King salmon are the the heavyweight champions of North American rivers. But landing one on a Spey rod? That’s a different game entirely kind of fight. After years chasing these giants across Alaska’s wildest waters, and we’ve learned that small changes in your stragety can make a world of difference. Here are three simple techniques…
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Spey
Fly Tying: Suskwa Poacher
Well, it’s fall here in Alaska. The leaves are starting to turn and fall, as is the temperature (currently 34° F as of this write). Fall also signals fall fishing for big steelhead and trout for many anglers. As the leaves change their colors and the air becomes nippy, the rivers come alive with big,…
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Fishing Etiquette: Spey Edition
We’re calling today’s post ‘Spey fishing etiquette’ just because that’s a more manageable title than ‘swinging flies on foot working down a run etiquette.’ Our suggestions apply to any situation that matches that description – single or double-handed rod chasing any anadromous fish. And, in case it isn’t obvious, these rules apply to conditions in…
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New to Spey Casting? Learn this: Loops vs. Coils- Managing Running Line.
For many of us, Spey casting is all about casting, but it is so much more than that. Like a good operating machine or a smooth golf swing, there are so many parts to consider. One thing many first-time Spey or two-handed fly rod users don’t fully consider or understand is the importance of line…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Casting and Current Speed
Be mindful of your feelings. When determining which Spey cast to use in a given situation, most experienced Spey anglers take into account three primary variables; wind direction (upstream wind, downstream wind, etc.), river position (which side of the river you’re casting from), and obstacles (trees, rocks, banks, or other obstructions that limit your casting…
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Deneki Chronicles: Swinging Flies – Cast, Then Step.
In this week’s Deneki Chronicles, we explore why it’s best to cast, then step. Jiggy. Cast, mend, swing fly, take a few steps downriver, repeat. That’s how you fish for steelhead, right? Not necessarily. Michael White stops by in video form today, straight from the Dean River, to tell us a bit about how he…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Casting and Hand Position
Brian Niska’s series of spey casting tips continues today, with some great discussion on hand position. This is one of our favorites! Reduce Fatigue and Increase Speycasting Performance with Proper Hand Position Proper hand position will enable you to utilize the larger joints to develop power for the speycast, thereby reducing fatigue and increasing casting…
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Deneki Chronicles: Spey Fishing for Trout – Tactics
In this week’s Deneki Chronicles we revisit Spey Fishing Tactics for Trout, specifically patterns. Give it a read before your trip to Alaska to tag some Big Rainbow Trout. Trout spey tactic #427: Put the wood to ’em. Photo: Cameron Miller In the past couple of weeks we’ve covered why we think you should…
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Deneki Chronicles: The Importance of the ‘Engagement Range’ When Swinging Flies
This week’s Deneki Chronicles features a friend of Deneki Outdoors, George Cook. In this post, George gives us some quality insight into the importance of the ‘Engagement Range.’ We like the “time on the water” portion of the post. Our good friend and legendary rep for some of the most respected brands in the biz,…
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Deneki Chronicles: Get the Right Line for Your Spey Rod!
At Alaska West we spend a lot of time chasing anadromous fish with two-handed rods. We see this situation all the time: Angler arrives in camp with new spey rod. Angler sets it up with the line that his or her buddy/mentor/favorite author/shop guy/rep/mother-in-law said would work well. Angler fishes it for a while and…
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