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September 16, 2006
Skeena Steelhead Report
“Would you do it?” asks Marcus, “I guess so”, I reply, with some hesitation. What would a client have as a request that would make you consider saying no? We’ll in today’s competitive world the people that do that something extra always push thru into the next level of, what that is I am not sure. Having the fellas from California join us again for another season of Steelhead on the fly makes it all worthwhile as heck they are repeats and they know how to fish the Skeena. Troy sums it up in a short sentence, where can fish and possibly hook into a world record Salmon or Steelhead in each cast. With the test fishery results from the lower Skeena, Steelhead weighing in as much as 36lbs, no wonder these guys spent all day and nite casting their homemade flies. After spending 9 days straight at the “point”, I have become an expert in many things. Cooking bacon and eggs on a open fire with a cast iron pan, making a fresh Sockeye minutes out of the water for lunch over an open fire with a grill (no tinfoil), making supper on a open fire. I wonder how the 1st settlers on the Skeena could have done it, and did. We are capable of fishing miles of water with high performance jetboats, where as in the past a canoe had to be built with the most primitive of tools, then enter the raging Skeena with nothing but the strength of your arms and the will to live. When a system like the Skeena can rise 17ft in 24hrs you must have thought people were crazy. I know for a fact that people are. I have seen at the Kalum boat launch, a family of 4 with 2 dogs get into a 10ft lake boat and a 10hp motor, that I am sure Columbus (if he had a outboard motor) must have brought with him, fell overboard and landed on the river bank and ended up on the back of this old and beaten vessel for the Skeena. I heard of no drowning that week so I am sure the family affair made it back to the boat launch.
During the nine-day experience on the point and many of them overniters I was with company of my father who joined us during the trip. He asked me after an hour-long fish and a break on a soft rocky bed carved in the midst of a landmine of river rock. “Do these guys cast all day long?” Ya they do, as taking a break may be that cast that will be the one. The thing about fishing the Skeena is that if you stay and fish one pool the fish will, during that day run by you enroute to the upper Skeena reaches and in fact you can watch as they swim by the clear shoreline. Having as many as 200 Sockeye rippin up a fast riffle is quite exciting especially when the Steelhead are in with them.
Spending the night on the banks of the Skeena is not only exciting but also serene. Having fresh bear dung near your camp in the AM is one of these things that is part of the game, and really is not as scary as it sounds, even if you have a moose caller sleeping in your tent, thanx to Marcus ear plugs were a savior. Also having a Timber Wolf calling your camp in the AM looking for the pack was a great experience, a beaver swimming by your rod tip that you can see the water glistening off his wet back and the whites of his eyes. A bear taking a refreshing swim across the Skeena. The moon and stars with the backdrop of the glacier filled crevasse of the most jagged of mountains, this is the awe that I not only appreciate, but anglers from the hustle and bustle of the fast life in California eat up each moment.
Attached are some of the photos of Troy, Marcus, and late arriver Troy’s dad, Robert. This man was smart; he stayed at the lodge in a warm bed, a TV with a remote, all the amenities of home. Not a sandy bank filled with three cold and uncomfortable blood thirsty Steelheaders, and proved he could tackle the Skeena Steelhead also. Attached is a pic of Robert with a Skeena gem that took him across the Skeena and down to the last wrap of his backing to regain control and bank his beauty. I know Troy would like to have a different picture attached than the one provided as he hooked some large Steelhead that eluded him. Marcus a self proclaimed Japanese Jew was the man on the tying bench and his new fly called the WF2 will be in the fly shop gallery soon. I asked Marcus how many flies did you go thru during your stay? He told me 70 flies, Yes, 70! One thing a guide friend of mine asks me after we exchange stories of the day, how many flies did the guys lose, because if there not losing flies there not catching fish, so true. Attached is grey bearded Marcus, who could double for Canadian icon David Suzuki, with a silver Steelhead. Great trips fellas, always a pleasure.
With the departure of guests comes the arrival of others and with that more experiences. The Wade’s were in town with their threesome for some Steelhead Action, and Nathan was a man after my own heart. An adamant flyangler whose goal was to get that picture of a fly caught Steelhead. Hooking a Steelhead and landing a Steelhead can be two different things, and Nathan did his part in the hooking process unfortunate to get that pic in his short stay. In fact his desire was so great we decided to spend a day out on the Saltwater with Larry and John, as the Coho were schooling in the harbor near Kitimat. Nathan asked if he could go on the Skeena for his last day instead of the saltwater trip and I of course hailed a guide (Ted) for him to try and get that elusive Skeena Steelhead. Our Saltwater day was on the other hand quite successful as the picture below show an assortment of sizes of fresh Coho. In fact the action was so hot that the Coho were taking the bait on the surface before I could drop the downriggers, it was a treat for sure. The last part of this report involves our repeat clients the McKinley’s with another couple that joined them. We of course fished the Skeena as the run has been exceptional this year and Robin was rewarded with this sweetheart of the Skeena a chromer Steelhead, not to mention his fishing partners did very well with the Sockeyes. Robin is quite the magician (inside joke) when it comes to tying flies and his wife slammed the Sockeyes with his white and pink prawn pattern.
The Skeena drainage is very low and the tributaries are in prime shape. The autumn colors are upon us and the evenings are brisk.
Our guests arriving soon will be the Paton group, Ebi and friends and Alexi from this July, not to mention many others for the fall Steelhead and Coho fishery.
Tracey John Hittel
Kitimat BC Canada
250 632-9880
250 639-4277
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