A behind the scenes look at filming this incredible bear diving segment from Discovery Channel's North America. I never knew they would go down that deep, but we all know how resourceful these brown bears can be in order to get their salmon dinner. Enjoy. 

A really great video montage from the 2013 season at Mission Lodge, with some fantastic timelapse video and underwater footage. This gives you a small taste of the experience at a fly out lodge in Bristol Bay, Alaska. 

I've been seeing these really cool fish illustrations pop up on the Fly Out social media feeds for the past year or so from an Andrea Larko. I kept seeing these really unique pieces of digital art, paintings, color pencil, etc. I'm not an artist (in the traditional sense), but her work really struck me. I asked Andrea if we could do a progression series on AlaskaFlyOut.com with a steelhead piece she would be commissioned to do. The video above is the result. 

Find out more about this super talented artist at AndreaLarko.com. And, you can purchase Andrea's art at her etsy site. 

In 2012, the Scorpion Reef expedition took the fly fishing world by storm. A group of close friends -- anglers from a variety of backgrounds and locales, pooled their talents for an exploratory trip to a remote atoll in the Gulf of Mexico.

What they found was something truly amazing. The wildlife, the camaraderie, an untouched fishery and a wild adventure resulted in one of the most unique and unforgettable adventures of a lifetime. They realized something profound -- the deeper one travels into remote and untouched locations, the greater the drive to go even deeper the next time. The experience becomes addicting... there are always new limits to push, new edges to nudge.

Scorpion Reef would be a hard trip to beat.

In planning the next great adventure, the crew wanted to take crewmember Alejandro "Sandflea" Vega Cruz, a Mexican from Isla Holbox, out of his element and show him something life changing. The result was an expedition into the heart of the Alaskan bush. The crew revisited an unknown and largely untouched river system -- explored by RA Beattie and Alaska guide Mark Rutherford almost a decade earlier.

Their intention? To target sportfish primarily with topwater.

To learn more about this film please visit the official website for more videos, photos, reports and a full tour schedule: http://alaskafishingfilm.com/

Our friend Ryan Peterson from Alaskanist Stories participated in "End of the Line", a story telling event put on by the Salmon Project in Anchorage. The stories are about fishing, eating, and living with wild Alaskan salmon. If you're a guide, you'll probably relate well to this story. 

Also, if you haven't seen Ryan's short film "sea-swallow'd" - check it out. 

The foundation and namesake of our company "Fly Out" is based in the beauty and freedom of flying wild Alaska. The opportunities for genuine adventure exist in Alaska because of the remoteness, the truly unspoiled wild country that is increasingly rare on this Earth. Ultima Thule Lodge truly represents the spirit of our brand. We would like to join them in presenting the 2nd installment of their web series, Beyond - Key to the Wrangells. The planes at UTL truly are time machines, as you travel back to a world unfathomable by our modern culture. Sit back, push play, and enjoy the ride. 

Check out the action off the dock at Mission Lodge. It's a lot of work to operate a 1st class Fly Out fishing operation. Mission Lodge is located on Lake Aleknegik in Bristol Bay, Alaska. 

The name "Aleknagik" comes from the Uupik native tongue meaning "wrong way home". It seems that quite often fishing and hunting parties returning to their villages on the Nushagak from Bristol Bay would mistakenly turn and follow the Wood River. The surroundings of the Wood are so similar to that of the lower Nushagak, a simple mistake in navigation would go unnoticed until the parties turned the corner and found themselves at the lake. At this time the lead boat would declare "ALEKNAGIK!" (wrong way home).

For hundreds of years the village of Aleknagik was the hub of trade and culture for the Alaska native peoples who lived throughout the Bristol Bay region. The ideal setting along the shores of Lake Aleknagik and the safe haven this location provided from the harsh winters of Southwest Alaska, proved to be the reason many of the regions natives made Aleknagik their winter home. Fur was the main item of commerce along with dried fish, berries, and hides from the previous summers harvest. Lessons learned from fishing and hunting expeditions were shared, creating strong ties amongst the people who came here.

Read more about the history of Mission Lodge

The Fly Out team had the opportunity stay a few days with Crystal Creek Lodge on the Naknek River in Bristol Bay, Alaska this past summer. As expected, Katie and I arrived to a well oiled staff and guide crew, with everyone being incredibly friendly, making us feel like part of the gang. We fished and filmed for two days in early July with Dan Michels and his crew of pro guides - Alex Oberholtzer and Aaron Rogers-Richter. The first day, we flew all the way down to the Alaska Peninsula past Ugashik Bay to fish a little-known river for King Salmon. The authentic Bristol Bay snot was in full force, so the skies were a bit gray for the cameras. However, we did find plenty of hot King Salmon and Chum Salmon that were very accessible with the fly rod. You can see scenes from that day in our short film - Long Live the King (showing at the Fly Fishing Film Tour). 

The following day, we took a quick trip to a very small wadable creek in Katmai National Park. Alex flew the plane, walked us across the tundra, and put us on 5 species of fish in a matter of 4 hours. See the short video above for a quick summary of that day. 

I can confidently say that Crystal Creek Lodge is the nicest lodge facility I have ever been to in Alaska. In addition to their incredible accommodations, the dining program is top tier. But besides all of that, the genuinity of the staff, the welcomed feeling and the atmosphere is what makes CCL special. If you want the authentic Alaska experience, you can find it here. 

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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.

One of the world's premiere locations for catching Silver Salmon! Excited yet about the Alibi? Check them out: Angler's Alibi

From Filmmaker: 

The silvers couldn't not be caught this summer and unlike the average fishing tale....here is your proof!

Music Credit:
"Forever"
Youngblood Hawke
youngbloodhawke.com
Please Download their songs and check out their shows, amazing musicians.