Summers in Alaska look great on Instagram. Sunlight stretching until midnight, bald eagles on standby for photo ops, cruise ships gliding through glassy water. But those of us who have actually lived there know that The Last Frontier can be equal parts breathtaking yet, will present some mild challenges. The trick is packing gear that keeps you warm, dry, bug-bite-free, and at least somewhat dignified.

Here are six items you’ll thank yourself for having when your summer trip in Alaska doesn’t go quite as “Disney nature film” as you expected.

1. Binoculars

If you plan to spot bears, whales, or your own dignity after a wet hike, a solid pair of binoculars is mandatory. Alaskan wildlife doesn’t exactly pose for close-ups. They’re usually a respectable hundred yards away (and that’s exactly how you want it). Good optics let you “oooh” safely from a distance without becoming part of the food chain.

What we use: Maven C.1 – www.mavenbuilt.com

Budget friendly option: Nikon Prostaff P3 – www.nikonusa.com

2. Bug Headnet

The Alaskan mosquito is less insect, more lifestyle. There are days when you’ll swear they’re carrying tiny tool belts and union cards. A headnet may not win you any fashion awards, but it will keep you from swatting furiously like a malfunctioning wiper blade. Pro tip: Get one that has the smallest mesh. You can still see, but it keeps all the bugs away from your face, including the smallest ones. 

What we use: Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net with Insect Shield – www.seatosummit.com

3. Gloves

Summer days can go from sunburn to frostbite faster than you can say “Where’d I leave the coffee?” Whether you’re gripping an oar, a fishing rod, or a camera, lightweight gloves keep your hands comfortable and slightly more Instagram ready than purple and chapped. Go with something quick-drying, and malleable gloves. You’ll use them more than you think.

What we recommend: REI Flash Power Stretch Gloves – www.rei.com

For the Fly Anglers: Simms Windstopeer Flex Fishing Glove – www.simmsfishing.com

4. Sunscreen

Yes, sunscreen. Despite the whole “Arctic” thing, summer sun in Alaska is relentless, especially when it bounces off snow, water, or cruise-ship decks. Nothing says “novice traveler” like a bright red nose in your bear-viewing photos. Apply liberally; you can thank me when your face doesn’t glow under the midnight sun.

What we use: Sun Bum Roll On Lotion – www.sunbum.com

5. Lightweight Puffy, Windproof Jacket

Alaska has a special skill, making 55°F feel like 30°F when the wind picks up. A light, windproof puffy will be your best friend during these conditions. They pack small, warm fast, and can double as a pillow when you’re trying to nap through a bush plane flight. Bring one, even if you think you won’t need it. You will.

What we use: Patagonia Nano Puff Insulated Hoodie – www.patagonia.com

6. Yeti Tumbler or Rambler

Whilst on a fishing boat, float plane, or glacier cruise, hydration is important, whether it’s coffee during early fishing mornings or something “warming” for those long glacier sunsets. A Yeti tumbler keeps your drink at just the right temperature and subtly signals to every outfit around that you came prepared. Also, there is something about always having your own mug that is very satisfying.  The 20 oz Tumbler or Rambler seems to be the perfect size for travel, and they fit in cup holders well.

What we use: Yeti 20 fl. oz  Tumbler or Rambler Stackable cup – www.yeti.com

Pro Tip: Reasons You Should Buy Your Gear In Alaska, Not Before

Local Staff, Local Knowledge – Whether fly fishing or Bear Viewing, or both, all the items mentioned above can be sourced locally in Alaska shops. Staff at these shops aren’t just salespeople, especially at the independent outfitters. They’re hunters, fishers, hikers, and mountaineers who know firsthand what works and what fails in Alaskan terrain and weather. So, they know. If you’d like a list of shops we recommend, feel free to get a hold of us. If ordering over the phone, make sure to do it plenty of time in advance, in case they have to order.

No Sales Tax – Another benefit to purchasing in Alaska, particularly in Anchorage, is that there is no sales tax. Buying gear can get pricey. Why not save a few bucks where you can? Anchorage, Alaska is home to many small businesses that are outfitters and carry the gear mentioned, so check there first. If not, then you can check local box stores.

Pre-Order and Have Them Hold it For You – Many local shops will allow you to preorder and they will hold it, and will call for you until you arrive. This saves on luggage space (at least on the way up to Alaska). Just remember you’ll need space to bring gear back home.

So there you have it, six essentials that stand between you and either a successful adventure in Alaska or an embarrassing cameo on a “When Nature Wins” compilation. Alaska rewards the prepared, punishes the overconfident, and laughs silently, like a glacier calving at anyone who thought “it’s probably fine.” Pack smart, stay warm, and remember: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad planning (and really smug locals).

Today’s post on the art of bear viewing is brought to you by Stewart’s Photo in Anchorage, Alaska your trusted source for everything photography in the Last Frontier. Whether you’re upgrading gear, printing your favorite wildlife shots, or just need advice from folks who know cameras (and Alaska) inside and out, Stewart’s has you covered. They’ve been helping adventurers, guides, and photographers capture unforgettable Alaskan moments for decades, and we’re thrilled to have them along for this story.

Each summer, the rivers of Bristol Bay, Alaska come alive with one of nature’s greatest spectacles. As millions of salmon surge upstream, brown bears gather along rivers like the Naknek and Brooks, creating extraordinary wildlife viewing and photography opportunities that draw visitors from around the world. At places just minutes from the world-famous Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, the wildlife feels less like a distant scene and more like an immersive, wild classroom. 

But documenting this awe-inspiring drama with a camera requires more than just being present. It demands preparation, patience, and an intimate understanding of both animal behavior and photographic technique.

Anticipation Over Reaction

In bear photography, timing is everything. There’s a simple but humbling truth: if you see the action through the viewfinder, you probably missed it. Bears often give subtle behavioral clues, like a shift in stance or locked gaze, just before they explode into action. Take the time to observe first. Learn how the bear positions itself in the current, how its eyes lock onto a likely strike point, and how its weight subtly shifts before lunging. Only then should you begin hitting the shutter. This anticipation, rather than reaction, is what turns fleeting wildlife action into compelling images.

Places like Brooks Falls provide consistent scenes of bears deducing the currents and splashing for salmon, making them ideal for learning patterns over time. 

Technical Speed: Settings That Work

Wildlife photography, especially with bears, is all about speed. Bears can appear slow and plodding, yet in the moment of a fish strike, they move like explosions of muscle and water.

Set your camera to rapid burst mode using continuous high-speed shooting so you can capture sequences instead of single frames. Fast shutter speeds are essential:

• Use at least 1/500 second for general bear shots.
• Be prepared to bump up to 1/800 second or more when bears are active.
• To freeze dramatic splashes and airborne salmon, aim for 1/1000 second or faster.

A perfectly timed shot—with droplets frozen in midair—can elevate a photo from merely good to iconic.

Creative Motion: Use an ND Filter

While freezing action is the classic approach, another creative tool can help your images stand apart from the typical salmon-strike shots: the neutral density (ND) filter. By reducing the amount of light entering the lens, an ND filter lets you use slower shutter speeds, even in daylight.

The goal is to find the sweet spot—a moment when the bear is relatively still while the water around it rushes by. With the right exposure, the water blurs into a creamy, “whipped-cream” texture while the bear remains sharp. These artistic images contrast motion and stillness in a way that many photographers overlook, creating shots that feel expressive and distinct.

Autofocus and Lens Choices

For moving subjects like bears, continuous autofocus tracking (AI Servo on Canon, AF-C on Nikon/Sony) is essential to keep subjects sharp throughout a sequence of movement.

Your choice of lens matters. A telephoto zoom in the 150–600mm range is versatile for wildlife work. It lets you frame intimate portraits from a safe distance without intruding on the animals’ space. A wide maximum aperture (f/4 or wider) helps isolate your subject and perform better in low light.

Bring gear to stay stable for long sessions: a sturdy tripod or monopod to support heavy lenses, rain covers for unpredictable Alaskan weather, and extra batteries, since cold, damp conditions drain power faster than you’d expect. Activating a silent shutter mode also helps minimize disturbances in quiet moments.

Perspective and Light

Whenever possible, photograph bears at eye level. Shooting from above often feels detached; lowering your perspective makes images more engaging and immersive. It invites viewers into the bear’s world rather than keeping them at a distance.

Light matters just as much as perspective. Early mornings and late evenings offer warm, golden tones that enhance texture and depth. Even overcast days, with their soft, diffused light, are ideal for portrait work, revealing subtleties in dark fur without harsh shadows.

Beyond the Photograph

Bear viewing around Bristol Bay is more than a photography trip, it’s a full immersion into wilderness life. Rapids Camp Lodge on the Naknek River, where floatplane flights deliver you to prime viewing areas near Brooks Falls and beyond, is an ideal launching pad for your adventure. Here, you witness bears in authentic, unfiltered behavior: fishing, resting, interacting, and sometimes just wandering along the riverbank as though they own the place, because, in a sense, they do. 

The most powerful images come from understanding: understanding the rhythms of the river, the behavior of the bears, and the shifting light across the landscape. Patience, more than any piece of equipment, is often the key to capturing moments that resonate.

When preparation, observation, and creativity come together, you’ll find more than just technically sharp photos. You’ll capture narratives—moments that reflect the raw strength, serene beauty, and compelling individuality of Alaska’s brown bears in one of the wildest places left on Earth.

Sometimes, nature doesn’t need your narration. It just needs you to show up, get quiet, and let it unfold. Watching a Brooks Falls brown bear swipe 25 pounds of salmon into a single bite-sized snack will humble even the most seasoned shooter behind the lens. As Sean O’Connell said in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” They just are. Brooks Falls is living proof.

So if you’ve ever dreamed of trading your tripod’s city skyline for the soft hum of Alaska’s wild, it’s time. Book a bear-viewing trip to Brooks Falls, where the only thing louder than your camera shutter is the splash of a sockeye in freefall. Bring your curiosity, your camera, and maybe a wide-angle lens—because when the curtain rises on nature’s best show, you’ll want every inch of that frame.

That’s why Rapids Camp Lodge, a quick floatplane hop from the Naknek River, is every photographer’s cheat code. All-inclusive packages mean private guides for the best angles, single-occupancy rooms to edit in peace, chef-prepped meals (and drinks) to fuel the edit binge, and yes, even fly-fishing if your trigger finger needs a break. Book your 2026 bear-viewing trip now via info@deneki.com (“bear viewing” in the subject). Spots vanish faster than a startled cub, so grab your wide-angle; the falls are calling.

Setting reel drag isn’t complicated. That said many anglers do it by “vibes”, and vibes don’t stop a 40 pound King from spooling you into the backing before you can say goodbye.

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth, you have probably been running the wrong drag setting for years. You’ve survived this long because fish are occasionally merciful. Kings, chums, and big rainbows are not known for their mercy.

Drag exists for one reason, to create enough resistance to manage a fish without snapping your tippet. It is not a brake. It is not a clutch. It is a carefully calibrated tension between you and something that outweighs your better judgment. Get it right, and you look like a hero. Get it wrong, and you’re watching your fly line disappear at a speed that feels personally insulting.

So here’s how to actually set it.

The Golden Rule: 25–30% of Your Tippet Strength

This is the number. Burn it into your brain. Your drag should be set to roughly one-quarter to one-third of your tippet’s breaking strength. On a 12-pound tippet, that’s 3 to 4 pounds of drag. Not “snug.” Not “feels about right.” Actual measurable pounds.

How do you measure it? Run your line through a hand scale and pull. It takes about thirty seconds and removes all guesswork from the equation. It is the most unglamorous thirty seconds of any fishing trip and absolutely the most valuable. If you don’t have a hand scale, you should obtain one. They have plenty of home uses beyond calibrating your drag.

Respect the Fish That Doesn’t Respect You

A Chinook King salmon, Chum salmon, or BRTs do not know you exist. They are freight trains wearing a fish costume, and when it decides to run, it is going to run whether or not your drag is set properly. Your job is not to stop it. Your job is to annoy it enough that it eventually gives up.

For dense and heavy salmon or trout, maintain your drag slightly lighter than you think you need. A Mack truck of a fish on the take is at peak power. If you lock down too hard early, something breaks, and it won’t be the fish.

1. Let it run. If the fish wants to run, let it , and DON’T TOUCH THAT DRAG!
2. Keep the tension. Maintain the rod low and parallel to the bank, keep pressure steady, and tighten incrementally as the fish tires.

A tired King is a different animal from a hot one. They are still enormous, but they are negotiating instead of fleeing.

Pro tip, on long King runs, use your palm on the spool rim to add supplemental pressure, just don’t clamp down. Think “gentle suggestion,” not “emergency stop.”

Current also matters. Fighting a King salmon across a heavy current puts extra load on your system even when the fish is barely moving. Account for this. Your effective drag is always higher than your dial setting when the river is pushing against your line.

The Field Adjustment You’re Not Making

Here is the other thing nobody talks about: drag is not a set-and-forget system. Water temperature, current speed, line stretch, and whether the fish just ate a big meal, none of it stays constant. You should be adjusting your drag during a fight, especially on long runs with big fish.

As a big fish tires, tighten slightly. If a rainbow burns toward you, back off. The angler who manages drag dynamically catches more fish than the angler who dialed it in at the truck and hasn’t touched it since. The reel has a knob. Use it. That’s why it’s there.

One Last Thing

Check your drag before every session. Drag washers wear out. Mechanisms get grit in them. A drag that felt perfect in May may be inconsistent in September, and you will discover this at the exact worst moment, when something heavy and fast is attached to the other end of your line and running for the ocean.

Setting drag properly is one of the few things in fly fishing that is almost entirely within your control. The fish’s size isn’t. The weather isn’t. Whether there’s a big fish in that run isn’t. But 25% of your tippet strength, confirmed with a scale, adjusted through the fight? That part is yours.

Finally, when you’re done fishing for the day, don’t forget to loosen your drag all the way done. This way you prevent any warps in your drag system.

Happy Draggin’!

This fly-tying tutorial is brought to you by Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, Alaska, where the legendary advice on flies, gear, and techniques is hotter than their coffee. (907) 770-2666 or mbrown@mossysflyshop.com.

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This Fly Tying Tutorial comes straight from the request of one of our loyal subscribers. If there’s a pattern you’d love to see next, don’t be shy—send us your suggestions, and it might be featured here soon.

Submit Fly Tying Requests Here.

The Poacher by Lance Egan is a ruthlessly effective nymph pattern, but it works well on the swing too (if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be here), and has been systematically connecting fish with anglers effectively since its introduction. This easy but effective pattern is equal parts subtle and scandalous because it straddles the line between nymph and streamer. Built with a tungsten bead, a slender dubbed body, and enough flash to make an Arctic Tern do a double-take if you’re not careful. Although it looks like something you could tie in your sleep, trout, apparently, cannot tell the difference between this modest little fly and whatever they actually intended to eat, which, if you’ve spent any time trying to match hatches with obsessive precision, is both humbling and deeply funny.

Let’s get into it.

Designed By: Lance Egan

Tied By: Brian Davenport, Mossy’s Fly Shop, Photos By: Mike Brown, Mossy’s Fly Shop

Materials:

1. Hook: Firehole 523 Sz 10 to 4 (this fly was tied on a sz 6)
2. Bead: Firehole Slotted Tungsten Black Nickel 3/16 (4.5mm)
3. Lead Wire: .015
4. Tail: Olive Pine Squirrel Zonker (alternate: Micro Rabbit Strip)
5. Flash: Ripple Ice Fiber Pearl (alternate: Ripple Ice Dub)
6. Body: FTD Super Kraken Dub Sculpin (Alternatives: STS Trilobal, Lazer Dub, Arizona Mega Semi Seal)
7. Hackle Collar: Hen Saddle Barred Olive
8. Collar: UV Ice Dub Dark Olive (alternate can be any dub or the body dub)
9. Thread: Veevus V70 Olive

Step 1. Slip your bead onto the hook and place it in the vice. Make 12-15 wraps of lead wire and wrap it into the back of the bead. Start your thread and secure the lead wire in place, then build a small ramp of thread and wrap your thread to the start of the bend.

Step 2. Using a strip of squirrel, make the tail a little longer than the length of the hook. Rotate the vice upside down and place the squirrel tail with the hide side up. Tie down.

Step 3. Using a small pinch of ripple ice fiber, a little shorter than the tail length, and tie in. Rotate the vice back over.

Step 4. Create a dubbing loop and place your body dub in and spin. Pick and brush out the dubbing, creating a thin rope core.

Step 5. Wrap the dubbing loop forward, using touching turns. Wrap to the base of the bead and secure. Brush out all the trapped fibers, creating a bushy appearance.

Step 6. Split the dubbing evenly and sweep down, then rotate the hook upside down and pull all the fibers together. Choose the desired body width and cut the dubbing at a downward slope.

Step 7. Tie in your hen hackle and make two turns, tie down, and trim excess off.

Step 8. Using your collar dubbing, build a small collar. Whip Finish.

Step 9. Rotate the fly upside down and trim the center of the body flat.

Completed Fly

Let’s start with a confession. Too many anglers wade into the river like they’re auditioning for Aquaman 3. Waist deep before the first cast, chest deep before lunch, and wondering why the fish (and your dry socks) have all but vanished. It’s a common error. Many anglers associate “deeper” with “better” because “that’s where the fish are.” When it comes to swinging flies with a two-hander, that mindset can cost you fish and dignity. Here it is…when you start fishing, always start shallow first!

Why The Shallow Start Advantage

1. The fish are closer than you think. The first ten feet from the bank often act like a fish freeway on both sides of the river. That softer inside water? It’s prime real estate, especially in colder temps. Wade too deep and you’re literally standing where the fish were supposed to be and pushing them further into the river.
2. You’ll cast better (and drier). Staying shallow keeps you planted on solid ground. No swirling current stealing your anchor, no rogue wave reminding you who’s boss. Plus, your D-loop has more breathing room. Everything feels cleaner, smoother—like the difference between a perfect drift and knitting circles with your running line.

It’s the smart play. By starting in tight, you can systematically work your way out, covering every lane instead of skipping the best ones. Fish methodically, not heroically. This is chess, not CrossFit.

The Wader Depth Trap

Wading too deep early is like starting your coffee with four pumps of espresso. You’ve got nowhere good left to go. Those first few high casts feel great until you realize you’ve got no more space to adjust, your swing angle is shot, and the fish you wanted is now upstream, screaming past you in two feet of water.

A Final Word for the Proud and Soaked

The “start shallow” rule isn’t about fear or laziness. It’s about discipline. It’s the quiet confidence to whisper, “I’ll step deeper if I have to,” rather than blundering in like a caffeinated moose. Most of the best anglers I know fish from surprisingly shallow positions, and they catch fish that everyone else wades past.

Have you ever hooked a fish on the “hang down” and lost a fish due to a missed strike? If so, you might be too much in the deep. So back it up.

Next time, resist the urge to march into mid-river glory. Ease in. Start shallow. And remember, style points don’t count for much when you’re wringing out your waders on the bank, and the drying tent will now have an extended stay resident.

If Alaska’s fishing season were a movie, September would be the dramatic finale(ish). The part with the sweeping music, the big fish, and the guy yelling “One more cast!” with frozen fingers and a grin that says he wouldn’t change a thing.

At Rapids Camp Lodge, September is when everything comes together: cool mornings, silvers that still have energy to spare, giant rainbows that look suspiciously well-fed, and bears perfecting their salmon-snagging technique like furry anglers with no catch limits.

And here’s the kicker, we have limited openings this September. Not many, but enough for a few folks who like their adventures with equal parts adrenaline and coffee steam.

Why September? Glad You Asked.

• The Rainbow Trout are fat… They’ve been gorging all summer. You’ll swear the ‘bows have been hitting the river’s version of an all-you-can-eat buffet.
  
• Cooler temps, cozier lodge life. Alaska’s crisp mornings pair nicely with a hot cup of coffee and the faint smell of bacon whispering through the lodge.
  
• Low crowds, high reward. By September, the rivers are relatively peaceful again, just you, your guide, and an occasional moose or bear reminding you who really owns the place.

September in Alaska is what happens when summer finally stops showing off and settles into something actually useful. The hordes of July have thinned. The air has a bite to it that makes the coffee taste better, and the fishing feels earned. The sockeye have done their thing, and now it’s the BRT’s (Big Rainbow Trout) time to shine!

Meanwhile, the landscape is quietly losing its mind. The tundra goes red and gold. The mountains get the first dustings of snow on their shoulders. Brown bears are in full hyperphagia, which is the sciencey term for “eating everything in sight before winter,” and watching a 600-pound bear work a river bend is the kind of thing that recalibrates your sense of scale permanently.

What a Week Actually Looks Like

You arrive. A guide named someone takes you somewhere you couldn’t find again on a map if your life depended on it. You catch fish. You eat extraordinarily well. You sleep deeply, the kind of sleep that city noise has been quietly stealing from you for years. Then repeat for an entire week. 

There are no conference calls at Rapids Camp. There is spotty enough connectivity that “I couldn’t reach you” is both kinda true and socially acceptable (we actually have good internet, but you can still make the excuse).

Come Fish in September

We’ve got select dates available this September for anglers ready to make their “bucket list” trip an actual calendar entry. If that’s you, now’s the time to get serious (or at least pretend to while you contact us). Once these weeks are gone, the only thing left will be photos and your friend’s story about “the one that got away.

Click Here to Get a hold of us and get updated availability in September 2026!

Ready?
Pack your layers, charge your camera, and come end the season with us in true Bristol Bay fashion with big fish, big laughs, and a faint windburn you’ll swear was worth it.

If September 2026 is calling you, the move is to reach out now, find out exactly what’s open, and put your name on it before someone else’s “I’ll book it next week” beats yours.

But hurry, the river doesn’t wait. Neither, frankly, does the availability calendar.

Contact us to check specific September dates and get the full picture on what your week would look like. We’re happy to talk through the details. It’s considerably easier than explaining to yourself in November why you didn’t just book it when you had the chance.

There are places in this world where you go to relax. Sip hot coffee, stare at the horizon, maybe read a book. Alaska West Lodge on the Kanektok River is NOT one of those places.

At Alaska West, you fish until your arms give out. Then you fish a little more because the guide is already moving upstream and it would be awkward to stop now. This is a feature, not an issue.

Where Exactly Are We Talking About?

Just inland from the Bering Sea, lives a river locals call “The Chosen River,” which sounds like either a religious experience or excellent marketing. After a week on the Kanektok, you’ll understand why it’s both.

Getting there involves flying to Anchorage, staying overnight, then hopping on a direct charter flight that Alaska West arranges for you.

What You’re Actually Signing Up For? The River That Overachieves

The Kanektok River is a “fish factory.” We don’t own the expression. That’s what people who know rivers for a living call it. All five species of Pacific salmon run through this water: King (Chinook), Red (Sockeye), Silver (Coho), Pink (Humpy), and Chum. Plus Leopard Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic Char, and Grayling, because apparently one river wasn’t satisfied with being merely excellent.

The fishing changes with the season:

• Beginning in July: Swing for chrome bright King Salmon. Large, aggressive, and deeply uninterested in making your life easy.
• Late July: The Grand Slam window, all five Pacific salmon species, all on flies, all in one day. Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
• Late July through August: Silver Salmon on poppers. Top water goes for Rainbows in the tributaries as well. Mouse patterns for Leopard Rainbows that have apparently decided to become predatory mammals.

You ride out each morning in a 16 or 18-foot jet boat, two anglers per guide, averaging ten to fifteen minutes to the fishing. No fly-outs required. The camp is planted exactly where it needs to be. This is also where “shore lunch” stops being a cliché and becomes an actual moment: fresh salmon crackling in the pan on a gravel bar while you stare at a river that just gave you more eats than your wrist was ready for.

The Part Where We Talk About 2026: The Doors Are Still Open…Kinda

Here’s the thing about Alaska West: it books up. Not in a vague, theoretical way. In a very specific, “someone else is currently holding your week” kind of way.

Here’s what’s still available for 2026:

• July 5 – 12, there are only 2 spots remaining
• July 12 – 19, there are 6 spots remaining
• July 19 -26, there are 5 spots remaining
• July 26 – August 2, there are only 5 spots

A 6-night / 7-day trip runs $8,950 per person, which covers your round trip direct charter between Anchorage and the Native Village of Quinhagak, guided fishing, lodging, all meals, and loaner gear (rods, reels, lines, waders, boots, flies… the works).

Singles willing to share lodging and guided fishing with another guest are welcome at no extra charge. The fish don’t care who you came with.

What It’s Actually Like

The lodge is a well-run tent camp on a coastal tundra plain, where there is no dress code other than functional waders and a wading jacket. Oh, and you’ll also need a tolerance for catching so many fish that it briefly stops being surprising.

The staff and guides are, by every account from guests over two-plus decades, exceptional. Patient with beginners. Challenging for experts. In the evenings, guides tie flies in the lodge and explain what they’re doing and why. Not because they have to, but because they genuinely love this.

Guests who have made double digit trips back call it among the best fishing experiences ever. That’s not hyperbole. That’s just what happens when a place does one thing and does it extraordinarily well.

Chase Adventure, Live The Legend

Alaska West Lodge is not a “someday” kind of trip. It’s the kind of trip that becomes the reference point for every fishing story you tell afterward. The one you’re always accidentally comparing other trips to, slightly to their detriment.

2026 availability is real. 2026 availability is also finite. You know what to do. Chase Adventure, Live the Legend! Contact Alaska West Lodge to book your week before someone else does, which they are, right now, probably.

It’s possibly been a while since you’ve seen any news about the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine. 

Pebble is still trying to advance their massive project in the headwaters of the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery, but they continue to face strong headwinds.  Pebble sued both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (over the denial of a critical permit) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (over the agency’s use of the Clean Water Act) and those lawsuits have been hanging out there for a while.  

But very recently (February 18), the U.S. Department of Justice filed a legal brief officially defending the EPA’s action.  This is a major development.  Pebble’s stock dropped precipitously (down as much as 45%) in the wake of this announcement from the DOJ.  The case now seems likely headed to a lengthy legal battle.  (Read more at the Anchorage Daily News and Outdoor Life.)

While actions at the federal level remain centered in court proceedings, a bill has been introduced in the Alaska state legislature to enact additional protections for a broader swath of land in the Bristol Bay region at the state level.  

The Bristol Bay Forever Act (HB 233) builds on existing protections for the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve, a boundary area encompassing the majority of Bristol Bay’s major watersheds, created in 1972 by the state legislature and Governor Jay Hammond to protect the region from the potential harms of oil and gas development. The Bristol Bay Forever Act would add a provision to these existing protections, banning metallic sulfide mining—the type of mining most harmful to salmon—from occurring anywhere within the reserve.

Anyone from Alaska should urge his/her legislators to support this bill.  And for those outside Alaska, tell anyone you know in Alaska to do the same.  It’s easy to learn more and take action here.

Guest Post by Scott Hed

This fly-tying tutorial is brought to you by Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, Alaska, where the legendary advice on flies, gear, and techniques is hotter than their coffee. (907) 770-2666 or mbrown@mossysflyshop.com.

Have A Request?

This Fly Tying Tutorial comes straight from the request of one of our loyal subscribers. If there’s a pattern you’d love to see next, don’t be shy—send us your suggestions, and it might be featured here soon.

Submit Fly Tying Requests Here.

Ever seen a lamprey in the water and thought, “If I were a fish, I’d hit that.” you probably need to get out more, but you’d also be right. These slippery little vampires are the perfect inspiration for a fly that screeches “predator food.” Enter the Jerry French Lamprey. A pattern that’s somehow equal parts genius, foolery, and fish charisma. Welcome to your new favorite fly.

Named after the parasitic jawless fish that BRTs (Big Rainbow Trout) and Steelhead encounter throughout their ocean migrations (and the guy who designed it), the Jerry French Lamprey doesn’t ask for your respect. It just produces. Whether fish mistake it for the real thing or simply see a large, pulsating, vaguely offensive object and decide it needs to die is a question best left to marine biologists.

This fly doesn’t just turn heads; it turns big, angry fish into believers. Grab some materials, clear your tying bench (or just shove the old coffee cups aside), and let’s dive into the delightful chaos that is turning a parasitic eel into a swing-worthy masterpiece.

We’ll walk through the tie from hook to head — materials, proportions, and the two moments where precision actually matters. Spoiler: there are fewer than you’d think.

Let’s get into it.

Tied By: Brian Davenport, Mossy’s Fly Shop, Photos By: Mike Brown, Mossy’s Fly Shop

Materials:

1. Hook: Aqua Talon Sz 2
2. No Foul Loop: 30lb Monofilament
3. Under Tail: 5-6 Brown Ostrich feather
4. Tail: Dark Brown Rabbit Strip Zonker
5. Rear Legs: Crusher Black Barred/Clear
6. Body: Blend of STS Trilobal Black Dubbing and Rainbow Angel Hair
7. Front Legs: Crusher Black Barred/Clear
8. Collar: STS Trilobal Black Dubbing
9. Bead: Black Nickel 7/32” Bead
10. Thread: Veevus GSP 100 Black

Step 1: Place the bead on your hook, start the thread then tie in your mono loop.  The loop length should be approximately the length of the hook shank.

Step 2: Using 5-6 ostrich feathers, tie into the top of the hook.

Step 3: Tie in your rabbit strip.  Make the overall length of the fly 3 inches.

Step 4: Tie in two rubber legs down each side of the rabbit strip.  Legs should be just short of the tail in length.

Step 5: Using STS Trilobal black dubbing and a small clump of Rainbow Angel Hair, make a composite loop.  Spin the loop, then brush and pick out all the trapped fibers.

Step 6: Wrap your dubbing loop body forward. 

Step 7: Tie in two rubber legs on each side of the shank.

Step 8: Make a small dubbing collar to cover and finish off the fly.  Then whip finish.

Completed Fly.

Here in Western Alaska, a large part of our season, we are blessed to be able to target trout using one of our favorite means of all time, with mouse patterns. When it’s good, it’s great and can make for some fast-paced, highly visually tantalizing fun. That said, it doesn’t select all the fish, and while fishing a mouse pattern is super fun, more often than not, a well-presented streamer (mainly sculpins on The Kanektok River) will catch more fish at the end of the day.

So how do we determine between the entertainment value of a mouse pattern and the effectiveness of a streamer? Give ’em the ol’ one-two punch – The Mouse – Sculpin combo. Here’s how it works.

Whether fishing from the boat while drifting down the main river, or walking smaller side tribs, one angler rigs up with a topwater mouse pattern (Morrish, Pip Squeak, etc.), while another angler rigs up with the sculpin pattern. The angler rigged with the mouse typically gets the first shot at the fish, or fishy looking lie, while the angler bats cleanup with the sculpin. If fishing from the boat, this means the angler with the mouse will take the front of the boat while drifting, while the sculpin-rigged angler will take a stance in the rear.

This allows the mouse fly to target the most aggressive fish first (thus the most apt to strike a mouse pattern), while the streamer can follow up, hopefully fooling the more cautious, and often larger fish in the lie. Not only is it a productive way to target trout on our river, but it’s also a hoot’n’ holler a lot of fun, and something that is always a part of our program at Alaska West Lodge!