Earlier this year we did a post from Alaska West alumni Zac Cassil on why the opening week at AK West was his favorite. When you have a fishery like the Kanektok River outside your front door, there really is no bad part of the season to be there. Our good friend and regular guest,…
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Kanektok River
Cool Article on Kanektok Rainbows
Alaska Department of Game and Fish talks about Kanektok Rainbow Trout in their October Newsletter, WeFishAk. You can read the full article here! Our personal favorite line from the article reads “One researcher on the Kanektok River found 16 mice in one rainbow’s belly!” And yes, they do include a photo of this! To experience the…
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Finishing Strong on the Kanektok
On one of the last days of the season at Alaska West, repeat guest Terry Haines and AK West guide Evan Vick landed 2 incredible leopard rainbows on the K-Tok. These are the fish our homeriver has become famous for, gorgeous yet powerful. The first one was 25 and 1/2 inches on the tape and…
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The Salmon Grand Slam
Whenever you start talking about Grand Slams you know the topic is going to be incredibly difficult, but at the same time, so rewarding that it is worth traveling the globe for. Saltwater anglers have the elusive Flats grand slam of a bonefish, tarpon, and permit. In New Orleans, there is the Cajun grand slam,…
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Why the Kanektok River is so special?
One cannot talk about top fishing lodges in Alaska without mentioning Alaska West. Admittedly we take a little bit of credit for, in our opinion, the best Tent Camp lodge in the state but we also know to give credit where credit is due. The main reason Alaska West is so special is because of…
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Opening Day at Alaska West
We just kicked off our season at Alaska West and we’re happy to report that our first run of king salmon have arrived! Despite higher-than-average water conditions, our opening day yielded steady action, with some healthy adult kings landed, and more than a few heartbreakers lost. We’re going to be on-site all season long and…
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Our 5 Favorite Ways to Catch Rainbow Trout
We love fly fishing for trout. However, targeting trout in Alaska is a bit different than targeting trout in other parts of the world. A high abundance of food within a short growing season makes them more opportunistic than most, allowing us to target them with a bunch of different techniques, some of our favorites…
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Hooligan
Believe it or not, the first anadromous species to enter our river system at Alaska West each spring are known as eulachons, or ‘hooligans’ as we commonly call them. We aren’t positive, but aside from resident baitfish and the occasional rodent, it’s a pretty safe bet that these anadromous smelt are the first major protein…
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Opening Day at Alaska West
Today marks the opening day of our fishing season at Alaska West. Our guests and guides are taking to the water this morning to cut the first tracks on the Kanektok for the 2017 season, and needless to say, we couldn’t be more excited. We’ll be on site all season long, and plan on keeping…
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Rainbow Trout Flies – Our Favorites at Alaska West
We’re in the process of filing up our boxes for our summer season at Alaska West (we hope some of you are too), and we’ve got one of our favorite species on our mind – Big, wild, Alaskan, leopard rainbow trout. Therefore, for all those looking to stock up on flies for the coming season, we…
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