberglass handle and aluminum frame of a gargantuan landing net.. What’s not to like? Want to swing flies…
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5 Ways to Land More Silvers
Our run of silver salmon have just began their annual return to our home river at Alaska West. What does that mean, exactly? It means it won’t be long until our river is teeming with hyper-aggressive, hard-fighting, chrome bright, acrobatic coho that readily take flies. Sound good? It should. Those who have experienced silver madness…
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Timeless Tips: Fighting King Salmon – Bend the Butt Section
Our king salmon seasons in Alaska and British Columbia are underway, so today we present you with a friendly reminder of one of the most common mistakes made when fighting big fish on spey rods – not putting enough pressure on the fish! Take the photo above taken of Alaska West guide, Ben West, while…
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Timeless Tips: 6 Tips for Landing Big Fish
A while back we ran a post on the top 5 mistakes made fighting big fish, where we highlighted some of the most common mistakes we see at our lodges in Alaska and British Columbia when fighting big fish like steelhead and salmon. However, fighting fish well does not always put the fish in the net. In…
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