We’re really lucky to witness prolific runs of all five species of pacific salmon throughout our season at Alaska West. That means that each year some of our guests (particularly those joining us from mid/late July to early August) get a shot at the ol’ grand slam; All five species of pacific salmon, all on the fly,…
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Pink Salmon
Pacific Salmon Mini Gallery – Spawning Colors
We talk an awful lot about ‘chrome bright salmon,’ but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t think some of the colors pacific salmon take on as they start their spawning ritual were anything short of spectacular. We’re lucky that some of our lodges are located so close to the ocean that we’re able…
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A Beautiful Day in Alaska
It might not look like ideal weather to most, but when we’re chasing salmon in Western Alaska, we long for days like this.. Bright sunny days can make for epic trout fishing, but dark, gloomy, and down right miserable looking days means happy salmon, and we like that. More on Salmon Fishing The High Sun Game Plan…
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It’s a Pink Year!
If our fishery at Alaska West wasn’t already diverse enough for you with kings, chums, sockeye, silvers, leopard rainbows, dolly varden, and Arctic grayling, not to worry – it’s 2014 and that means it’s a Pink Year! Unlike the other four species of Pacific salmon, the pink salmon’s pilgrimage to their spawning grounds occurs every…
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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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What We Catch at Alaska West
At Alaska West our fishery is not only incredibly productive – it’s got so much variety you couldn’t hope to sample it all in one trip. Here’s a handy guide to the species we catch at Alaska West, in very rough order of when you might catch them, except for the oddballs thrown in at…
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Why Pink Salmon Are Cool – 6 Reasons
True, not many anglers head to Alaska specifically to target pink salmon. That’s OK though – we still think they’re pretty awesome fish. Here’s why. Every other year there are billions of them. OK, not billions, but on even-numbered years on the Kanektok, our pink numbers are very, very large. They eat poppers. Find ’em…
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Pacific Salmon – They All Have Two Names
If you’ve ever been confused listening to people talk about the different species of Pacific Salmon, you’re not alone. No one knows why, but for some reason each of the five North American Pacific Salmon have two names. It’s really not that complicated! King Salmon = Chinook Salmon. No difference. Photo: Cameron Miller — Chum…
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Pink Pollywogs and Poppers
They’re a lot more excited than they look. Photo: Cameron Miller At Alaska West, we fish for all five species of Pacific salmon right next to the salt. Much of the water that we cover has actual tidal influence, and whether we’re 1 mile from the salt or 10, the salmon that we’re presenting flies…
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