It’s one of the toughest situations in steelheading, but it happens quite a lot. Most often it’s early or late in the day, and light is relatively low. Feeling safe, a steelhead tucks himself in right against the bank. You make a long cast (because even though the fish are in tight, that’s what we…
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Steelhead
Prime-Time Steelhead Spots for Single Anglers
Our prime steelhead weeks on the Dean River at BC West tend to sell out well in advance. We’re not sure, but we think it has something to do with the opportunity to swing flies for some of the hottest steelhead in the world, amongst some of the most picturesque scenery an angler could ask…
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Wild Steelheaders United on Understanding Steelhead Hatcheries
Our good friends from Wild Steelheaders United have been putting out some seriously informative content of late as part of their ‘Science Friday‘ series of posts, where each Friday they share the latest in steelhead science. As part of TU’s ‘Wild Steelhead Initiative,’ Wild Steelheaders United’s mission statement is beautifully simple – to educate steelhead anglers…
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Swinging Flies in Low and Clear Water – Fish Further Away
We’ve said it many times before, but when swinging flies for salmon and steelhead a common mistake made by many spey anglers is actually casting too far – often missing out on the good fishy water right in front of them. However, casting far is fun! And today our own Jason Whiting lends a tip…
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Steelhead Biology for Anglers
To outsmart any quarry, you must first understand it, and steelhead are arguably one of the least understood, and thus elusive, species out there. However, today we present to you a killer article written by Alaska West alum, and TU’s Wild Steelhead Initiative Organizer, Nick Chambers, on the biology of steelhead and how it relates to, well, catching…
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Finish Your Swing with Some Action
Here’s a scenario that most two handed anglers can relate to; You’ve made a nice cast to the opposite bank, kicked over a big mend, and stepped down the run setting up your swing to perfection. Your fly tracks through the gut of the run at that magical speed at what you’re confident is the…
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Jerry French’s ‘Dirty Hoh’ Coming to a Fly Shop Near You
If you like swinging flies, odds are you recognize the name of steelhead guru and Alaska West guide, Jerry French. Along with his friends, Ed Ward and Scott Howell, Jerry was part of the braintrust behind one of the most widely used fly patterns in modern Northwest steelhead fishing; The Intruder. Since its creation, numerous steelhead…
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Steelheading: 5 Reasons to Fish a Dry
Catching fish on the surface is certainly not an everyday occurrence for most steelhead anglers. However, during certain parts of our season at BC West we’re pretty fortunate to have a very real opportunity to target them on top, and today Kara Knight gives us a few reasons why you should give the dry a chance….
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Nice Fish, Mike!
BC West guest, Mike Walsh, recently joined us for the first week of our season on the Dean. During his stay he landed this specimen. Nice fish, Mike! More from the Dean Dean River Steelhead Fly Selection Steelheading Simplified Selecting Steelhead Flies
Tying Intruders – Funky Blob Fritz
We’ve been spinning up a lot of king salmon flies lately in anticipation of our upcoming season, and that means big flies for big fish.. Heck we’re getting excited just thinking about it. When swinging flies for kings, we’ve long been fans of intruder style patterns due to their large profile appearance in the water with minimal materials (allowing…
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