It's not all glory for Alaska fishing guides and lodge staff who work the short summer season. Most of the time, they really bust their tails off. Just ask any fishing guide if they get to fish a lot. We got the rare opportunity to spend a few days with guide staff at Royal Coachman Lodge during their pre-season. Let's just say most everyone got a chance to cut away from work and have a day off!

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The perfect presentation of a swung fly relies heavily on tip control. It's so easy to get caught up in perfecting your cast that you fail to analyze the most important part of the process, the swing. Controlling the tip of your rod directly impacts the speed and depth at which your fly is coming across the river. Regardless of how well you cast, or how far you can shoot line, an improperly presented fly will almost always be denied attention.

Master Your Flies Depth and Speed

After your cast has hit the water, your tip will immediately govern the potential depth that your fly could reach. If not adjusted after the cast, the path of your fly may stay relatively flat and high in the water column. The sink tip or weighted fly will only sink freely if given the time to dead drift. The more slack you give the line, the more time you give the fly to sink. In some circumstances stripping line off the reel may be necessary, allowing the fly to reach the deepest level possible.

On the contrary, if you want the fly to stay high in the water column, placing a downstream bow in the line will speed up the swing and pull your fly towards the surface. The important thing to remember here is that as long as your line is not under tension from the current it will freely sink. As soon as the line comes under tension however, the sink rate will not remain the same and in some instances your fly will loose depth.

Expand Your Turf

I use tip control on a regular basis to dictate the area that I am covering during my swing. I can extend my drift by sweeping the rod tip all the way though to the opposite side, or truncate a drift by holding the rod tip out towards the casting direction. Sometimes simply pausing a swung fly briefly mid-drift can entice a few grabs.

Keep in mind though, the further you have the rod extended to the side of your body, the less power you will have on the hook set. So make sure the fish has turned on the fly before lifting that tip. You lift it, you lose it!

Make It Dance

One of my staple nuances during the swing is imparting action into my fly. For some reason, I just don't feel confident in a swing without movement. Pop the tip to add a little jump to your baitfish, or even apply a side-to-side motion to skate a surface bug. Mimic, experiment, and explore new ways to impart movement in your drift. You will often be rewarded.

The Takehome

Don't get stuck in the typical down and across rut. Analyze each drift individually and start finding yourself toe-to-toe with the fish that you never even knew were there.

Long Live the King Gallery

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Blood Knot Details

• Uses: The Blood Knot is a favorite knot for fly fisherman. It is primarily used to join two lines of similar size, e.g., when joining sections of leader or tippet, and is one of the best knots for this purpose. The strength of the knot depends on making at least five, and up to seven, turns on each side of the center
• Pulling the Knot Tight: When lubricated and pulled tight, the knot changes its structure. Pulling on each line forces the wrapped turns to redistribute the twists so that the inner strand becomes an outer wrap (not illustrated in the animation using rope).
• Tying it: There are several methods of tying it. The animation shows each half being created separately, which provides a good picture of the structure.
• Alternative: An alternative method is to just overlap the two ends and twist them together for about ten to fourteen turns. Then go to the center of the twists and create a hole. Pass the two ends the opposite way through the hole.
• Whichever method is used, the knot is usually symmetrical about the middle. Although the twists usually continue in the same direction either side of the center as shown in the animation, it can be tied so that the wraps are mirror images of each other.
• Advantages: The Blood knot is a simple, easily learned and very effective way of joining two similar sized lines.

Guiding in Alaska is 1 flight in, at the beginning of the season, and 1 flight out, at the end of the season. Don't get it wrong! Read it here.

The rivers of Bristol Bay are legendary. 

Unfortunately, Bristol Bay's water and fish are currently threatened by development of the proposed Pebble Mine. That's why you've seen an unprecedented group of allies come together to oppose Pebble and ask for special protections for Bristol Bay's fish, wildlife and existing jobs.

We need the fishing and hunting community to speak up for Bristol Bay! More than 500 hunting and fishing businesses and group, tribes, jewelers, 200 chefs and restaurants, and 75 plus commercial fishing organizations have banded together in opposition to Pebble and are actively working to put protections in place for Bristol Bay. This is your chance to help ensure that Bristol Bay's incredible fishing opportunities are around for future generations of sportsmen and women to experience and enjoy.