When swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, we talk a lot about the importance of ‘fly profile,’ the broadside silhouette the fly takes on while in the water. Many fly tyers go to great lengths trying to achieve a desired profile, and it is this idea that has stemmed many modern steelhead and salmon patterns….
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mending
The Reach Mend
Manipulating the fly line so that your fly behaves correctly in the current is one of the most important skills an angler can master. Its called mending, and its one of the many techniques perfected by that 10% of anglers that catch 90% of the fish. Most of us understand the importance of mending line when fishing moving water (if not, click…
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Boondoggin’ for Rainbows – 4 Tips
Bryan Burke works in our Anchorage office now, but he earned his stripes guiding guests at Alaska West on the Kanektok. In a recent conversation about favorite fishing techniques, Bryan declared boondogging (huh? read on…) to be at the top of his list. We asked him for some tips, and he obliged. Four Tips to…
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5 Ways to Catch More Rainbow Trout
Catching rainbow trout at Alaska West is not all that difficult – in fact it’s easy to catch ‘some’. That being said, great anglers catch more, and great anglers catch the bigger ones. Here are 5 ways you can make yourself into a ‘greater’ trout angler in our part of the world. Mend less. Our…
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To Mend or Not to Mend?
Today we’ve got a bit of a conversation-starter for those of you out there who like swinging flies for steelhead. Scott Baker-McGarva, head guide at BC West, gives us some thoughts on mending line. Have a read and let us know what you think. To Mend or Not to Mend? Many years ago I wouldn’t have…
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Mending – The Finish Line
We’re wrapping up our mini-series on mending your fly line. Written by Chris Price, our manager at Chile West, this group of posts so far has covered an introduction to mending, Belly, How to Lift and Lay, and Nymphing and the Complete Mend. Today we’re putting it all together to fish a complex current well, by mending well!…
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Mending – Nymphing and the ‘Complete Mend’
Time for more on mending line when you’re trout fishing! We’re back from a short break in our series on mending – Chris Price, our manager at Chile West, writes the series, and he’s been out for the last couple of weeks hosting a group on a fantastic trip. Don’t worry, you’ll hear more about…
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Top Trout Fishing Posts of 2010
We’re nearing the end of 2010, so as dutiful members of the media we figured it was time to run a series of posts looking back on some highlights of the year. Since it’s really all about the fish, we decided to group these little roundups by type of finned friend. The formula is pretty…
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Mending – Lift and Lay
Today we’ve got part 3 in our mini-series about mending your fly line, and we’re covering some of the finer points of mending. Is this the glamorous stuff? No, not really. Will this stuff help you catch more fish? Heck yes. Mending Part 3 Let’s say, for the sake of example, we are mending upstream….
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Belly – More on Mending Line
It’s time for part 2 in our series about mending your fly line. Today it’s all about ‘belly’! Fly Line ‘Belly’ and Mending We have talked about the word ‘mend’ and its meaning. So now that we know that the mend will affect the presentation of the fly, let’s talk about ‘belly’. Belly can be explained…
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