Nicholas Dean Outdoors | Terrace, BC, Canada

Remote Coastal Steelhead fishing at its best! Sonja Sorbo hooked this huge 20 lb buck in a deep pocket at the head of a shallow riffle on one of our favourite small streams. Dustin Kovacvich Photo

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Hello Anglers,

After a break in my fishing reports over the last while, I'm back with much exciting news! First off, I must formally congratulate Dustin and his wife Ruby, on their new addition to the family, Cayleigh Marie Kovacvich. Cayleigh was born on March 22, 2009 around 6:30 am, and weighed 7 lbs, 1 ounce. I'm happy to report that Cayleigh, Ruby and Dustin are doing well, and that as of this writing, Cayleigh does not yet have a fly rod in her hands, but given a few more months, I'm sure that she'll have the double spey down before she can say Daddy! Be sure to check out our updated blog site at www.nicholasdean.blogspot.com to see photos of Cayleigh, Ruby and Dustin, along with other updated fishing news.

Our Spring Steelhead opener during the last week of March posed difficult angling conditions, as we were greeted with temperatures well below zero and river levels very low and clear. Many of our favourite pools and holding water were virtually inaccessible by usual means, unless anglers were willing to embark on lengthy and often challenging hikes through snow up to one's waist. Now, as most anglers can probably attest, the measure of a good guide and lodge can often be judged on how hard its staff work to ensure clients have an enjoyable trip, and one that maximizes angling opportunity which, in these conditions, was no easy feat! To get around this, we simply had to improvise...

Our solution: a snowmobile placed strategically at the take out location, to ferry clients and our 12' Aire rafts up the river valley and a farmer's field, to trucks waiting nearby. Not an easy day by any stretch, but realistically, this logistical maneouvre made all the difference, as most fish were caught mid way through the drift in deep, slower moving pools that afforded Steelhead some security. Taft Ring, a new client of ours, fared out best during these tough conditions, with several Steelhead landed during the week, the largest of which was in the 22 lb range. Taft had a particularly deft touch when it came to manipulating his fly on the swing - most of his grabs occurred just after twitching his rod tip, to animate his fly in the slow moving currents. Congratulations Taft, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Certainly one of the highlights this Spring was having the opportunity to fish and spend time with renowned angler, Lani Waller. It is obvious that Lani is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the subject of Steelhead fly fishing, and he conveys this knowledge and a love of Steelhead quite well through his stories, accumulated over many years spent on the water. His new book, entitled "A Steelheader's Way" is a great read, and one that combines Lani's advanced knowledge of Steelhead fly fishing tactics, with a unique philosophical perspective on Steelhead. I highly recommend adding Lani's book to your personal library if you're a serious Steelhead angler. Lani can be reached at www.laniwaller.com.

Finally, I'm pleased to say that we've now made the transition to spectacular Yellow Cedar Lodge (www.yellowcedarlodge.ca)! This move has been a long time in the making for us, and we have been extremely impressed with the accommodations, service, and dining provided for our guests by Alf and Simone Leslie. Riverfront mountain views, private rooms with ensuite washrooms, amenities including a hot tub, sauna, games room and patio, and spectacularly prepared meals all combine to give guests a 5 star appeal. Paired up with the unparalleled knowledge our guides have of our local waters, Steelhead and Salmon fishing trips simply don't get much better. For those of you who would like a little more information on Yellow Cedar Lodge, or our first class fishing packages, please contact me today by email (chadblack@nicholasdean.com), or by phone (250-635-5295).

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

Chad Black
Operations Manager
Nicholas Dean Lodge