A little nookie - Alaska West Week 3

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Through chance, luck and a bit of timing, I found myself heading to Alaska West on the Kanektok River for their third "Spey Week", June 25 - July 2. A week of swinging flies for chrome chinook? Can't begin to tell you how excited I was. Needless to say, I had an amazing time. Fishing was great, accommodations relaxed and comfortable, and of course the company was fantastic. The Kanektok is a gorgeous river, with gravel bar after gravel bar of some of the juiciest swinging water ever. The lower end is tidal, and during high tide anchoring up and casting single hand rods from the boats was both fun and effective. In addition to chinook, we caught a lot of chum, and they are cleaner than any others I have seen. Also, sockeye, pinks, gorgeous leopard rainbows and dollys are available, and somehow I managed to land four tiny little flounder. Working the run, thousands of ooligans swim by your feet and salmon slash and roll all around you. Bear tracks litter the beaches, birds fly overhead and sing all night long, and yes, there are mosquitos wanting to get up close and personal. Here are a few shots from the week.

Last light lasts forever.

Getting ready to head out.

Bow-bow

So chrome.

These tracks weren't there yesterday.

A fresh tidewater fish.

George Cook was on hand to give spey casting intruction.

The release...

-Trevor Covich photo-

Casting at the mouth: next stop Russia.

-George Cook photo-

Mice, chinook flies, sculpins, eggs, flesh...the rainbows are voracious.

-Whitney Gould photo-

Guide and amazing friend Whitney.

Yes, they have spots on their eyes.

-Whitney Gould photo-

Guides Garrett and Matt get comfy.

Big grabs, beautiful fish... can't help but smile.

-Trevor Covich photo-

Heavy rain and no wind = moquito attack.

-Garrett Sullivan photo-

The Kanektok isn't the only river in the area with big chinnies.

-Matt Hynes photo-

You can see forever: the mountains are 90+ miles away.

Be warned, you will become addicted to these fish.

-Trevor Covich photo-

Alaska West is on an island: Flag Channel meets the mainstem.

What's a little rain when you're fishing?

For more information visit the Alaska West website here. They also have regular updates on the Deneki Outdoors Facebook page here.

Thanks so much to the crew at AK West for a great trip!

Wanna go for a ride?

BloodKnot Magazine

Vol 1, Issue 1 - "The Military Issue"

with Bitch Creek Articles by Morgan Buckert, Aileen Ellis and Emily Neiley

Awakening the Skeena

For more information and to watch a trailer for the movie visit Double Haul Productions.

Good luck at Spey-O-Rama Whit!!

Whit's Spey-O-Rama Interview on Rogue Angels

Quick Hits

The time of year has come again, when days are getting long, waters are warming up, and the spey hatch is blooming. For all those addicted to the great sport (?) of spey casting and double handed rods, here are two awesome events to attend in the upcoming months.

Michael & Young Flyshop's Annual Spey Day

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Over the past 5 years, M&Y's free spey day has grown and grown, while still maintaining a easy, low key atmostphere. For those of you unfamiliar with our spey day, there is nothing for sale at this event, which means all you have to worry about is how many combos you can manage to try throughout the day. This event is designed to appeal to everyone, whether you haven't even tried spey casting yet, want to learn the technique for your single hand rod, or have been using a double hander for years. No pressure, no expectations, just a great learning environment and an opportunity to try out rods and lines.

This year we are pleased to have Steve Rajeff and Steve Choate return to wow us with their demonstrations, and offer their tips and encouragement with our own casting. As always, a FREE barbeque lunch will be provided and there will be a draw for some great prizes; the one to watch out for is the Hatch Pulse 9 Mid Arbor reel, generously donated by Hatch Outdoors.

Location: Peg Leg Bar, Chilliwack, BC (directions)

Start Time: 8:00 am

~Vendors~

Sage

Scott

G. Loomis

Redington

CND

Winston

TFO

Echo

Airflo

Rio

3M Scientific Anglers

and more....

For more information, contact the shop via email - info@myflyshop.com or phone - (604) 588-2833

Sandy River Spey Clave

May 14-16, 2010

The mother of all spey claves, the Sandy River Clave is an action packed weekend with demos, presentations, and lots of gear to drool over. This year the Friday (May 14) is once again devoted to the ladies, with a number of great presentions by some incredible women - Kateri Clay, Amy Hazel, Mia Sheppard, Denise Maxwell, Dawn Fischer-Chou, Whitney Gould, Nicole Darland, Mary Ann Dozer, Katherine Hart, Anne Tatum,  and Rachel Andras. Oh, and me. The Saturday and Sunday will follow the usual format of great meals, great presentations, and lots of fun.

For more information please go  to http://www.flyfishusa.com/spey-clave.htm

Beach Fishing Photos

Ready to head out.

Great rock structure.

The jet ski pushed the fish in, lots of grabs at this point.

Sometimes you can ride over the waves...

Sometimes you can jump through them...

And sometimes you have to dive right through them.

Better keep that back cast high.

Everything comes together.