Nicholas Dean Outdoors | Terrace, BC, Canada

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Hello Anglers,

We are finally starting to experience the telltale signs of Fall. Shorter days, the shift from green to yellow forests, and a dropping mercury level are all indicative that Summer is over and that Winter isn't all that far away. Not to mention the snow capped peaks on the coastal mountains surrounding Terrace. Strange as it may seem, I often welcome this change in season, for it is usually synonymous with prime fishing conditions for both Steelhead and Coho. Rain that would normally fall high up in the mountains tends to fall as snow, limiting the amount of runoff and making often unpredictable rivers more predictable. The cooler weather also has the effect of detracting the fair weather anglers, making rivers less crowded and that much more enjoyable. Plus, what would good Steelhead fishing be like without a little nip in the air?

River and fishing conditions have continued to improve following some heavy rainfall events earlier in the week. Our favourite Steelhead rivers that were a little high and off colour last week are now in prime shape, and the fishing has picked up considerably. One of the unfortunate difficulties that we as guides have to contend with is the often changing balancing act between rain and river levels. When rivers are low and clean, the fish tend to be spooky and can develop "lock-jaw," while high, muddy waters make it difficult for fish to see your presentation. So, we're usually hoping for something in the middle, with rivers on the drop most conducive to the bite. At present, our clients have had some incredible days while fishing for Steelhead using dry flies on smooth, glassy tailouts, to deep pools swinging large, intruder-like wet flies. Just ask Alvaro Orejas and Jose Ardavin, two Spanish clients of ours. They hiked into a few of our favourite Steelhead pools on a remote river, and found ideal conditions for skating dries. Imagine casting your dry fly down and across on a slack line, then seeing a large, chrome object rising from the depths, as you slowly and meticulously skate your fly across the pool. This is surely one of the pinnacles in Steelhead fly fishing, and Alvaro and Jose seemed to time their trip perfectly. They each landed two Steelhead on dry flies, and Alvaro hooked one substantially larger that broke off on the hookset. Sky, who was watching intently from a higher position put the fish at close to 20 lbs. A 20 lb Steelhead on a dry fly - certainly an opportunity of a lifetime!

Coho fishing has also been quite good for anglers willing to employ a range of techniques. When fresh fish are encountered, particularly lower in the the rivers, they are very aggressive and aggressive fishing tactics are often the most successful. Sight fishing to pods of Coho that range from 8 to 20 lbs can be thrilling, especially when a large fish breaks from the pod to pursue your fly. Keeping the fly animated, and activating the Flashabou material within the fly is key to success, as is a progressively faster stripping tempo. If you weren't on a river with two thousand high mountains rising abruptly from the valley floor, and numerous waterfalls cascading around you, you'd think that the fishing would resemble sight fishing for pike or other saltwater species. As water levels begin to drop however, conventional fishing tactics such as float fishing and jig fishing are often more productive. One of our good friends and booking agent, Jeff Bright, landed one of the largest Coho that we've seen this year - a 20 lb fish that fought remarkably well, and came to a fly stripped beside a drowned log. More stories to come next week...

Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels...

Chad Black
Operations Manager