Skeena System Fishing Report: Excellent!
Just back from 11 days fishing four rivers in northern BC: Skeena, Kispiox, Bulkley and Morice. Most of the time the weather was warm (sunny, 50's), dry and the water levels were falling (and clearing). There were a mix of old and fresh fish in the rivers, and the fish were generally on the bite. But as I'd just arrived after a major blowout, the rivers were largely too high for optimal fly fishing so I relied on gear most of the time.
Mortac silver and gold spoons in sizes #3 and #2, drift fished 6" and 4" pink plastic worms, and jig/ bobber combos were the three tactics I used to excellent effect. Prior to going I'd had zero experience fishing spoons so it was particularly gratifying that my first steelhead up there was taken on a spoon, and happened to measure out at 38.5" x 19.5", too. (Thanks Bill Herzog for that book on "Spoon Fishing for Steelhead" -- it paid for itself in the first 40 minutes!) Ditto for pink plastic worms -- used these to catch lots of aggressive fish esp. in faster/ colored water, and man do the fish hit them hard when they take. As the water cleared and fell further, I used a jig and float combo in preference to fly fishing as I was able to cover more new water more efficiently with the former over the latter.
Meanwhile, 90%-95% of the fishermen were traditional fly-only types even when the conditions weren't best suited to flies. The guides are also very anti-gear as well. My first day out, I fished with a guide. He urged me to use fly gear. I did so, and dropped two fish over 10 hours of fishing the prime spots hard. The flow was a little heavy, and left to my own devices I'd of preferred to drift Corkies and yarn (whatever: gear). The next day I fished on my own and caught and landed four steelhead on gear. The rest of the trip was much the same -- the guided fly guys floating (or jetboating) the rivers would hook somewhere between 1 and 3 a day. Meanwhile, I'd drive around, park, walk/ bushwack in and do roughly double that number.
I'm not anti-fly fishing -- I brought my 9 weight and used it when I thought the conditions were most favorable for catching a fish. I was pleased as punch to land a 38" chrome hen on a fly in the Skeena when the water was at its lowest. But when the water levels changed or the area favored gear I didn't hesitate to change. To gauge the reaction of the fly-only brigade, I was somewhere between a snagger and child molester for using gear. It made me laugh.
I know fly fishing is more challenging, and a fly rod caught fish is generally more fun to fight and land than a gear caught fish. (Let's set aside the higher C & R mortality that may result from fighting summer steelhead for longer times on fly gear.) But I don't understand the mentality that totally devalues a fish caught on one method vs. another. On my last day on the Morice, I met someone who ONLY fished a floating line and a waked dry fly. The previous four days he had hooked one (lost it) and had two boils behind his fly! Frankly, I thought he was nuts. If it's a legal method and doesn't disproportionately run the risk of injuring the fish (I don't think I'd use roe behind a bait diver on natives even where legal) then I'm a "use what works best" person. This fly-only prejudice has its origins in many places I suspect -- I'd be interested in reading other members' thoughts (pro and con).
Anyway, as Ahnold would say "I'll be back!"
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If you accept a handed off steelhead, in your next life you'll come back as a Bulletin Board moderator.
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