We’re proud of the number of popular commercial fly patterns that have been developed over the years from our guides at Alaska West. We think its a testament to not only our incredible fishery, but also a long-standing fraternity of great (and incomparably nerdy) fishing guides. Well, we’re happy to report that another one of…
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King Salmon
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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Spey Rods for King Salmon – Our Favorites
Spey fishing for king salmon is not for the light hearted. It puts rods, reels, lines, knots, and mental toughness to the test. It’s not uncommon for one (or more) of the aforementioned to break, and more often than not, its the latter. However, today we’re not talking about broken hearts, we’re talking about rods…..
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Nice Fish, Joe!
When we first got wind that our good friend and long time Alaska West guest, Joe Dudra, was going to be joining us for not one, but two whole weeks during our king season this year, we were pretty darn excited.. Why? Because those that know Joe, know that he’s a fish magnet, and that…
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King Salmon in Low Water – 5 Tips
Like most of Western Alaska, we’re experiencing slightly lower than average water conditions on our home river at Alaska West. As is the case with most anadromous species, low and clear water can make for some challenging fishing conditions when swinging flies for deep holding fish like king salmon, and often requires a few adjustments…
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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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The Bunny Snaelda – Tying Instructions
Last year our pal and long time Deneki guest, Nic Jepson, shared with us a great step by step on how to tie the Franc N Snaelda – a killer European fly pattern originally designed for Atlantic Salmon that we’ve witnessed work extremely well on our king salmon at Alaska West. Today, professional fly designer,…
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First Alaska West King of 2017
Our 2017 opener at Alaska West is only a few days away, and we’re happy to report that our annual run of king salmon are trickling in as planned. In fact, earlier this week, after a long day of prepping camp for the upcoming season, Deneki team member, Chris Vague, hit the water for a…
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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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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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