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March, 2004
 HONK, HONK!! I look up into the sky and see the image of a large flock in
perfect unison, yes Canadian geese are coming home from a sunny
vacation. For us living in the British Columbia north this is a welcome
as the dog sleds are being put to rest and the groundhogs are wearing
Ray Bans. The days are becoming longer and the drip of melting snow in
a bright sunlight is upon us.
I saunter into my tackle room and turn on the light, my heart skips a
beat, its Steelhead season!
I choose my dusty weapon and venture out of
the house.
The rivers are slow moving and gin clear, the air brisk. Water
temperatures are less then 40F and I can feel a tingling thru my Gore-Tex
waders. Many Cutthroats are rising in the backeddys as I cross the river
to check out some fishy pools for an early metal head.
This is the Kitimat River. The river drains into the Douglas Channel and currently it is alive with a nice run of Herring. As well the odd boat is out trolling for a winter springer, some as small as 6lbs.
My cell phone rings," Hello?” the voice on the other end responds, "hows your Steelhead run looking this year," says the drawl on the other end.
The sound is familiar; an avid American fisherman awaits my response. We
have a short conversation and exchange mailing addresses.
A few months earlier I was sitting at my desk, manufacturing Steelhead
flies, looking out at my backyard, snow 6ft. high and flakes the size
of a Volkswagen Beetle dumping down. Man, will this ever end. The
winter can be a long one for a fishing guide, even though this is
suppose to be his time of rest.
My good buddy Andy is in town, after a long flight two provinces away
he is here and wants to get out on the water. No problem. We take
along our fly rods as well the spin casters for the frog water. The
thermos is full of hot coffee and we start our drift on my favorite
stream. I have so many favorite streams all with something special to
offer. I take the waters temperature, 37F! Wow. Oh well the day is
serene and we are in natures hands, I am sure the afternoon sun will
bring us to 40F.
My first take on the fly is a good one, not a Steelie though, a magazine cover Cutthroat, black spots cover his silver face and a gorgeous red streak along the lateral. I make a small gesture to Andy who is in motion with a double haul at the top of the run. I
release the fish unharmed, it would make an excellent photo. It’s only a
cutty 14" or so, what am I thinking. He gives me the thumbs up and
waits for his tight line.
I feel the cool water seep into my old neoprene’s, damn; I thought I
fixed that leak. I look at Andy who is waist deep in the water smiling
with my new G3's keeping him satisfied. I have no choice but to exit
the water and have a fresh, hot cup of welcome.
We drift down to the next run and have a chat with retired legend Noel
Gyger, "Hi Noel, how’s the fishin?" "Slow today, but we hooked a dozen
Sunday." Noel is now our representative for all guides in our area. With so many changes coming down thru the government pipe we are all nervous as to what our future will hold.
We say our goodbyes and watch as his colored float makes a drift in a fishy
seam. The river is very low and the end of the line for a Jetboat. We
on the other hand have many miles to the take-out before our day is
done. The week before we used a snowmobile to pull the raft up the
switch backed road. Today we are walking up, the snow is gone. We flip
the raft on its side and gather our stuff as it will be days before I am
back down. The next time, will be with the plow as large stumps have covered any chances of a 4x4 meandering down to the private take-out.
With the Month of March approaching the mid point of the calendar we
are very busy getting ready for our clients who will be flying in soon.
The spring Steelhead Lodge is home to big groups and traffic will be
comfortable. We are booked until the second week of May and space is
available for our lodge of 15 anglers per nite. We have added two new
rivers to our list so expect some more hot action this upcoming season.
We have added a new twist to our operation, which includes bird watching and sightseeing. Our local expert in Kitimat and well known writer Dennis, will take you out for a day of pleasure either on land or ocean for all the wonders of the Kitimat Valley and coastal birds that make this place there home.
Also attached is a picture of one of our creations for the upcoming season. Here it is the Kitimat Kombo. The recipe will be added to the fly shop on the site. So, for you who are avid tiers check it out. Thanx to Archie for this beauty, see you on the water.
Tracey John Hittel
Kitimat BC Canada
250 632-9880
250 639-4277
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