There are plenty of great reasons to visit us on the Dean. However, most of our guests at BC West would agree that it’s fish like this that keep them coming back.
Reason Number One to Fish the Dean
Dirty Rotten Anglers
Michael White hucks into a blue hole on South Andros Island, wearing one of the coolest fishing shirts ever.
More Pictures from Andros South
Nice King, Whitey
Spey fishing for king salmon is in our blood at Alaska West.
Here’s Michael White with a Bush era king salmon – part of a session that could best be described as ridiculous.
Nice king, Whitey.
More on King Salmon at Alaska West
Wouldn’t Change a Thing
On foot, blue sky, bent rod.
We’ll take it.
More on Bonefishing at Andros South
Michael White to Join May Week at Andros South
World-Famous Angler Excited, Hopes to Land 8,617th Bonefish.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bozeman, Montana – Expert fly selector, Simms representative and Spey Team Six member Michael White announced today his plans to visit Andros South Lodge from from May 25 to June 1, in the pursuit of a variety of flats species. White will join Deneki Outdoors President Andrew Bennett in hosting an elite group of anglers from around the world.
“Ever since I heard about the renovations to the lodge’s beachfront tiki bar, I knew it was important to immediately arrange a trip to place Simms stickers strategically on the new refrigerator”, said White by secured phone from his underground lair. “The abundant large bonefish and increased sightings of gigantic permit also factored into my decision.”
Apparent Combination of Excellent Fishing and ‘Good Times’
White cited a long history of enjoyable experiences at Andros South. “I always have so much fun down there – the flats are amazing, and I really love hanging out with the people of South Andros. Our groups always get along great, like that one night in 2009 when we invented the blindfolded, one-legged Coconut Throw.”
A Goal Within Reach
“Early in my angling career,” White continued, “I set one main goal for myself – to land 8,617 bonefish. It’s taken years of dedication – man those line cuts add up over time – but I’m at 8,570 so I’m definitely getting it done this year. I’ve given the IGFA a heads up but for some reason I haven’t heard back.”
Spots Available
Several spots remain available during the week, and anglers are encouraged to contact Deneki Outdoors to make arrangements to join White and Bennett. This part is no joke – the fishing is awesome, and this group has an awful lot of fun.
Michael White’s Steelhead Rig
We’ve had a flurry of posts recently about steelhead rigging, and in the process of revisiting everything we’ve written we realized that somehow, in the past 4 years, we’ve never run the Expert Rig of one of the most qualified guys out there. Today we right that wrong.
Michael White a. k. a. “Whitey” is the Bozeman-based rep for Simms Fishing Products. He’s a former Alaska West guide and current Spey Team Six member. Let’s just say that if you want to catch more fish than your buddy, you shouldn’t go fishing with Whitey.
Here’s Whitey’s current favorite steelhead rig.
The Summary
- 7126-4 TCX a.k.a. the Death Star
- Hatch 9+ Finatic reel
- Airflo Rage Compact 510 or Skagit Compact 510
The Detail
- 30 pound dacron backing, tied to the spool with an arbor knot
- Double surgeon’s loop in the front end of the backing . “This knot goes through the guides quickly and easily. On the Dean you’re constantly in and out of your backing so a low profile knot matters.”
- 40 lb Berkeley Trilene Big Cat running line in Solar Collector. “This stuff comes on a big cheap spool so it’s really easy to peel off and replace 100+ feet of running line any time you feel like you have a kink. I like Big Cat compared to the normal Big Game because it’s a little stiffer and has a little lower stretch which helps get the hook set.”
- Double surgeons loop in both ends of the running line. “I clip the tag ends really close to maintain that low profile through the guides. The key thing when you make that knot is to run you fingers up the loop and squeeze slightly to make a little point which helps seat better in the loop to loop connection.”
Rage Compact Rig
- Rage Compact 510 “for when I’m playing lighter ball”
- 10 foot Airflo salmon/steelhead polyleader looped to the front of the Rage Compact. “I use the whole kit, from floater to super fast sink.”
- Very small double surgeon’s loop tied in the exposed mono tip of the polyleader, coated with Flexament
- 4 to 6 feet of 12 pound Maxima Ultragreen leader, attached to the front of the polyleader with a double surgeon’s loop and a loop to loop connection
- Silvey’s Extractor tied on with a non-slip mono loop. “Lighter rig, lighter fly.”
Skagit Compact Rig
- Airflo Skagit Compact 510.
- Rio MOW Medium Tips. “I most often fish the 2 1/2 float – 7 1/2 foot sink tip”.
- 4 feet of 12 pound Maxima Ultragreen, looped to the front of the MOW tip with a double surgeon’s loop and a loop to loop connection.
- Silvey’s Tube Snake or Tandem Tube, rigged just like this with an Owner SSW #4 hook
The Commentary
“I like fishing the Rage head on the Salmon and the Clearwater, where fish hold in softer water. On the Dean I’ll fish it if I’m in smaller water where I don’t have to go as deep as often. The rest of the time I fish the Compact.”
“People say that with the Rage head you should drop down by 30 grains or so compared to how you line a rod with the Compact, but on this setup I like both heads in the 510. Even when I’m using the Rage head I really just use a Skagit-style stroke.”
More on Steelhead
On Point
Michael White, locked and loaded.
More on Bonefishing
Juicy.
Whitey fishes some tasty, greasy, bouldery water just below the Dean River canyon.
Looks good, doesn’t it? It was good.
More on the Dean River
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next Page »