wingshooter Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 For those of you with more time than money a great trip to go on is to the Deschutes River in Oregon. This year they are having record returns of steelhead in the Columbia basin. You may even catch a few native redside rainbows. Watch the movie call the "Drift" to get your mojo going. It is a place to visit for any hardcore angler. It is cheap too I think a yearly is only 50 bucks and it is the same drive as it is to BC. Pm me if you want more deatils this fall will be off the hook! I am not a guide nor do I want to be just thought I would share a great destination. Quote
Hawgstoppah Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 cool video. I think the first two fish must be the native "redbands" then booooyah! steel! nice fish! Quote
onthefly7 Posted September 20, 2009 Posted September 20, 2009 BC is way better than anywhere in the US Quote
wingshooter Posted September 21, 2009 Author Posted September 21, 2009 BC is way better than anywhere in the US BC does have it's stars but this area is good. I am not aware of any river in BC with returns of 500,000 summer run steelhead????? In Oregon they locally call them "redsides" and the columbia rivers are called "red bands". BC you pay $40 buck a day on top of over $180 for even a chance to catch a steelhead. So a week of licence would run you $400 bucks!!!!! Quote
Hawgstoppah Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 Us albertans pay the following in BC (just to get facts right). 58$ for a BC year license... or 38 for an 8 day (or somewhere very near those numbers, lets round up. 40 bucks for 8 day. Then a 60 dollar steelhead surcharge stamp.. plus TWENTY bucks a day for some darn fine water, or 40 for some waters designated the very best". for me it'll be just over 240 bucks to fish 7 days.... still frikkin expensive, but not 400. also if we want to come fish your river we have to cross / deal with border guards at a can / usa border and now get a stupid passport, which is 80 bucks. Factor that into your equation and BC starts looking better. EDIT: this doesn't mean I am against coming to try it someday though! The snake river system is on my radar (idaho) for spring steel Quote
jayjjones11 Posted September 21, 2009 Posted September 21, 2009 What are the average size of a skeena steelhead in comparison with a steelhead on the Dechutes (or any other river in the states) thats all that needs to be said. Quote
wingshooter Posted September 21, 2009 Author Posted September 21, 2009 What are the average size of a skeena steelhead in comparison with a steelhead on the Dechutes (or any other river in the states) thats all that needs to be said. Hawgstoppa, Not to be an arse but my math is just fine with $60 for annual licence, $60 for Steelhead Stamp, $30 for nontidal salmon (which you need when fishing for steelhead in a river with salmon in it)7 days@ $40 a day for Class 1Waters = $430 dollar Canadian. That is lots of beer and anther guided day on the river. I have fish the Skeena for years I know it when I retun my butt hurts for the BC Government. I was told once that size doesn't matter? Quote
jayjjones11 Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 Looking at the video, though very hard to tell, seems that steelhead is missing it's adipose....yikes Quote
Hawgstoppah Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 wing. been buying my licenses at oscars in smithers for the last 2 years. you dont need a non tidal salmon stamp unless your intention is to retain a salmon should you catch one while steelheading. If your fishing purely steelhead your fine with just the 60 dollar stamp. Plus, why pay 40 bucks a day , when you can fish (imho) just as good of water if not slightly smaller fish, for 20 bucks a day? makes a big difference over 7 days. My math also is not wrong. You spend the 430 if you want, and I'll spend my 240 You may catch a few more fish than me... in those 40/day waters.... maybe... maybe not... but yes, your butt will hurt more from the BC gov't LOL anyways, back to the post. Regardless of cost to fish there, it's a darn fine steel. What's the avg week down there if fish are in the river? 1 fish a day... maybe? or is it more likely than that? less? tell us more Quote
reevesr1 Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 Wingshooter, I'd be interested in hearing more as well. All the "my river is better than your river" stuff that seems to be happening on this post is irrelevant. Quote
wingshooter Posted September 22, 2009 Author Posted September 22, 2009 Ok fine by me. One could catch 10 in a day if you cover enough water but I think one a day is average. I have landed 8 a day in BC for winter runs but that day was an out standing day of angling. The Deschutes has a longer window of dryfly fishing for steelies than any BC river. Hope you guys can get fishing down there to get some great action. Quote
Jayhad Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 I have been talking to several of my buddies about hitting the Dechutes, the fish are smaller but much more plentiful, and it will probably way warmer then smithers. To me it's not always about the biggest possible fish, I would still like to catch some. Plus the things you learn about fishing travelling regions, I'never steelheaded in the US and I am sure they do something different which are worth knowing. Quote
reevesr1 Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 Thanks for the info. It's on the radar! Quote
nebc Posted September 22, 2009 Posted September 22, 2009 The steelhead I have caught in the summer and fall in the Bulkley, Skeena/Kispiox/Copper/etc area averaged 8 to 20 pounds with my largest ever being 24. One was caught a short time ago on the Kalum that weighed around 30 or so according to one of the guides over there. In BC we do have some rivers where steelhead spend more time as youngsters and become imprinted on insects both surface and underwater. A great river to fish is the Bulkley in this regard. Google it for details on fish sizes and so on. From what I have seen in the US, there are some great looking waters, however I have not fished any of them and perhaps some time down the road I will finally get a chance to see what the fuss is all about. In the meantime, I have barely scratched the surface of the many rivers here in BC after living here for 66 years. We may yet become snowbirds... Quote
mvdaog Posted September 23, 2009 Posted September 23, 2009 My dad has religiously fished the Deschutes the last 10 or so years (he has no employment and lives in Portland). He loves it, and when the fish are in he usually expects to catch 3-4 fish a day, with the odd slow day here and there. Last week he caught 6 before noon, and when he went back out later in the day caught 3 more. He's had many days with multiple fish caught... that being said, he hikes for his fish and knows the holes that produce in the areas that much fewer people fish... He went to high school in Prince Rupert, but never fished those BC waters. But after I told him about my epic trip to BC this season, he was ready to drop his life in Portland and go fishing up there. He is already counting down the days until next Sept-Oct (can't make it up this year) when he can come fish in BC. By my description of the rivers (how small some of the rivers actually are with these abundant, huge fish, on dries, in near alpine setting) and the remoteness we can enjoy with our crazy wilderness adventure attitudes, he said Oregon doesn't come close to comparing. Once he spends a day in BC on those rivers, he'll probably never miss a season, and once he finally moves back to BC, he'll never really be inclined to head back to the Deschutes.... in his mind they don't compare. The BC waters are the mecca (sorry Russia)... That being said, the Descutes is a great fishery and anyone would have a frickin blast fishing it. In its own way it has a lot of unique things to enjoy and it's definitely not the last place on earth I'd want to fish, not even close. Lots of fish, the fish fight furiously, really nice weather, pretty desert setting..... Its just that compared to BC...... PS If you want to go fish the Deschutes, this is the year. They are having record returns, my dad says he's seen nothing like this. The Milk River has cleared up and thus the river is in much better shape, this is the prime time and the fishing is going to be incredible this year. So if you ever want to go there, this year would be a good idea. Quote
wingshooter Posted September 23, 2009 Author Posted September 23, 2009 In no posts did I defend the Deschutes as being the best river in the world all I said was the returns this year were great and that there was great dryfly fishing. It is a must fish river this year for sure. The river is called the White River that has the water clouded up this fall and I would concure there is some truely remarkable desert scenery. Go fishing! Relax! Quote
onthefly7 Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 In lots of US steelhead rivers there are stocked steelhead along with with wild, I hear there is a major problem with breeding between farm raised and wild steelhead weakening the gene pool, is this happening in BC? Also i believe the redbands are not steelhead but just a different strain of rainbow trout. I have no personal experience but from what I have seen the skeena and fraser systems are far and away better than the famous US rivers such as the des, rogue, umpqua, mckenzie, and such. Anyone with personal experience at both feel free to confirm or deny Quote
mvdaog Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 Onthefly - all steelhead are rainbow trout. They just happen to go to the ocean and back and are then classified as steelhead. In fact in some steelhead rivers, even resident fish are legally 'steelhead' if they happen to be over a certain size... and wingshooter - sorry if I sounded like I was badmouthing the Deschutes or arguing with you at all. I just thought it was an interesting point of view that I had given that someone so close to me has fished that river a lot. Its an awesome river and I hope they keep going with all the protection and resources they put together to try and keep it healthy. I would recommend anyone go fish that river, especially this year. I dont think its easy to say some river is better than another. Its all a matter of what each person likes more. The deschutes has a lot of beautiful desert landscape, big canyons, awesome weather, and the famous redsides. BC has more a wild feel to it, and you can get away from crowds if you really want to. Its just like any resident trout stream - ask anyone what their favorite river is and youll get a hundred different answers with a bunch of different reasons behind it, all as valid as the next. Hey, some guys even like to throw streamers over dry fly fishing or so Ive heard... Quote
onthefly7 Posted September 25, 2009 Posted September 25, 2009 Onthefly - all steelhead are rainbow trout. They just happen to go to the ocean and back and are then classified as steelhead. In fact in some steelhead rivers, even resident fish are legally 'steelhead' if they happen to be over a certain size... Deschutes redside trout are not steelhead. http://www.fisheyesoup.com/article_details/131.html Quote
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