My West Coast Steelhead Story (Pic Heavy)

[FisherGrrrl]

A Steelhead Story



After a 16 hour drive through rain and snow we finally made it to our destination where we would spend the next 11 days chasing fresh steelhead throughout the Skeena Region river systems.
The first morning we were eager to get the pontoons on a river and our lines in the water. A local shuttle guy arrived at 6:00am and dropped us off at what was called the “cable”. I could feel my adrenaline boiling. I was pumped for the adventure I was about to take on, but nervous about the unknown float on unfamiliar water. Aaaaahhh exciting to say the least. and to start things off, the very first quick ripples I hit I was trying to back paddle to get around a fallen tree which created an island in the middle of the river, my right pontoon oar lock slipped down the shaft of my paddle and had me using all my extra strength to hold the paddle in place in order to displace the water I needed to avoid the upcoming disaster. Thankfully I did make the cut and we beached the pontoons and tightened my oars. Lesson learned.

The day carried on and we made our way floating down the river hitting every hole, ripple, slick, and run that we could see. It was always a race to be the first to toss a line in. First few holes we were already getting a few scattered hits. One wild doe steelhead was landed within the first two hours and a few random rainbows carried us throughout the rest of the day. Finally at around 5:00pm we saw the bridge that marked the end of the float. We hit the last run of the float just before the bridge. The water was about 2 – 3 feet deep and 30 feet wide with fast ripples so casting in it seemed like a gamble thinking that one steelhead would be sitting anywhere in it. I had my doubts but tossed a few floats out anyways then waded back to shore. Right when I got to shore I turned around and Geoff was fighting a steelhead! The fish wanted to go downstream and had the advantage of the rippling water so he walked it down out of the fast current and landed a nice silver hatchery doe steelhead. First day fishing started the trip with higher hopes then we had anticipated. 






The next morning we asked the shuttle driver to come by at 5:00am and drop us in further up river. Little did we know he started us up river another 8 km from the “cable” where we had started the float the previous day. The second spot we stopped at that morning was a long skinny run about 100 ft long that glided along a steep bank. I started casting my float and roe bag where the fast current met the slow current and watched my float glide the surface of the run. Every few casts wading my way down the banks to cover as much of the stretch before more fishermen would come and stir the untouched water. Finally, nearing the end of the run, at the very end of one of my drifts just before I was about to yank my rod Wham! My float took under. I set the hook and let the fish take the line from the drag of my baitcaster. I started to reel in and the fish let loose. Disappointed now, I quickly reeled in the rest of my line to see what was left of my setup. Everything was still there so I attached another roe bag and tossed it in the same drift. Right at the end of the drift my float took under again! This time I knew I had a better hook set. After a couple minutes of fighting the fish my arms started to ache and my right leg started to vibrate haha! I had to laugh at myself mid-battle. After what felt like forever, I landed my first steelhead from the west coast, this hatchery buck in the picture.



Caught a few small trout after that but by 2:00pm I looked on the GPS and realized we weren’t even close to half way to the end of the float. Still had 8 km left! 4km to the cable and 4km after the cable. At this point we started to focus on covering some water. The river itself was an adventure on its own with fallen trees scattered every 20 feet and small rapids that whipped you around 90 degree river bends. Some trees swept horizontally across the entire river and we would have to portage the boats. However, the most exciting part of the river itself was choosing your route. There were so many different channels to choose from that all were apart of the same river, it was like going down water slides that all lead to the same big pool. I definitely went up at least 10 Pontooning Skill Levels haha! It was truly a fisherman’s playground out there.






Next few days were similar to the first two--fishing and floating from dawn to dusk. After a few days of floating we moved spots and took the jet boat up a few different rivers. One of the rivers was an awesome steelhead green colour. The day we hit the green water another wild steelhead was landed, I had two takes on one hole but nothing stayed hooked. However, lots of dolly varden was caught! Another new species for me to check off my list  Some would say they were a nuisance and would get in the way of the target fish or pop eggs on the hook. That’s exactly what they were doing, but to me I was having a blast and pulled out the 6wt fly rod and started tossing minnow patterns to imitate the little salmon fry. I also couldn’t believe how many eagles swarmed the rivers. I was able to catch a photo with six eagles in the same picture! The river systems and sceneries throughout the region were absolutely breathe taking.







All in all, the trip was another one I will never forget. By the end of it, every muscle on my body ached from paddling, hauling pontoons, jumping in boats, casting rods, hiking, and pulling in fish. And to add I was exhausted from the early mornings of getting boats in the water and non-stop application of body and mind. It was definitely far far far from a vacation. It was an adventure… and I loved every second of it. The Skeena Region is an absolute paradise and I cannot wait to go back for another West Coast Steelhead chase.

[FisherGrrrl]

[the local angler]

right on looks like an awsome adventure. love the first pic, i had to do a double take. very cool.

[Ken07AOVette]

Excellent story and pictures! Good for you!

[Champion]

Great story and awesome pics...sounds like a fun time.

[Steven Noel]

Thank you very much for sharing your adventure with us. Your excellent articulation and maticulous descriptions were a privelage to read.

[montec]

One hell of a fisher grrl way to go

[ogre]

Thanks for the descriptions of the voyage. Sounds like an absolute blast. Wicked pictures too.

[BGSH]

Wicked trip, looks like a blast

[BeeGuy]

awesome trip log and photos, thanks for posting

0810-1 looks like a coastal cuttie

those are some great steelhead!

mission accomplished!

[The Fisherman Guy]

Incredible! Great to hear you had an awesome time up there. Fantastic write up and pictures.

[ryanheartssteelhead]

yaaaa steelhead

[saskbooknut]

Great adventure - great storytelling, love it. Thanks.

[tight line]

some fresh looking steelies!!!

[newdrenalin]

Looks like you had an awesome trip. I miss the Kitimat river, I grew up fishing there. Your photos make me want to plan a trip.

[Mike_W]

Great story and photos!! Glad your first trip was a success!!! That is one heck of a first steelhead and a great picture!!

[Tofinofish]

Thanks for sharing your awesome Adventure with us! One for the Bucket List....

[waterninja]

congratulations on a great trip. the pic. of the worlds biggest fly rod in houston brought back great memories.

[ReconWilly]

^^^Speechless, it doesn't get any better than that, the mecca of fishing!! Soooooooooo whats next?

[nekred]

Thanks for sharing!... great read and great trip!...

[marlin1]

looks like a great trip , nice pics

[FisherGrrrl]

thanks everyone for the comments I enjoy sharing with you guys on here

Originally Posted by ReconWilly

^^^Speechless, it doesn't get any better than that, the mecca of fishing!! Soooooooooo whats next?

Im thinking next will be Forestry Trunk Road again

[greylynx]

I notice a duct tape repair on the pontoon boat. What happened?

Did you compare the size of your lab with the local labs in the area? The local labs are huge. So are the bears?

Was that the Morice River that you were on ? She is going to be super high in a month. Especially this year.

Did you hear anything about Babine and trout alley?

And most of all thank you for taking the time to write the narrative and post the pictures.

Again, Many thanks.

[frpd]

You have to be one of the best posters on this board it is a real pleasure to read them and the pictures are great along with the storylines.

[FisherGrrrl]

Originally Posted by greylynx

I notice a duct tape repair on the pontoon boat. What happened?

Did you compare the size of your lab with the local labs in the area? The local labs are huge. So are the bears?

Was that the Morice River that you were on ? She is going to be super high in a month. Especially this year.

Did you hear anything about Babine and trout alley?

And most of all thank you for taking the time to write the narrative and post the pictures.

Again, Many thanks.

Good ol handy duct tape lol. The shell has a big rip in it but the bladder is still good. Happened when the boat was getting pulled on to rocky shoreline and a big rock sliced a clean straight line. Tried patching it, zip-ties, glue and whatever else but duct tape was the winner.

I only saw one grizzly cub on the trip but I was in the truck. The cops were giving people bear warnings at the river saying that the grizzlies were giving people a hard time but I didnt run into any. Phew! It wasn't the Morice though. And actually we did try to go up to the babine and trout alley on the last night. We drove about an hour up a dirt road with tons of potholes in it and noticed the snow banks starting to get higher, about 5-7 feet high. So we werent sure if there was going to be ice on the lake/river, easy water access or boat ramps so we decided to turn around and drove to Prince George and slept in the truck at a rest stop. Gave a head start to the drive anyways

[Daceminnow]

Originally Posted by frpd

You have to be one of the best posters on this board it is a real pleasure to read them and the pictures are great along with the storylines.

agreed. there's a few fisher people here and a lot of story tellers. but Fishergrrl is a great fisher woman and an excellent writer. thanks Fishergrrl for the awesome documentary of your trip.

Dace

[SonnyJ]

Originally Posted by Daceminnow

agreed. there's a few fisher people here and a lot of story tellers. but Fishergrrl is a great fisher woman and an excellent writer. thanks Fishergrrl for the awesome documentary of your trip.

Dace

Yeah what Dace said...

[FisherGrrrl]

hey wow thanks guys you all make it very enjoyable sharing pictures and stories on here

[Alberta Bigbore]

Wow.........amazing photos and story. Great post.

[thunderheart]

looks like you had an absolute blast FG, those big steelies are something else ..i personally think they are the best eating too. I think i shall have to try one of those inflatable boats myself.
Thank you for sharing your trip