toolman Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Hawgstoppah and I got out too the Bulkley River chasing Steelhead with the two handers, for the past 5 days. The weather was very co-operative with light winds and moderate temperatures/rain through the week. We left Calgary last Saturday, at 1:00AM, after I finished up with my work. We drove all night, arriving in Smithers, BC, early Sunday afternoon. After checking in at the FireWeed Motor Inn, we headed too the only fly shop in town that was open on Sunday, McBikes & Sport. We paid our pound of gold and got the neccessary 8 day non-resident fishing license, Steelhead stamps and Classified Waters permits for each day of fishing. We had heard that the other local rivers on the Skeena Drainage were blown out and the Bulkley looked like our best shot at touching Chrome. Many other anglers were staying in Smithers for the same reason and there was a lot of traffic on the river for the first few days. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day one on the water was spent searching for accessable fishing spots in the AM and then back into town to check out Oscars Sports, the other fly shop in Smithers, to pick up a few popular Spey flies, spend a little cash and maybe get a few pointers and fishing locations. We were warmly welcomed by Micheal Brackenhofer and assisted with good information and answers to our questions, which were many, as this was our first attempt at Steelheading, for both Hawgstoppah and myself. The afternoon did not produce any grabs and we were a little disappointed, but remained hopefull for the next days prospects. I slept well and had dreams of fighting Steelhead... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bulkley River at Ebenezer... Casting my new TFO Deer Creek 13' 8wt and Pfleuger President 12wt. LA Reel with Airflow Delta Multi tip line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day two we hit Trout Creek and start searching the water for a player, hoping for a glimpse of Chrome. A tug, a grab, a short hook up, hell even a Steelhead too shore was all possible this AM and we were feeling good. I was once told that Steelhead can be a fish of a thousand casts, I believe that to be true... Just when I was getting a little bored, around cast # 1,400, a motorized boat comes downriver along the opposite shore with a few fisherman. I wave and they wave back...then they all stand up and start pointing at me. I look around to see if they are pointing at a riser or something, but see nothing out of the ordinary. The boat motors out of sight and I tune back into the natural sounds and sights of the river I am standing in. I make another Cast/Mend and watch the line swing. I glance around me again, thinking about the fisherman pointing at me and wondered what was up with that? I look over my shoulder... BEAAAARRRRRRR! This young bear comes out of the brush behind me...I'm thinking " Where's Momma Bear?" I yell to Hawgstoppah who is a couple hundred meters downstream, "BEAR". He looks up and says "Did you say Bear"? "Bear" I replied and pointed at the Bruin behind me... "I'm heading to the car..." Hawgstoppah replies... "Did he just say he was heading to the car?" I asked myself....WTF? "Get up here" I yell in reply and the bear moves a little closer and starts slowly following me downstream. I pick up my Creel and continue to walk downriver and the young bear, apparently abandoned by its mother, turns back up river, walks to the shoreline to grab a dead Salmon, then returns to the brush to eat it. Day two and still no Chrome...Not a tap, tug, pull, grab or hook up... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steelhead Daydreams set in... Back at the Fireweed Inn, we meet other Fisherman from around the world, who, like us, are here to land a Trophy. They were also having a tough time finding the fish, but a few nice Steelies were landed that day, including a 20lb. 39" Hen. We were given a few tips and locations to try and were hopefull that tommorow would bring us a fish to hand. I slept well and had dreams of fighting Steelhead....and BEARS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hawgstoppah's Chromestoppahs... An Eagle soars.... Casting at sunset... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day three and Hawgstoppah is in a bad mood and not impressed with the lack of Steelhead in the river. I try and remain optimistic and assure him that today, we touch Chrome for sure. We hit the water and Hawgstoppah gets a few tugs and then hooks a nice fish... things are starting to look up. Ten seconds into the fight, the Steelie slips off the Blue Trailer Trash fly that has fooled him... Hawgstoppah's Spey rod crashes to the rocks on the beach. (Actually, it was one of my spey rods). Now we're both not happy... We try a few locations and return to the Trout Creek stretch again in the evening and I get a Steelhead on the line, immediately. I yell to Hawgstoppah downstream a couple hundred metres and he heads up too me. I bring the nice Hen close to shore and wait it out till Hawgstoppah gets up to me before landing it. A few yards from shore, the Steelie makes a last second roll and slips off... Close enough...my first Steelie...a nice 5-6 pound hen with a bright red stripe. I blamed the whole "losing the fish" thing on Hawgstoppah, as he had put his toe in the water to get ready to tail it for me, which I said spoked my fish, so it was all his fault, not mine...I felt better. After another 5 minutes of swinging I hook another Steelhead and call back down to Hawgstoppah again, but the fish slips off after our 30 second dance... We had finally started getting some action and had almost landed three Steelhead. It was a good day... I slept well and had dreams of fighting Steelhead...and Eagles soaring. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Spey rod racks were the Cats meow and made it easy to fish many different runs through the day, without having to break the big rods downs each time, but more about Cats later... The trail above Telkwa Bridge... Hawgstoppah used a TFO 12'6" 6-7wt. Pro series Spey rod with a Pfleuger Trion 12wt. reel and Airflow Scandi Shooting Head. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day four and Hawgstoppah is in a confident mood and ready to kick some Chrome ass. I like his improved optimism and we decide to get on the water early and only come off when it is pitch dark. I land a fiesty 20" Bull Trout at Trout Creek, the first run of the day and it was nice to feel a fish tug the line so early in the morning. Shortly afterwards, Hawgstoppah hooks a Trophy that does a high speed run down river, leaping over and over, but it finally shakes the hook. He is happy to have had the ride and our day goes well in the AM. In the PM, we decide to do a bit of exploring and set out on the Telkwa High rd., to see if we can access or hike down too any remote areas of the river in the Bulkley Canyon, that the local guides might be hiding in. We saw a beautifull Gray Wolf standing in a small field near the road. We surveyed the river from high up on the mountain side and found a promising spot, a few miles upstream of the Moricetown Canyon, that had a road leading down to a house. We headed down and offered to pay the land owner, Alex, $20 bucks to park and fish. We enjoyed a pleasant, relaxed, sunny and warm afternoon, on our own exclusive little piece of water. We never even got a tap from a fish, but we had a great time and were really enjoying our holiday adventure. I slept well and had dreams of fighting Steelhead...and Wolves. Continued.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Day five... An early morning prayer to the Fish Gods... "Please don't let me get skunked again....Pleeeeease". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We woke up early with a plan. We would do a hit and run at all of the different spots we had fished through the week. We had figured out from the grabs and hook ups that we had at each location, where to fish. First stop would be downstream of the bridge at Quick. Hawgstoppah headed down to the river and started working the water and I gave him the first half hour, while I attended to a few personal things. I then start working the water along a rip rap wall, but after a few casts, I get hung up on a rock. I wade too shore to get below the snag and free up the Blue Medusa fly when suddenly, a big Steelhead rises to the surface 15' away from me and only 10' away from where my fly had gotten snagged. I quietly moved back upstream about 75' and start working the water down to him again. Nothing...dam... I work further down the bank and swing a nice drift in off the faster water into the strike zone....Slam! My line rockets downstream and a streak of Chrome leaps from the water, once, twice, three times, four times...I drop the rod tip low and get the Steelie back down in the water. It reels back to me fairly easily and now I have it a few metres from the rod tip. I work the fish in tight to the bank for a couple of minutes and then it shows me its side and I land it. Touching Chrome for the first time...and it only took 4,000 casts... We finish our hour at Quick and head down to Ebenezer, where I drop Hawgstoppah off at the run while I head into town for more flies and Timmies. I return a half hour later to a smiling fisherman. Hawgstoppah has hooked a 20lb'er but he loses it. He's happy to have hooked and seen the Trophy and is ready to move on. At the next run, Beaver Creek, he gets one hit and I get blanked, so we move again, back down to Trout Creek. We start hitting the run and soon I hear my name called out. I look downriver to see a nice Steelie leaping and Hawgstoppahs rod bent deeply... Hawgstoppah's first Chrome...How sweet it is... It was now 4:00pm and our fishing adventure was quickly running out of daylight. We head back to Quick to try another shot at the big Buck that I had seen in the early AM. We get in the river and start working the hot spot, hoping for a Trophy to end our day. Hawgstoppah is upstream and out a bit further in the water, about 30' from the bank. No hits for the first five minutes and we continue to swing and step down the run. Hawgstoppah tells me he hears something in the woods along the shore and thinks it might be a bear and his Spidey senses are tingling, in a bad way. I have learned to trust his Spidey senses and instincts, but I brush it off as just a couple of birds or something and try to stay focused on finding the big Steelie that is holding somewhere in this run. A few minutes pass uneventfully and then Hawgstoppah tells me that he is hearing more noises in the brush along the shore and is worried that something is following us. I tell him another 5 minutes and we can move to our last stop before dark. He reluctantly agrees and I throw another cast/mend and start the swing. Suddenly Hawgstoppah yells, "Get Out of Here, Get the F#*@! Out of Here". He raises his hands in the air and makes a step toward the bank behind me..."COUGARRRRRR" he yells at me....Oh Sh*t!.....We have been stalked for the past half hour and the big Cat is staring Hawgstoppah in the eye, now less than 50' away from the both of us. I promptly launch an assault of flying rocks and commence with the yelling as well.....The Cougar turns and dissappears without a sound...somewhere....? Now we have to walk back too the car, in somewhat the same direction as the Cougar went... We make it to the car without further encounter or incident. We hit the run at Ebenezer one last time without any hook ups and headed back to the Fireweed Inn, well after dark. We meet our fishing buddies for the last time down at the Alpenhorn Pub, for dinner, beers and to bid our farewells. I slept well and had dreams of fighting Steelhead...and COUGARS! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luggage racks make great Spey rod racks too... Late night Steelheading at the Alpenhorn... We hit the trail back to Cowtown at 6:00am and enjoyed the scenery and wildlife through the Park. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We had a great adventure and I can't wait to chase Chrome again. I slept well last night... and dreamed of fighting Steelhead. TM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esleech Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Whoa...now this post deserves a BEEEEEEEEYAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Awesome report, guys! Glad to see you both got fish and had a blast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bigbadbrent Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 i thought steel's were supposed to be big? hahah, just busting your balls guys, looks like a hell of a lot of fun. I'll do it one day...hopefully How big are those rivers in comparison to the bow persay? The spey rod come in handy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxwell Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 sick report dudes! glad yall got some fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenbow Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Way cool - great report. Fantastic you both got into steel. Nice pics too. Too bad you weren't lucky enough to get a Lake White or a Burbot............or a rock. Thanx for the report, glad you had a good time & got some great pics & memories. And you didn't get eaten by a big kitty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Awesome report Greg. Glad to see the trout bum gods smiled down upon you and sent some chrome your way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloom Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Awesome stuff. Love those kind of trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailhead Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Great report guys, I too hope to be able to try for steelhead some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walker1 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Nice report. It is something else to add to the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chidders Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Awwwwwesome report guys. Welcome back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykiss Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Good work guys...Not bad work for first time chrome chasers...Hooked and beached some steel make the trip worth while..As you learn when and where the mykiss hangs out the more you'll catch thats 90% of the battle. That lil black bear did ya see him @ trout? There is one lil guy that hangs out there a ton!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2O Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Great report. I never thought I'd see the day with Brian in breathable waders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricinus Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Glad to hear you hooked into some fish. Its been tough fishing up there this year, so the fact you managed a few is great. Regards Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDoctor Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Fantastic report Greg. Looks like you had a great trip. Glad to see you tied into some BC steel. You never know what is going to happen out there. Never have fished those rivers without multiple bear sightings. It's a feeding heyday for all the predictors big and small. Hit and run is a great way to do it. Great pictures and report guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonefisher Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Awesome report...... I am itching to do it and its reports like that that make it itch more..... Even though the cast to fish ratio is pretty low its still got major appeal..... Great pics too by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speyghillie Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Great report and pics Toolman, sounds like i will head that way next year as the fishing on the Island was not very good (lots of chum and no Coho) in fact it was Crap, anyway glad you had a blast and the rod carriers where put to good use, the time saved and no broken rods, unlike me on the Island, Glad you had a good time buddy. Gordon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyangler Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 What a great adventure! And steelhead on the hook to boot. Thanks for the report. Lions and wolves and bears! OH MY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewingup Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Great report guys. I wish I was there. I might have been hooking into cougars and bears on my regular-rod back-casts ;0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reevesr1 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Awesome guys! I feel sorry for the Steelhead next year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 Glad you enjoyed the report guys/gals and thanks for the kind words. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you learn when and where the mykiss hangs out, the more you'll catch, thats 90% of the battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ That lil black bear did ya see him @ trout? There is one lil guy that hangs out there a ton!! Mykiss, I will fly out and join you for some Steelhead fishing anytime. Just say when and where and I will hop a plane. Yeah, he's the little guy hanging at Trout Creek. There's a big Black bear across the river from there as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flyangler, sorry we did not get a chance to meet up with you folks. It would have been a pleasure to hit the water for a day or two. Next time... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speyghillie, thanks again for the rod carriers. Too bad you could'nt join us this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ricinus, thanks for all of the great info received in your pm last month. TM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Thanks for the story, Greg; I wouldn't denigrate your work by referring to it as a mere "report"! Looks like you put just about as much work into your narrative as you guys put into the fishing. Glad to see that you & Brian persevered & were rewarded. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure. The fish in the Bow have let down their guard while you were gone- go give them whatfor, brutha! Welcome back. -Steve M- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reevesr1 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 The fish in the Bow have let down their guard while you were gone Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap......I didn't think of that. Greg, Brian..I understand the Tarpon fishing in Florida is OUTSTANDING this time of year. Please go there right effin now and let us know how it goes. I understand there are many last minute seat sales on. Can't wait to hear the report! No need to waste your time fishing the bow. Move along now!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakeman Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Amazing post, very enjoyable to read, thanks Toolman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.