Spring Steelhead with Brian Chan!

Well known stillwater angler Brian Chan admires a hard won 10 lb Steelhead he landed on a local Skeena tributary. Brian Chan Photo

A long time ago when I first started fly fishing, a few friends and I went to the Izaak Walton fly fishing show in Toronto, and happened to see a very interesting presentation done on fly fishing strategies for trout in stillwaters, by Brian Chan. Little did I know that many years later I'd have the chance to fish with this well known angler on one of my home waters here in the Skeena region!

Brian, a retired fisheries biologist for the province of BC, is probably one of the most well known writers on stillwater entomology, presentation and fishing tactics, and I've read his articles in many different magazines over the years. So when our good friend Rob Vodola invited Dustin and I to fish with Brian, we jumped at the opportunity! Though low water conditions and cool, stable weather made the fishing more difficult than usual, Brian and Dustin both landed some quality Skeena fish. More below:

Dustin fights a behemoth from river left, as Rob helps direct the fish into the shallows.

The last critical moment of the fight, when many Steelhead are lost. Constant tension, keeping the fish' head in the water and nerves of steel are needed to land big fish in the shallows.

A trophy Spring Steelhead. At 39 inches long with a 19 inch girth, this fish was pushing 20 lbs and a handful even for an experienced angler armed with a spey rod.

A colourful selection of flies for Spring Steelhead fishing in a variety of water conditions.

Working deep, slow pools with a large pink and orange fly proved to be the best presentation with cold water temperatures and sluggish fish.

Though Brian has now retired from fisheries biology, he now operates guided fly fishing trips on his home waters near Kamloops. For more information, go to www.riseformflyfishing.com

Steelhead Exploration and Epic Trout Fishing

The trout fishing available in the Skeena's many rivers, streams, creeks and even road side ditches and sloughs are often overshadowed by their larger migratory cousins, Steelhead and Salmon.  In reality, if these same trout fishing opporunities existed closer to a metropolitan area, they would certainly be much more popular.

On a recent weekend, Dustin, Sky and myself had planned a scouting trip for Steelhead on a few remote coastal rivers to see if the fish were in early.  Though the rivers were too low to hold Steelhead in any numbers, we did find two sloughs which provided for some of our most memorable trout fishing to date...

Fishing the dark water - a prime lie for Spring Steelhead in coastal rivers.

A favourite coastal river with characteristically strong, thick Steelhead, but too little water on this day.

The eulachon (pronounced "oo-li-kun") run in full swing concentrates eagles, sea gulls, and other sea birds by the river's edge each year as they gorge on millions of eulachon migrating upstream.  Also called candle fish, these small, silvery fish are high in oil content, and have been prized by natives in northwestern BC for hundreds of years.

An old tree stump comprises the foreground of this interesting landscape.

Nicholas Dean guide Sky Richard searching for trout on top of a beaver house in a large, deep river.

One of many nice cutthroat trout landed in one of two small back channel sloughs.

Coastal Cutthroat trout are beautiful fish who fight surprisingly well on light fly rods.

Even Cayleigh likes trout fishing!

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 

They don't get much more chrome than this...

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.

Spring Steelhead - Last Minute Discount!

 The author with a bright Spring Steelhead landed on the Kalum River in late March

Over the past few years, our Spring Steelhead program has grown to become one of our most popular fisheries. Large, wild Steelhead, ideal, consistent water conditions and the opportunity to fish a variety of rivers make this season a very productive one. Starting in mid March, we focus on the Kalum River, Lower Copper and Skeena Rivers, and in April through mid May, also turn our attention to the Kitimat, and several remote coastal rivers as part of our "Adventure Steelhead" program.  Hard fighting, aggressive Spring Chinook are also available starting mid April, and are prime targets for the well swung fly or spoon. 

We still have a few spaces available in select weeks, and are offering a 10% discount off the 2010 rates. If you'd like to join us during our prime Spring Steelhead fishing, contact me directly by phone at (250) 635-5295 or by email at chadblack@nicholasdean.com. 

Skeena River Fishing Tip: How to Tie with Lady Amherst Feathers

When I first started tying big, west coast Steelhead flies, I was intrigued by several qualities of the Lady Amherst feather. First, its fibres were heavily mottled and helped create long, tentacle-like plumes that are common on many Steelhead flies and, second, it had good movement when swung on a tight line. However, it was also a material that I found exceedingly difficult to work with. I didn’t (and still don’t) like splitting the stems of feathers, and tying the fibres around a hook just didn’t create the hackle-like effect that I was going for. Moreover, the fibres tended to collapse and stick together. That all changed when I bought a deluxe dubbing loop twister and saw a video on youtube. By using the dubbing loop twister and one of Marc Petitjean’s material clips (in his Magic Tool set), I’ve been able to create Steelhead flies with flowing Amherst hackles that are both functionally and aesthetically appealing.

Getting ready to add the Amherst hackle

Step 1: Create a dubbing loop with your thread. To tighten the loop, be sure to wrap the thread around the loop 2-3 times.

Adding the dubbing loop

Step 2: Wet your fingers and isolate the fibres you’d like to use. Stroke the fibres from the base of the stem to the fibre tips, this will help isolate the fibres from one another.

Step 3: Place the large Magic Tool material clip on the fibres and cut the fibres at the stem. The Amherst butts should extend approximately a ¼” from the tip of the clip.

Adding Amerherst fibres to the dubbing loop

Step 4: Attach the deluxe dubbing twister in the loop, and add the Amherst fibres. Try to keep the length of fibres extending past the outside of the loop to a minimum.

Step 5: While holding the material clip with your left hand, spin the dubbing loop twister several rotations. Release the material clip off the fibres, and the Amherst should spin around the loop, forming a hackle. Spin the dubbing twister again, further locking the fibres in place.

 The Amherst hackle formed

Step 6: As you wrap the Amherst hackle, continue to stroke the fibres backwards, so they lie towards the back of the fly.

Step 7: Tie off the dubbing loop, and trim excess Amherst butts.

The finished fly with two Amherst hackles - ready to fish for Steelhead!

Skeena River Fishing Tips: Fishing Sink Tips

Matching your sink tip to the prevailing water conditions can help you present your fly effectively to Steelhead like this.  jeffbright.com photo

Sink tips are an integral part of a fly fisher's arsenal when presenting the fly to a Steelhead or Salmon, yet there are many misconeptions as to when you should fish them, how deep you need to be, and so forth. And, while Steelhead seem to break every rule in the book at times, these 5 general principles will usually serve you well on the river:

1) Consider the water temperatures, time of year and the fish you're searching for. During the Winter, Steelhead are often lethargic and most times won't aggressively chase down a fly unless it swings past their nose. This is particularly true for those fish that may have been in the river for a few months (exception: fresh, Winter run fish can be quite aggressive despite cold water temperatures). So, err on the heavy side when fishing sink tips in cold water, particularly in deeper pools and runs. Late Summer and Fall run fish can be very aggressive and willing to actively chase down a fly because of warmer water temperatures, so it's not necessary to fish deep in the water column. In this case, a Type 3 or a type 6 is usually all that's needed.

2) Make sure that you're not down too deep. If you have to unsnag your fly every other cast, your sink tip is too heavy for the water in front of you and will prevent you from fishing it effectively. The sink tip should touch the bottom every once in awhile to let you know you're in the zone, but not much more.

3) When not to use sink tips? When fishing small, clear coastal rivers in the Spring, heavy sink tips can often spook wary Steelhead. In this case, a long leader with a small, weighted fly that is cast well above the target area will help you avoid spooking finicky fish. Same goes for Winter fishing when river flows are at seasonal lows.

4) Bring a range of sink tips with you on fishing trips. You never know what to expect on the river and from pool to pool. A wide range of tips, including Type 3, Type 6, and varying lengths of T-14 and T-17 will enable you to cover a broad range of depths and currents. My personal favourite is the Descension Sink Tip system developed by Dustin Kovacvich and the other Nicholas Dean Lodge guides, which include varying lengths of lead core (LC-13).

5) Match your sink tip to the pool you're fishing. This might seem a rather obvious one, but many anglers will simply fish the same tip from pool to pool, regardless of the depths and current speeds. Each pool has its own seams, features, and current speeds, and keeping your fly in the strike zone requires a dynamic approach. If you feel that you're not getting down enough, go a little heavier. If you're getting snagged every other cast, lighten up.

Our Italian Partner - Le Reve House Adventures!

Two happy Italian clients with a bright chrome Steelhead caught on the Skeena during early August.

At the core of our business, we work very closely with several outstanding booking agents, who are committed to providing the best fishing trips and value for their clients worldwide.  Over the past three years, we've partnered with Stefano Gay of Le Reve House Adventures to introduce many enthusiastic Italian anglers to the epic fishing available in Terrace on the Lower Skeena River.  Whether it's been fly fishing on the Kalum River for monster Steelhead, spoon fishing for Coho or backtrolling for the largest Chinook Salmon in the world on the Skeena, Stefano has helped introduce many clients to the world class fishing available in Terrace. 

Based out of Vancouver, BC, Le Reve House Adventures specializes not only in coordinating fishing and travel arrangements for clients at our lodge, but also ecotours and other outdoor pursuits.  If you're considering a trip to our lodge or would like to do some whale watching or hiking near Vancouver, I encourage you to get in touch with Stefano at info@lerevehouseadventure.com.