Love tying flies? We do too. And if you’re anything like us, that means there’s a good chance that you’re tying space is a mess. Sound about right? We thought so. Fret not, no matter how cluttered your tying space is, we’d be willing to bet we’ve seen worse. Trust us, the images of tying…
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fly tying
Tying Different Color Heads
Last week we shared some fly tying tips from Stuart Foxall on how to finish your flies with tidier looking heads. Today, Stu’s back with a quick tip on how to class up those same heads with some color. Tying Different Color Heads So now we know how to tie neater, cleaner looking heads. But…
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Bonefish Food
Today’s post goes out to all the fastidious fly tyers out there.. The un-pressured bonefish of South Andros aren’t overly picky when it comes to exact fly pattern. That said, we have noticed over the years a few common characteristics amongst the flies that seem to work best on our flats – large profiles (big,…
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Tying Neater Heads
Nicely finished heads are the mark of a great fly tyer, and today professional fly designer, Stuart Foxall, is here with some step by step tips on finishing your flies with cleaner looking heads. Enjoy! Stuart Foxall on Tying Neater Heads A consistent problem I see from most inexperienced fly tiers are beautifully tied flies…
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Jerry French’s Steelhead Sculpin – Fly Tying Video
A while back we shared a great fly tying video put together by our pals at North 40 Fly Shop on the Summer Sculpin, a great sculpin pattern for trout designed by anadramous authority and Alaska West alum, Jerry French. Well, they did it again, this time with a more steelhead worthy version of the…
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The Starlight Leech – Tying Instructions
Silver season is upon us, and while silver salmon might not be known as overly finicky in our parts, many salmon anglers would agree that when it comes to fly selection, one pattern in particular reigns supreme – The Starlight Leech. What makes it so effective? Well, we wrote an entire blog post on that…
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The Bunny Snaelda – Update
Last month we brought to you step by step tying instructions for the ‘Bunny Snaelda,’ a new variation of a popular Atlantic salmon pattern (the Franc N Snaelda) that we’ve seen do really well on our king salmon here at Alaska West. Well, our pal Stuart Foxall recently put it to the test on our…
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‘Ed Ward Style’ Intruders with Stuart Foxall
We’re in the heat of our king salmon season at Alaska West, which means we’re tying on a lot of intruder-style flies these days. Why? Because by its very nature, the intruder was designed to incorporate minimal materials (for ease of casting) while still presenting a large profile in the water (something that tends to…
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Morrish Mouse – Tying Instructions
We’re fast approaching one of our favorite times of year, mouse season! Chucking rodent patterns for voracious rainbow trout is one of our favorite past times, and we’re lucky to do a fair amount of it at our lodges. In preparation of the upcoming season, today we present you with a great step by step, courtesy…
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What Vise Do You Tie On?
We love tying flies, and we know many of you do too. However, as much as we love telling you about our favorite fly patterns, tools, and materials in the world of fly tying, sometimes we like to hear from you! Today is one of those days. That’s right, it’s poll time again on the…
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