Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Early Spring Steelhead Fishing on the Skeena System
Early Spring on the rivers of northwest BC - from March 15 to April 15 - is a time when the landscape emerges from its deep Winter sleep and both water levels and temperatures finally begin to rise. As a result, fresh, Spring-run Steelhead begin to trickle in with more frequency than they did over the previous months and become more active in their lies. For the Steelhead angler, this is a great time to be on the river, chasing away Winter blues and welcoming the start of warmer months, all the while waiting for that inevitable pull...
Spring Steelhead come in a variety of sizes and colours. While most fish are in the 8 to 15 lb range, there are fish substantially larger than this caught on a regular basis, in the 18 - 22 lb range. Looking for a fish in the mid 20s is not an unrealistic proposition on the Skeena and its many tributaries. Here, Jeff Bright holds onto a mint-bright 18 lb hen Steelhead caught in late March - certainly one of his most memorable fish landed to date. Jeff Bright photo
Lance Boen, a long time repeat guest and Spring Steelhead veteran, landed this solid 15 lb Steelhead in late March 2009 on a favourite Skeena River tributary. With low water conditions, the fish were holding in the deepest, slowest moving runs, which makes for an agonizingly long, but highly effective swing. Jeff Bright photo.
Despite warming air and water temperatures, the rivers are still quite cool, and fishing large flies 3 to 6 inches long is one of the best tactics to motivate Steelhead from leaving the comfort of their lie and inducing a grab. Flies in black, pink, purple, orange, chartreuse, or some combination show up well in a variety of water conditions and will serve you well. A spey rod is an ideal tool for fishing large flies and heavy sink tips when targeting the large fish typically encountered during the early Spring.
In the middle of a long, deep pool, Martin Walker found this massive Steelhead, estimated in the 23-24 lb range. The Steelhead took one of Martin's elegantly tied black and chartreuse flies. Besides being a world class fly angler, Martin is also a rod-builder extraordinaire, crafting brilliantly designed cork handles on his rods.
Legendary angler Lani Waller and Nicholas Dean Lodge head guide Dustin Kovacvich discuss fly selection prior to stepping into the run on a cool Spring day. Jeff Bright photo
On his first day of fishing while guided by veteran Nicholas Dean guide, Greg Buck, Taft Ring landed this impressive 23 lb buck Steelhead on a local Skeena tributary. Not a bad way to start the trip off...
A large fly fished on a slow swing through the heart of a deep tailout proved effective on this 18 lb Steelhead for Martin Walker. Fishing large flies broadside to the current helps show the full profile of the fly and in our experience, induces a take much more consistently than a fly presented on a traditional grease line cast.
Interested in joining us for a Spring Steelhead trip? Take advantage of our last minute 10% discount and inquire today on how you can search for the Steelhead of your dreams on the Skeena.
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