Fishing Deep With Lani Waller - by Jeff Bright

Lani and Nicholas Dean head guide Dustin Kovacvich discussing fly selection streamside prior to stepping in the water.  A very knowledgeable, yet humble man, Lani is the type of angler who speaks with passion when it comes to Steelhead and the journey we take as anglers in pursuing them.  Jeff Bright recently had a chance to interview Lani on his Steelhead fishing experiences, and can be found in the latest issue of Chasing Silver magazine.  

In early April 2009, we had the good fortune of hosting legendary angler, Lani Waller, for a week as he pursued fresh Spring Steelhead in lower Skeena valley rivers.  During this time, several clients - and certainly Dustin and myself included - enjoyed his company and his stories when it came to Steelhead fishing.  Particularly those of memorable fish, legendary pools and all the little things that make for a great fishing tale.

Through his many articles, books (the latest of which is titled "A Steelheader's Way") and popular Steelhead fly fishing videos produced in the late 80s - some of which featured fishing on the Babine, a popular upper Skeena tributary - Lani has garnered much respect in the fly fishing community and has no doubt become one of the leading experts in his field.  

 

During his Spring Steelhead trip at the lodge, Jeff Bright had the chance to discuss some of the finer points of Steelhead fly fishing, ranging from tackle and techniques, to conservation and his philosophical approach to these migratory fish.  Jeff's interview, titled "Fishing Deep with Lani Waller" can be found in the recent issue of Chasing Silver magazine, a relatively new magazine based out of Finland.  Tight lines! 

Adventure Steelhead Fishing with Jeff Bright!

Jeff Bright with an 18 lb late Spring Steelhead caught on one of the larger coastal rivers we fish. With warming air and water temperatures, these bright fish can be extremely hard fighters. Jeff Bright Photo

Our Adventure Steelhead fishing program on remote rivers off the northwest BC coast is one that you've probably heard me talk about from time to time. Large Steelhead in small, untouched rivers, where angling pressure is minimal or altogether non-existent, with opportunities for sight fishing are but just a few of the virtues this fishery has to offer the adventurous angler. And, joining us nearly every step of the way in discovering this fishery - from stumbling over deadfalls, baring evil devil's club and arriving back to the lodge in the wee hours of the night - has been author, photographer and Steelhead Flyfisher, Jeff Bright.

Jeff has utilized his dedication and passion for Steelhead fly fishing, combined with his artistic talents as a writer in producing a first rate article on Steelhead fishing on the remote coast, which can be found in the premier issue of the online magazine, The Contemporary Sportsman. It is a pleasure to read and does well to capture the experience and excitement of fishing for Steelhead on small, remote coastal rivers. Enjoy!

Skeena River Fishing Tips: the Hawaiian Punch

The Hawaiian Punch may look like one of the more outlandish Steelhead flies you've ever seen, but the fact that it shows up well in murky or slightly stained river conditions on the Kalum and Skeena Rivers, combined with its fish-catching abilities has made it one of the most successful flies in our fly boxes . Rodney Daw Photo

In conjunction with our Skeena River Fishing Reports for 2010, we've decided to include a section on "Skeena River Fishing Tips" to help give our readers information and direction on the best techniques, tackle and presentations when targeting Salmon and Steelhead in northwest BC rivers, like the mainstem Skeena, Kalum, Kitimat and Copper. So, whether you're a spey caster who loves swinging large Intruder flies or a trophy Chinook angler after the giant leviathans of the deep, there will be something for you to enjoy which just might help you land that next big fish you've been dreaming about.

For this week's Skeena River Fishing Tip, we'll be looking at the Hawaiian Punch, a true standout wet fly pattern for Steelhead and Salmon that our guides and clients have used with great success. The pattern was devised several years ago by lodge manager and head guide, Dustin Kovacvich, when he was experimenting with flies to target the large Steelhead...

on the Kalum River. When Dustin first arrived onto the Skeena scene in Terrace 15 years ago, he had been very successful during the months of August and early September using a bottom bouncing rig that consisted of orange, chartreuse and cerise yarn. Combining this colour combination with materials that impart movement in the water - a key consideration when tying Steelhead flies - namely, rabbit strips and marabou, Dustin figured that he had the making of a great pattern. After a few successful outings and several Steelhead hooked on the fly, Dustin started having clients fish this fly with confidence on rivers such as the Kalum, and Skeena which have a slightly murky, glacial green colour, or, during high water conditions when visibility is reduced. The recipe for the Hawaiian Punch is as follows:

Hook: Eagle Claw 1197N Sizes 1 and 4 or substitute
Thread: Fire Orange
Tail: Fluorescent Chartreuse Rabbit Strip
Body: Cross Cut Fluorescent Orange Rabbit Strip
Hackle: Cerise Pink Marabou
Topping: Pearl Flashabou

Variants: Bead head, tube fly, or Intruder style

Lastly, if you've wondered how the fly got its unique name, it was named by guest Nick Anderson because it reminded him of the little guy on the Hawaiian Punch can with the funky hair! If you're planning on fishing the Skeena River near Terrace BC, or fishing your home Steelhead waters, be sure to give the Hawaiian Punch a few casts - I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results! For more information on recommended gear while fishing the Hawaiian Punch on the Skeena system, be sure to check out our Fly Fishing Gear and Equipment lists.

Tying Steelhead Flies at the Franklin Club

First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope that you enjoyed some quality time with family over the holidays! When I was back in Ontario doing just that, I had the opportunity to stop in at the Franklin Clubto give a presentation on Fly Fishing techniques in the Skeena River system, and tie a few of my personal favourite Steelhead and Salmon flies. The Franklin Club is celebrating its centennial year, making it one of the oldest fly fishing clubs in Canada! In fact, Rick Mercer recently ventured to the Club as part of his quirky, but very humourous Mercer Report. Check out the video page on the Mercer report site, and click on Episode Number 8. Below are a few of the flies I tied, with photos courtesy of Franklin Club member Rodney Daw.

My version of Ed Ward's popular Intruder series of flies, dubbed the "Terrace Intruder." The two toned pink colours in this fly make it stand out particularly well in glacially stained waters, making it a perfect fit for both the Copper and Kalum Rivers.

Flash and bright colours are two of the most important considerations when designing Coho flies. Hence, the simple name: Coho Flash Fly. This fly, in a variety of colours works well when fished down and across with an increasingly fast stripping tempo.

The Grantham Sedge is our go to fly when searching for aggressive Fall Steelhead on the surface. An ingenious tyer named Ron Grantham found that by tying the wing on a piece of weed wacker cord protruding from the hook shank will help keep the fly waking longer than most other flies. Adding a few turns of red dubbing at the butt can be a great addition.

Steelhead Fishing with April Vokey!

April Vokey of Fly Gal Ventures is absolutely obsessed with BC Steelhead and we're excited to welcome her to the Nicholas Dean team! April is pictured above leading one of her flies through the bucket on one of her favourite Skeena River tribs...

For those of you who received last week's fishing report [if you haven't, it's available on our Fishing Report Home Page, titled 490th Fishing Report], you've probably heard the news by now that we've combined our fishing talents with fly fishing entrepreneur extradordinaire, April Vokey. In all likelihood, April probably doesn't need an introduction to most anglers, having written articles for several different magazines and guided extensively in the lower BC mainland and other locales. Still, for those of you who may not have heard of April, she operates Fly Gal Ventures, a company that specializes in guided fishing trips, fly casting instruction and workshops, as well as specialized ladies fly fishing apparel.

April will be leading hosted trips and guiding select clients in the 2010 season, so if you'd like to be one of the lucky few to join her on a Steelhead Fly Fishing expedition here at Nicholas Dean Lodge, be sure to contact her at: april@flygal.ca

We look forward to having April join our team of professionals, as we strive to provide the absolute best in guided fishing adventures for Steelhead and Salmon in the Lower Skeena watershed!

Fly Fishing for Coho - Specialized Techniques

Chrome Northern Coho Salmon such as this 18 lb fish caught by Hamish Barley can be very aggressive upon entering their natal rivers - in this case, one of our favourite Lower Skeena Tributaries - and having the right flies and techniques in your fly fishing repertoire will increase your chances of bringing these fish to hand.

When targeting Coho Salmon on the fly, it's important to keep two things in mind: the type of water that you'll be searching to find fish, and their behavioural preferences. Though you can find Coho in a variety of water types, they most often hold in slower moving pools, on the edge of current seams in what our guides call the "froggy water," and, in particular, anywhere there is cover - most notably, logs, sweepers, and mid-stream boulders. These areas afford Coho the all important features of a river that make them feel comfortable: protection from predators, and slower currents where little energy is required to hold. The nice thing? When you find Coho in these areas, they are often very aggressive.

Locating fish aside, Coho generally require that your fly be animated. It's not that you won't catch fish by simply dead drifting your fly or by swinging it in front of fish, but stripping and twitching your fly so that it looks like it's trying to escape just seems to be one of the major triggers that converts fish into players. So, if you're a die hard Steelhead angler you'll have to modify your tactics slightly. Instead of casting down and across and mending to get that slow swing, cast your fly up and across stream, mend it until it's at the right depth (you'l l have to experiment to see what level they're at - sometimes they're close to the surface, other times, they'll be hugging the bottom), then start a slow, but jerky retrieve once the line drifts down below you. Animation in the fly is best achieved by doing a fast "hand twist retrieve" at the end of the strip - this slight, but essential movement causes the fly to pulse through the water and often makes the difference bewteen an average and exceptional day.

Now, a few notes on fly design and/or choice. For whatever reason, Coho are extremely prone to attacking flies that, when you impart action to it with the rod and line, have a jig like motion. To achieve this, nearly all of our Coho flies have a large metal bead at the front, which causes the fly to dive in the water column after being stripped. The same effect could be achieved by using dumbbell or hourglass eyes, tungsten and conehead beads etc. Next, and perhaps this might be the most importast aspect of fly design - Coho flies require a very liberal use of flash. Our favourites? Flashabou, hands down, as it moves in water much better than does other materials. Using Polar Chenille is also a good choice, and incorporating these two materials into your fly design is a winning combination. In our experience, the most effective colours are varying combinations of chartreuse and silver, but blue, purple, pink and orange are all mainstays in our fly boxes.

So, armed with a little more information on Coho Fly Fishing techniques, be sure to get out there and enjoy your fishing! And, if you want to head out for a day of instruction on our favourite river systems in the Lower Skeena watershed, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Another Great Reason to Fish with Nicholas Dean...

Not unlike most other Steelhead and Salmon rivers around the globe, weather can play a significant role on the Skeena and its tributaries and, as they say, timing is everything. Rain is certainly part of the fishing equation and forms a certain fishing dynamic that anglers must pay attention to when measuring angling success. Catch the river when it's high and rising and you might find that grabbing a few beers at a local pub might be more productive. Catch the river as its dropping into shape and you might find yourself with some of the best Steelhead and Salmon fishing of your life. So what if you've booked your week at a fishing lodge and this happens?

If you're in the wilderness with access to only one river, you might find yourself with a long week ahead of you. While high waters will sometimes affect our fishing program a few days each year, fishing with us at Nicholas Dean Lodge will provide you with a sense of "fishing insurance." Let me explain further. We have rod days on over 50 different rivers, streams and lakes within the Lower Skeena watershed - both classified and unclassified - which means that even during the worst of rain storms, we're in a good position to keep our clients on the water. Moving to a different watershed for Steelhead, sight fishing for trophy Coho Salmon in the 8-20 lb range on the Lower Skeena tributaries, and lake fishing for Rainbow and Cutthroat trout are just a few examples of where we can take you. Join us for a fishing trip in the remainder of the Fall Steelhead and Coho Salmon season this year, and we'll get you on the Copper, Kalum, Skeena, and Nass River tributaries. And, in the unlikely event that the rivers rise, you can rest assured that there will still be some fishing options...