Silver season is fast approaching (ahem, we may or may not have already seen a few) and we’re currently experiencing the height of our mind-boggling run of chum salmon on our home river at Alaska West. That can only mean one thing.. It’s popper season! We love tossing surface patterns for our ridiculous runs of…
Read More
step by step
The Stain Remover – Tying Instructions
A while back our pal, Daniel Cope, gave us a great fly tying step by step on his go-to pattern for coastal steelhead; the Steelhead Phantam. For those who don’t know Daniel, he’s one heck of a fly tyer. He’s also a frequenter of our humble little blog, so naturally we were honored when he…
Read More
Fly Tying Step by Steps – Roundup
Way back in 2014 we started putting together detailed fly tying step by steps on how to tie some of our favorite fly patterns for salmon, steelhead, trout, bonefish, and more. We’ve accumulated quite a few since then, so we thought it was time to put together an updated roundup of all of our step…
Read More
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…
Read More
The Coho Clouser – Tying Instructions
When asked about our favorite flies for silver salmon, many of our guests are surprised to hear that one of the most popular patterns amongst our guide staff at Alaska West is not a ‘typical’ Alaska-born coho pattern such as a hareball leech or dolly llama, but rather a plain ol’ pink and white Clouser…
Read More
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…
Read More
The Morrish Mouse 2.0 – Tying Instructions
Ken Morrish’s ‘Morrish Mouse’ is arguably one of the most well known (and effective) mouse patterns ever created. In fact, it’s one of our favorite flies at Rapids Camp Lodge. However, originally tied on a traditional down-riding hook, some believe the original Morrish Mouse has a tendency for shorter strikes and potentially a higher rate…
Read More
The Undertaker – Tying Instructions
Yesterday marked the first official day of winter, and for many that means it’s officially fly tying season. To celebrate, today we present you with a great step by step by legendary fly tyer, Stuart Foxall, on how to tie a classic salmon/steelhead pattern, the Undertaker. Not only is the Undertaker an effective fly for…
Read More
The Starlight Leech – Tying Instructions
Silver season is upon us, and while silver salmon might not be known as overly finicky in our parts, many salmon anglers would agree that when it comes to fly selection, one pattern in particular reigns supreme – The Starlight Leech. What makes it so effective? Well, we wrote an entire blog post on that…
Read More
‘Ed Ward Style’ Intruders with Stuart Foxall
We’re in the heat of our king salmon season at Alaska West, which means we’re tying on a lot of intruder-style flies these days. Why? Because by its very nature, the intruder was designed to incorporate minimal materials (for ease of casting) while still presenting a large profile in the water (something that tends to…
Read More