Breaking off a bonefish is a bummer. After all the hard work required to find, cast to, and finally hook one it’s the last thing you want to do. That said, despite their best intentions, we still see a lot of anglers coming up with plenty of ways to do it, the most common of…
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fighting fish
Timeless Tips: Top 5 Mistakes Made Fighting Big Fish
At Alaska West and BC West we see a lot of big fish fought by our guests – we’re talking steelhead and king salmon here. Sometimes our anglers do a great job fighting the big ones. Other times…not so much. Fight hard, fight smart, and get it over fast! Top 5 Mistakes Made Fighting Big…
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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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Fighting Fish – Pull With the Rod, Gain With the Reel
Our ridiculous run of silver salmon has just begun to show up in full force, which means alongside four other species of pacific salmon, including voracious chums and feisty pinks, there’s no shortage of practice for fighting big fish. One thing we see on a regular basis from our first-time anglers upon hooking a hefty…
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Clearing Line for Bonefish – 7 Tips
During one of the coldest, wettest, and windiest days of our season here in Western Alaska this week, we couldn’t help but let our minds wander towards the flats. Surprising, right? That got us to thinking, what’s the most overlooked facet of saltwater fly fishing that results in more fish lost or landed? We’d argue…
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Timeless Tip Tuesday: King Season Mantra – Stand Your Ground
Whether it’s a choker king fresh from the Dean Channel or that gagger Alaskan Chinook melting away yards of your backing, one thing’s for certain: This is no time for a Junior Varsity track meet. When that mega-king blasts off into hyperdrive—and make no mistake, it will— there’s always the temptation to chase it down, so remember…
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Which Hand Do You Reel With?
It’s poll time again here on the Deneki blog, and we want to hear from you! The proper hand to reel with is an age old debate, and from our experience, one that many serious anglers are passionate about. We’ve witnessed everything from healthy discussions to full out arguments on the topic over the years, which is why…
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Bend the Butt Section
Our king salmon seasons in Alaska and British Columbia are fast upon us, 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…
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Don’t Touch Dat Drag!
Today we present you with a simple tip when fighting hard fighting fish like bonefish that we were reminded of recently while listening to Deneki guest, Chuck Keller’s, recount of his largest landed bonefish to date. According to Chuck, during the first blistering run by his trophy fish, Andros South guide, Josie Sands, muttered the words…
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Fish Running At You? Focus on the Fundamentals
Lets face it, when you’re hooked into a big fish, no matter what species, all types of craziness can occur. And let us tell you, some of the things we’ve seen fish do in order to evade being landed never ceases to amaze us. Things can happen fast while fighting fish. Really fast. But, while…
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