Smithers/Stewart

[albertadeer]

Headed to Stewart this summer for a couple weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions on places to fish?

[Sea Hawk]

on your way north of Kitwanga you will cross the Cranberry river which I have not fished. I have heard that at times over the summer it has great salmon fishing.
I have fished at the mouth of the Meziaden river where it joins the Nass. There is a big pool at the mouth which can be good for springs. The meziaden can also be good for sockeye at times.

[albertadeer]

What is a common set up for River fishing there?

[fish gunner]

Originally Posted by albertadeer

What is a common set up for River fishing there?

Kitimat spoons, crocodile spoons , coho spoons , large little cleos . Need to check the regs but a three way &spinin glow or bottom bouncing with a float and roe or plastics. Small spinners and spoons or rapalas will bring dollies and cuts . Iirc you dates dollies will be pre spawn

[Wild&Free]

kitimat and coho spoons size 55 65 and 85, the blue illusion pattern works good
crocodile spoon 1.5 inch long (forget the size)
standard nickle spoon, no pattern.
Blue Fox spinners size 3 and 5 in red, blue, chartreuse and forest green
Mepps Agila long in the egg pattern
spinning glows and corkies with red gamagatsu hooks
pencil weight for bottom bouncing above setup
2-8 oz pyramid weights for bar fishing the larger spinning glows

float and roe works great, check regs for bait restrictions
white and red yarn if there's a restriction.

that's all my tackle box had back home.

The dates you mentioned in General put you in between the chinook and coho runs on the southern Nass tributaries but there should be chinook in the meziaden and bell irving rivers.

Moricetown Canyon will have Chinook and some Coho at that time, the Kispoix will be okay then as well. The Skeena around Hazelton will also have a good number of fish moving through.

Stop in at Oscars in Smithers, great people and they'll let you know what's going on and where.

[albertadeer]

Awesome! Thanks guys!

What is the average size of fish I'll be casting for?


Do I need to bring my heavy set up? Or does light spinning tackle cover it? I've landed lots of 10-20lb fish on light gear. But never fished for salmon in my life

[crblair]

I've always used a med action rod. Biggest thing is make sure you've got lots of line. Sockeyes are usually under 10lbs but Springs can vary. In my experience a spawning Spring is generally 15lbs+. When you hook a sockeye the battle isn't all that bad. If you hook a 20lb Spring you better hold on; they're like a rocket moving through the water. There's no mistaking a big Spring when you have one on.

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by crblair

I've always used a med action rod. Biggest thing is make sure you've got lots of line. Sockeyes are usually under 10lbs but Springs can vary. In my experience a spawning Spring is generally 15lbs+. When you hook a sockeye the battle isn't all that bad. If you hook a 20lb Spring you better hold on; they're like a rocket moving through the water. There's no mistaking a big Spring when you have one on.

15-20lb braided?

Do I need mono leaders or anything fancy?

[Wild&Free]

If youre in a river with springs/Chinook 30# mainline minimum. I never used braided, and didn't see it on the river much in the 10 years I was seriously fishing there. I always spoolled 40# Berkeley big game for springs, went down to 15 or 20 for coho and steelhead. never used less then 15, couldn't pull off bottom with 12 would always break off.

Skeena watershed will have lots in the 40-50lb range, average size spring is 30ish. remember there's strong current and large rock bottom to pull weights off of. spin n glo setups are cost effective but you'll only have so many weights with you. stock up on 3 ways, barrel swivels and beads too.

Nass has good sized springs as well.

heaviest coho I got out of the Nass system was 17# they can reach 25# during the fall runs two months after you'll be there.

rod was 10'6" med heavy for spring's, 10' med for smaller species. Longer rod helps with bottom bouncing and running floats I find, they're not bad for tossing lures but 8-9' would work better. also bring a 6-7 med or med light for smaller streams and trout. get some small red corkies to bottom bounce for RMW, I've seen some big ones in the Nass and they're anywhere there's salmon running.

There's other places to stop in the interior around Fraser Lake and Burns Lake, and if you make a detour at Topley and head to Granisle, the small rivers that feed into Babine Lake are great for Rainbows, Cuttbows, and Cutthroat, kokannee might be spawning there too and I've seen some 2# come out of them. my best was 8" though.

it's a fishing paradise up there, and once you get past Houston, the scenery is breathtaking. turning up to Stewart you'll miss the Skeena widening and the mountains falling straight to the banks but that's another summer vacation. When Cot Vancouver first sailed up the coast he went many miles up the Skeena believing it was an estuary until the tide started going out.

[Coulee]

I have been to Stewart many times. I spent an entire summer working there when I was younger. The guys on this post have given you some really good advice. One place I really liked to fish was on the Alaska side, on the Salmon River. Find a deep hole and there is some really good fishing for dolly varden. However, and I can't stress this enough, the Alaska side on the Salmon River has one of the densest grizzly bear populations on earth. You WILL run into one. So if you fish that side be very careful.

[crblair]

Y

Originally Posted by albertadeer

15-20lb braided?

Do I need mono leaders or anything fancy?

I've only ever bottom bounced for them. For that I use 40lb braided line. At the end I'll use a 10ft piece of mono with a single hook at the end and a weight (depends on current strength) at the braided/mono connection. With this method you use a bare hook, nothing else. You can't legally snag them so I'll put a tiny piece of yarn to technically make it legal but this is essentially what your doing. Find the areas where the river narrows; the fish will be most concentrated as they run up the river.

This method depends on the topography of the river bottom where your fishing. Works really well where you fish on gravel bottoms. I wouldn't do this in areas of large rocks or trees. Good example of this is in the Fraser. Different river obviously but this is how they catch them there.

[Wild&Free]

Originally Posted by crblair

Y


I've only ever bottom bounced for them. For that I use 40lb braided line. At the end I'll use a 10ft piece of mono with a single hook at the end and a weight (depends on current strength) at the braided/mono connection. With this method you use a bare hook, nothing else. You can't legally snag them so I'll put a tiny piece of yarn to technically make it legal but this is essentially what your doing. Find the areas where the river narrows; the fish will be most concentrated as they run up the river.

This method depends on the topography of the river bottom where your fishing. Works really well where you fish on gravel bottoms. I wouldn't do this in areas of large rocks or trees. Good example of this is in the Fraser. Different river obviously but this is how they catch them there.

This is whats called flossing, it's how you catch sockeye in the rivers mostly. as sockeye feed mainly on Krill in the ocean at a decent depth they are the least aggressive salmon variety when they hit freshwater. in some of the lakes who's tributaries they spawn in a flasher with a hoochie and hook set to 40-50' depth works to catch them. in the rivers they will occasionally chase a spinner but you're more likely to have one "mouth" your line as they breathe. regulations usually have "fly fishing only" but as long as you're not using conventional gear or weights or terminal and just a hook with some yarn you're passable for fly fishing with a spinning or baitcasting rod, according to legislation anyway. when they mouth your line you take up the slack get the hook close to the mouth and set. As long as the hook is sunk into the lips/mouth you haven't foul hooked it and can keep it.

Chinook and coho are more aggressive and will go after regular gear. the big spoons imitate smaller fish going after eggs and they will be chased off. really the goal is to put something in their face and get them p/o'ed.

Salmon don't feed in freshwater just protect redds and respond to feeding instinct. get a good hook set because theyll let go soon.

[CenterPin]

I would recommend not flossing on the Skeena and tribs. Its generally excepted in the south but up north you may end up shot or atleast seriously deflated tires. Just a recommendation.

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by CenterPin

I would recommend not flossing on the Skeena and tribs. Its generally excepted in the south but up north you may end up shot or atleast seriously deflated tires. Just a recommendation.

hahaha. No i wont be doing that, ive actually always disliked salmon fishing and fishermen cause of techniques like that.


Is there any chance of finding lakes with Char up there?

[Wild&Free]

Originally Posted by albertadeer

hahaha. No i wont be doing that, ive actually always disliked salmon fishing and fishermen cause of techniques like that.


Is there any chance of finding lakes with Char up there?

If you're dragging a boat I know a lake or two south of Houston that can get 25+ Lake Trout.

[CenterPin]

I actually stopped fishing the Chilliwack area because of flossing. Its pretty disgusting how people treat the fishery down there. I understand the whole idea with sockeye but people catch sockeye pretty effectively so its only natural they would do the same with coho, springs and steelhead. Fish literally run a gauntlet of hundreds or thousands of people illegally snagging these beautiful fish. Just gross..

[albertadeer]

Can I expect every River to be packed to the brim with fishermen? That's one thing I hate....

And I will have a canoe with me

[CenterPin]

Not at all on the Skeena tribs. Id recommend not using your canoe on the rivers, unless your quite skilled in canoeing rivers. There I quite a bit of access on the tribs but not so much on the Skeena itself. If I had to choose one technique to get salmon/steelhead its easily eggs but theres a lot of knowledge required to effectively use them. A second choice would be little cleo style spoons. There will be fisherman around but nothing close to shoulder to shoulder with a few exceptions on the most popular of spots.

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by CenterPin

Not at all on the Skeena tribs. Id recommend not using your canoe on the rivers, unless your quite skilled in canoeing rivers. There I quite a bit of access on the tribs but not so much on the Skeena itself. If I had to choose one technique to get salmon/steelhead its easily eggs but theres a lot of knowledge required to effectively use them. A second choice would be little cleo style spoons. There will be fisherman around but nothing close to shoulder to shoulder with a few exceptions on the most popular of spots.

Right on! Ya no plans for the canoe on rivers, just lakes. Looks like some beautiful lakes to dip a paddle!

[Og Dumi]

Kitimat and coho spoons for sure keep em low!