I found a new spot. I was so excited when I saw the place that I forgot where was the entrance of the trail later in the day. There was a local angler that helped me, I could be in serious trouble if I had to find the road just following the creek during the night. Although the distance was short, there was just a little bit of daylight left when this happened and I learned the lesson. This time the nature protected me, but it could have been different... I will be forever grateful to God, or Force of Nature or Cosmos or Universe (whatever you want to call it) for putting this guy there for a few minutes to show me the correct entry of the trail.
Upon arrival at this spot, right on the first few casts, using a big purple Intruder, this beautiful Chinook takes the fly. Unlike the Chinnies of the Great Lakes, the BC Chinook really grabs the fly with lots of intensity. I think they are mostly flossed here on the Great Lakes tribs, with very few exceptions. This fish still had that ocean smell that brought me saltwater memories, childhood memories. It worth feeling such a beast on the line. Again, the rain ruined my pictures and I wanted to release the fish as fast as possible, so it could spawn.
My first saltwater Chinnie
I thought I would catch more "springs" because I got this one right off the bat, but not quite. In the following hours I worked hard without catching anything. A little farther downstream, there was a very promising spot. I found this guy fishing this classical run and I asked him if he would mind me fishing upstream from him. He was very polite and told me that I might linger a bit to catch a fish, because he had already caught two fish there earlier. A few power boats have passed and it seemed that the fish have stop bitting. This guy is actually a local guide and gave me some good tips about the region (see contact in final considerations). I hope in the future I can afford one day guided with him, but on this trip I was by my own and appreciated his help.
The run...
I decided to put the Popsicle again and fish that spot for the rest of the afternoon. I fished the entire run several times, covering every inch it, stopping for a few minutes, eating something and starting all over again. In one of these, a newly arrival Steelhead attacks my fly voraciously and goes acrobatically through the run. It was my last fish of the trip, which left me beautifull memories too!
I will miss BC
I can't cast 12hrs a day anymore. I have been favouring quality over quantity. On the last day, I just wanted to cast a few more times, swing my fly slowly again through the pool where I caught my trophy, feel the breeze of the rain forest, see those purple rocks on the bottom of the run....
Final Considerations
The region has structure for those who want to venture self-guided, but I would recommend using a guide at least for a couple of days, specially for those who have never swung for Steelhead. The guide that I met in the river and seemed very professional was Gord McKean (http://www.ifishterracebc.com/ ). He guides in the region Kitimat / Terrace.
I stayed at the Copper River Motel, (http://www.copperrivermotel.com) one of the cheapest in the region. It has good connection to the Internet, cable TV , a frigobar, a microwave and coffee. Call them directly for deals. I was able to use the little coffee table to tye a few flies, but it is tight.
I rented a compact car, but a 4x4 would give me more options for sure. Still, you don't want to get hard on the car in the bush, so it is better park where it is safe and hike to the spots.
It is kind of annoying to non-residents to understand the regulations for fishing. You have to know where to fish and, consequently, the conditions of the rivers that you are going to fish. To avoid problems, I would advise to buy a Steelhead stamp, even if it is catch and release only; the regulations states that if you have the intention to fish for Steelhead,you should purchase a Steelhead Stamp. Many guides may issue a license to its customers, making it much easier, because one would not need to keep going in the tackle shop all the time to update the license. You can purchase your license online and leave to buy the license for classified waters on the tackle shop. If a river is good stay at this river and buy the license for this river for a few days, so you do not need to return to the tackle shop every day. I found the Fish Tales Tackle shop to be the best option to buy fly fishing stuff in the Terrace. http://www.fishtalesterrace.com/
I would strong recommend to buy the Backroad Mapbooks for Northern BC (http://www.backroadmapbooks.com/), it will give you a good idea of the region and a overall view of the rivers and some access points.
The Kitimat offers lots of access, and it is not Classfied Waters. Locals claim that the fish and the Kitimat are very good fighters. I couldn't tell because I didn't fight any fish on the Kitimat long enough, but I did feel one on my line, and I think locals are right.
Although it is possible to use a single handed fly rod, I would strongly recommend a double handed rod. You can scan much more water, make longer mends and have a fair fight with the fish. There is no point of using light gear for Steelhead, they will fight amazingly anyways.
Material:
- Spey rod GLoomis Versa Spey 13ft 7/8 weight
- Shooting Head Rio Skagit Flight 500g
- Sinking Tips Rio Versi Tip #8 15ft
- Leaders and tippet s- leftover tapered leader 2x, 3x cutted in half and Maxima tippet 15lbs or 20lbs depending on the clarity of the water. Some guys attach the tippet right on the sinking tip, I like to have a butt section for better turnover. Steelhead in BC is not really leader shy. Be ethical and do not use very light tippets as they do here in the Great Lakes. The standard there seems to be 15lbs to 20lbs tippet for Steelies and even heavier stuff for Kings.
All the rivers in BC are single, barbless hook.
BC freshwater fishing regulations
http://www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/search/search-facility-activity-results.aspx
I flew Air Canada to Terrace and my bag arrived, that's all that I needed, can't complain. Other Airlines companies that fly to Terrace BC are:
http://www.hawkair.ca/
https://flycma.com/
Enjoy it!
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