Interested in fly tying? Awesome! Here are our 7 most popular posts on spinning up your own. Top Fly Tying Posts The Intruder. It’s become a classic – Jerry French tells about the creation of this game-changer. Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp. Bob Veverka wrote an article on his go-to flats fly – with background and a…
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fly tying
Better Mono Eyes
Adding mono eyes to your bonefish flies is a simple way to increase the realism of your patterns. Mono eyes are very simple to make and offer a good imitation of the beady eyes of most shrimp. Sure, we could debate on whether the fish notice such details or not, but it sure doesn’t seem…
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The Shrimptruder
We swing a lot of flies while fishing in Alaska and B.C., and if you read our blog or hopefully visit with us at these locations, this is not news to you. When swinging for anadramous fish, we have been sold on Intruder-style flies for years. However, as the seasons turn there is a time…
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12 Ways to Tie Better Flies Faster
Winter is here, and for many of us that means it’s fly tying season. If you’re looking to restock your boxes for next season, try a few of these tips to fill them up faster! Take Your Time on the First Pattern. Before you hit production mode, take your time on your first fly pattern. Experiment…
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Cotton Swab Tube Flies
We fish a lot of tube flies at Alaska West, especially when targeting fish on the swing. While there a lot of different tube materials out there marketed by various fly tying companies, when you tie as many flies as we do over the course of the season, sometimes the cheapest option is best. Next time you are…
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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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Golf Tee Popper
One of the things that attracts people to fly fishing is the creative aspect of it. This is seen in fly presentation, line modification, rod building and more, but the most common sign of creativity shows up in someone’s flies – or sometimes lack of flies. One of our long time friends here at Alaska…
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Tying Sculpins with Trevor Covich
Trevor Covich is a long-time member of the Deneki family. Over the years he’s developed some pretty sweet sculpin patterns, and he’s here today in video form to show you just how to tie ’em! This is 20+ minutes of detail straight from the horse’s mouth – if you like to tie, grab yourself a…
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Silver Salmon Popper by Chuck Shepard
The silver salmon fishing is hot up at Alaska West this time of the year, and these fish are really aggressive towards the fly. Stripping a fly below the surface creates a jigging action that is hard for a Silver to resist, but one method that is often over looked is targeting them on the…
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Trimming Spun Deer Hair
Jordan Sly is back today with another handy post on fly tying! Trimming Spun Deer Hair Spun deer hair is great for many things – adding buoyancy, creating bodies and heads – but it can be hard to get the right shape when trimming it. A flexible razor blade can not only help create a…
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