Those who have been tuning into our blog/newsletter over the last couple years might recognize the name, Chuck Keller. Why? Because back in 2017 Chuck managed to land one of the largest bonefish we saw all season at Andros South! Well, Chuck must be holding his mouth right because just last week he joined us…
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Steelhead
Timeless Tips: Steelheading Simplified
Today we have a few steelheading tips coming at you from our own Kara Knight. Kara is our lodge manager at B.C. West on the Dean River and knows a thing or two about swinging flies for steelhead. We asked Kara for a few tips she’s picked up from her time on the Dean that…
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Steelhead Science from Wild Steelheaders United: Do These Lipids Make Me Look Fat?
Knowledge is power. When it comes to fishing, the more you ‘know’ about your quarry, the more ‘power’ you have to not only catch them, but to protect them as well. That’s why we love TU’s Wild Steelheaders United’s Science Friday series of posts to keep us current on the latest on one of our…
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Ryan Gossett’s Single Stage Squidrow Featured in Swing the Fly Magazine
The latest issue of Swing the Fly (2018 Volume 2) recently hit the stands and we’re happy to announce that Alaska West guide, Ryan Gossett, is featured in the issue highlighting his go-to pattern for winter steelhead; the Single Stage Squidrow. Not only is Ryan a great guide, he’s also one heck of a fly…
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The Steelhead Phantam – Tying Instructions
Great flies are developed out of necessity. To solve a problem. To catch fish in challenging conditions or situations where other patterns just don’t quite get the job done. That’s the basis behind Deneki pal, Daniel Cope’s Steelhead Phantam; a clever spin on Miguel Morejohn’s popular steelhead pattern, the Bantam, designed to target small-water coastal…
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How to Tie Trevor Covich’s Guide Fly for Steelhead – Video
guide fly /ɡīd – flī/ noun. An artificial imitation designed to catch maximum numbers of fish with minimum effort or production time. Typically comprised of inexpensive, durable, and/or readily available materials. Guide flies are a crucial part of a fishing guide’s arsenal. The ability to turn out a day’s worth of flies in an evening allows…
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Swinging Flies: How to Set the Hook – OPST Video
When swinging flies for king salmon and steelhead, we’d argue that more fish are lost due to a poor hook-set than at any other point during the fight. Unlike techniques associated with traditional upstream dry fly, nymphing, or even streamer fishing, swinging flies requires a different technique to effectively drive the hook home. How so…
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Jerry French’s ‘Ultra Squid’ Coming to a Fly Shop Near You
The good folks at Aqua Flies have teemed up once again with our good friend and Alaska West alum, Jerry French, to bring the latest and greatest in steelhead/salmon flies; The Ultra Squid. Responsible for the design of innovative patterns like the the Intruder and the Dirty hoh, Jerry is widely accepted as one of…
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Stacking Tubes
A while back, fly tying great, Stuart Foxall, shared a great step by step with us on one of our all-time favorite patterns for salmon and steelhead, the Hoh Bo Spey. He didn’t stop there however, he also gave us a great post on how to tie the Hoh Bo Spey on a tube as…
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Spey Fishing: How Many Steps to Take Between Casts (Video)
When swinging flies for salmon and/or steelhead, a common conundrum is how many steps should be taken in between casts. In other words, how much water should you cover with each cast? It’s a question we get asked a lot from our anglers, which is why today we share with you a great video from…
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