Thursday, March 5, 2009
485th Fishing Report from Nicholas Dean Lodge
Jason Smith cradles an 18 lb remote coastal river Steelhead I hope this newsletter finds you all doing well and pursuing your fishing addictions with rod and reel. Though there are a variety of reasons why, I must unfortunately report that my fishing adventures have been much too few and far between. This would, in all likelihood, explain why I've been experiencing this nagging twitch every now and again - cabin fever is certainly getting the best of me! Kidding aside, my lack of fishing has translated into some much needed time at my fly tying vise, and dreaming of those picture perfect days on the river. A day where I can feel the warmth of the sun as it rises over the mountain peaks, and sense my homemade Intruder fly, most likely the fishy two-tone pink colour that worked so well last Fall, as it swims its way through the deep slot in front of me.
The tug of a Winter Steelhead -whether it's the smashing grab of an aggressive buck, or a simple tightening of the line- is one that I think of often, but do not necessarily need for a successful day on the river. Simply spending time on the water on one's favourite run, making long, graceful casts to the far bank, and smelling a forest coming to life after a long, cold winter are some of the other great experiences that Steelhead fishing offers. Witnessing the sound of a reel as it screams in protest under the pull of a strong fish, and admiring a chrome bright fish brought to hand isn't all that bad either...
Thankfully, Winter seems to be loosening its grip in the Lower Skeena valley, giving way to warmer Spring conditions. Though it's still possible to get those rogue snowstorms in this part of the country as late as early April, the general trend is for warming temperatures and longer daylight hours. Translation: better Steelhead fishing conditions. After a long, cold winter, water temperatures are just a few degrees above freezing and Steelhead can be very sluggish on the Skeena and its tributaries, but as these temperatures increase, so too does the activity of Steelhead.
So, based on the present conditions, what do I anticipate for the early season? Because the Spring season through late March and early May sees some of the most reliable, consistent water flows over the course of the Steelheader's year, and the bulk of the Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring run fish are holding in classic runs and pools, I expect the fishing to be good. On our favourite local river, in most cases, we don't have to guess whether there are Steelhead in a particular run, or not. We know they're there. It just depends on the mood of the fish that day, and if you have the fly or lure that that particular Steelhead wants. Moreover, reports from regional biologists have suggested that when a river's Summer and Fall Steelhead runs are strong, this often correlates with Winter and Spring run fish as well. Given that the 2008 Steelhead run was one of the better ones in the last 5 years suggests that this Spring should provide reliable fishing.
Plus, the last few days that our guides have been out fishing could best be described as "epic." Sky Richard and Cam Thiessen floated a wilderness river a few weeks ago using pontoon boats and Abel crafts, which enabled them to reach waters seldom fished this Winter, and the results were worth the extra effort. Cam landed 3 Steelhead, ranging from chrome bright to lightly coloured, and Sky landed 6 of the 10 Steelhead he hooked. A week later, Dustin landed 2 Steelhead out of the 4 he hooked in a mere 3 hours of spey fishing. One was a smaller hen of 7-8 lbs, and the second of the two bright fish were 14 lbs. With water conditions only improving as we approach our March 22 Spring opener, we look forward to another great season ahead as we provide the very best in guided fishing adventures in Northwestern BC.
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels...
Chad Black
Operations Manager
Nicholas Dean Lodge
(250) 635-5295
www.nicholasdean.com
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