There’s no doubt that one of the most alluring things about swinging flies is the constant anticipation of that electrifying grab while under tension. After all, as they say, the tug is the drug right? Well, if the tug is the drug, then a tug from a king salmon is the most illicit kind.. Don’t…
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Jerry French’s Steelhead Sculpin – Fly Tying Video
A while back we shared a great fly tying video put together by our pals at North 40 Fly Shop on the Summer Sculpin, a great sculpin pattern for trout designed by anadramous authority and Alaska West alum, Jerry French. Well, they did it again, this time with a more steelhead worthy version of the…
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Popper Fishing for Silvers – Video
We’ve posted an awful lot in the past about popper fishing for our ridiculous run of silver salmon at Alaska West. After all, big bright salmon inhaling surface flies, over and over again, is hard to keep entirely to ourselves.. That said, without seeing it for yourself, we don’t think reading about it does it…
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Spey Fishing – Pulsing the Swing (Video)
The “tug” might be the “drug,” but most anglers would agree that a tug that stays attached is ideal. Unfortunately, when swinging flies for salmon and steelhead, that’s not always the case. Quick strikes, followed by an unanswered swing, are common when spey fishing, and can be frustrating at the very least. So what do…
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Timeless Tip Tuesday: Swinging Flies – Cast, Then Step
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 likes to present flies to steelhead. The basic idea – rather than stepping downriver after…
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History of the Intruder – Interview with Jerry French
Steelhead anglers rejoice! The folks from the Ashland Fly Shop recently conducted a great interview with our pal and Alaska West family member, Jerry French, featuring some great insight on fly selection, spey casting, and an in-depth history of the evolution of the intruder-style fly patterns many of us use today. If you like swinging flies…
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Spey TV Episode 9: Single Spey with Simon Gawesworth
Our pal George Cook is back with another edition of Spey TV, this time accompanied by Simon Gawesworth to talk about the finer points of one of the most traditional, yet arguably most difficult spey casts to master, the single spey. For those looking to dial in their single spey, we think you’d be hard…
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“Signs of Life” – Photo Essay and Video from the Flyfish Journal
In case you haven’t seen it, our friends from the Flyfish Journal just released a stunning online essay highlighting the steelheading culture surrounding the infamous Skagit River – Regarded by many as the birthplace of modern steelheading as we know it today. The essay digs deep into the past, present, and future of the Skagit with some…
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Whitney Gould’s World Record Spey Cast – Video
Last month we told you that Deneki family member, Whitney Gould, took top honors once again in the women’s division at this years Spey-O-Rama World Spey Casting Championship. However, as you might recall, not only did she take first place, she also set the women’s world record with her longest cast of 150 feet, a snake-roll…
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Advanced D-Loop Tips for Switch Rods – Video
Our friends from Airflo are back with another great video highlighting spey casting tips for shorter skagit-style heads, like their latest ‘Skagit Scout‘ line. For some great tips on forming more efficient d-loops for more powerful casts on both shorter switch rods or longer spey rods alike, be sure to give the video a watch…
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