I think I have finally caught up on my sleep after our Kings on the Swing trip to B.C. during the third week in June. We spent a week fishing the Kitimat River with our friends at Skeena River Lodge and, even though the fishing was a bit on the challenging side, it was a very fun, successful trip. It was great to fish and hang out with the other anglers, guides and other lodge staff on this trip and bright, tough Chinook salmon were landed by all. Thank you to all of you for a great week!
The river was running a bit on the low and clear side when we arrived in Terrace, B.C. the afternoon prior to our first day of fishing. Our guides informed us that there were fish in the river but higher water levels would surely help to get some fresh fish to move up from the nearby saltwater. Early in the week, it was pretty chilly for June and we had a few rainy days. Unfortunately, the rain didn't do anything to raise the river. The river flows wouldn't go up until later in the week when it got quite warm and sunny and the river rose as the warm afternoons melted the snowpack in the mountains and dropped the river temperature. The last day of our trip, the anglers fishing low on the river had a great day intercepting new fish that probably entered freshwater that very morning.
Earlier in the week, the anglers finding the most success were up river a bit, probably fishing to Chinook that had come in on the last high water event a few days before we arrived. It is always fun to try and figure these things out each day. When you talk to our guides like Brandon, who has this sh*t figured out to a level you have to stop and appreciate, you realize what we're just figuring out is something they are keenly yet quietly aware of. Sometimes it is best to not know the details on a fishery like this. Just keep your head down, make another cast, keep your fly in the water and fish your water. Your time will come and, with these fish, you had better be ready. By the way, wade a little deeper and chuck it out there a little bit further. (Right now, those that went on the trip are laughing).
This trip is completely focused on Chinook but we did find a couple steelhead along with a few Dolly Varden and cutthroat. The steelhead were pretty big ones too, but they are (kelts) on their way back to the saltwater so not what we're looking for.
We caught some small Chinook but for the most part fish around 20-pounds seemed to be the average this year. A few in the 25-30lb class were landed and, like every year, a few "What the heck was that?!" fish were hooked and never seen after screaming off a football field of line and backing. I was fishing one day with Dan B. and watched him get manhandled by a powerful fish we'd never get a good look at. Dan is an anadromous fishing machine. Believe me, he knows how to pull on a salmon. But, when the fish takes off at mach-800 down river and never slows down, what are you going to do? We're talking all of a few seconds here and certainly not enough time to get down river, change your angle, etc., etc. It looked like Dan turned that fish right at the tailout but then the hook simply pulled free. So disappointing... but talk about making for a memory you'll never forget! Years down the road, the most fun fish are usually those you loose.
Everyone landed at least a fish or two on this trip. That includes Charlie T. who went on this challenging and physically demanding trip never having cast a Spey rod before. On his first day, Charlie started off like we all did learning to cast a Spey rod for the first time. Plus, he was learning with 12-15 feet of T-14 and a big fly on the end of the line. Charlie did awesome and made amazing progress throughout the week. He also landed his first Chinook on the fly on just the second day. More followed throughout the week.
Scott B. was on this trip for the second year in a row. Last year, he hooked a bunch of fish but didn't get one to hand. He landed one of the steelhead on this trip but, as for Chinook, it was looking like a repeat of last year with just one day left to fish. On that last day, from 20 miles up river, I was having a quiet day of fishing when I suddenly heard a sound similar to that episode of Seinfeld when Kramer passed a kidney stone. Birds lifted from the trees and into the air. An otter appeared from the river with his fuzzy little paws covering his ears. A giant grizzly bear tore from the woods and went straight through a 6-foot wide cedar tree. It was amazing. I would later learn the origin of this incredible sound. It was Scott. He landed a beauty.
Scott B. with a seriously thick King fresh from the salt. His yell of excitement when this fish hit the net was something of legends. Nice work, Scott! That's a beauty for sure!
David K. was my fishing partner for one of our six fishing days. David has been a customer for a long time and has traveled all over this planet for all kinds of fish. It was really fun to fish with him and watch his inquisitive mind work to try and figure out these challenging fish. I would also come to appreciate his fishing skills and watch him hook three fish that day. It didn't take David long to hook his first fish on a pool which would eventually give us a total of five hookups. Landing those suckers is no easy accomplishment and the guides see about a 25% landing ratio with their clients. It is so exhilarating yet such a relief to get a chance to lead of those bad boys into the net. When David put that first fish in the net and guide Frenchie scooped it up, you could see the relief combined with excitement across his face. Pretty cool for a guy whose last trip was for marlin... on the fly... casting and stripping... and catching numbers.
David K. with an awesome, thick-bodied and chrome-bright buck. Guide, Frenchie, dialed us in on the hole and told us exactly where we would hookup. He was right. Great fun!
As we were leaving the lodge, a couple we know as customers at our shop were just arriving for their week of fishing. It looked like the river level was on the rise with fresh snowmelt and could have been great timing. It will be interesting to hear how they did and compare notes. (UPDATE: I just heard how they did. They crushed them. Should have been here "tomorrow", I guess!).
Overall, it was another great trip with Skeena River Lodge! Thank you to all of the guides and staff that make our trips there so special! For anyone looking for an exceptional trip to Skeena country, give us a call and we're happy to provide details on trips for fall steelhead, spring steelhead, Chinook, and mixed bag salmon trips (which sound like a ton of fun too!).
Thank you for reading and good fishing,
Michael