Skeena Trip: Looking for Views and Advice

[Steelhead S2]

I have the opportunity to join a couple of old frinds on a trip to the Skeena area this year. The first week of September would be spent jet-boating around the area, with base camp at Ferry Island.At first this sounds like a trip of a lifetime, not to be missed. But before I committ the time and money to it, I want a better sence of what I am in for. I know nothing about the area.

So, the trip would be the first week of September. Ferry Island is the destination, and I assume the boat stays in the water there. I don't know what can be accessed easily from there though.

My interest is in steelhead on a trip like this. No real appetite to fish salmon up there. Though I'm sure that would still be fun, but I don't really need to go all that way for good salmon fishing.

Can some of you with experience shed some light on how our trip lines up with the various runs, and also what waters can be easily fish from Ferry Island? Thanks.

 

[Bootsy]

If you have a jet boat, it opens up a lot less populated areas than Ferry Island. I am not very familiar with the Terrace end of the river, but we have already been catching good size coho on the Rupert end, and usually hook into at least one nice steelhead apiece each trip. By September, the steelhead should be plentiful. Where we go most days, it seems the steelhead prefer the shallow flat portions of the river, while the coho like the deeper channels. Are you bar fishing or flyfishing?

 

[Bear]

I think you will be camping at Ferry Island.Most likely launching at the mouth of the Kalum.This is an opportunity I would not miss.The jet will give you access to many locations the are only accessable by boat.The Kalum is a prime steelhead river and all steelhead going up the Skeena will be passing right by there.The Copper is drivable by car or truck from Terrace.

 

[Fireweed]

Like Bear said you will be camping at Ferry Island. With the jet boat you will be able to access a ton of water, and have several launches to choose from each day based on what part of the Skeena or what tributary you want to fish that day. My bro and I used to fish the Skeena from shore mid to late Aug for steelhead and always landed many, as well as quite a few coho, and the odd pink, chinook and sockeye as well. In September the steelhead and coho should be in there thick. Sounds like a great trip and not one I'd pass up with good buddies.

 

[Fireweed]

Here's a couple pics I had on photobucket to get your juices flowing. Hope this works.

 

[Steelhead S2]

Yup, that's starting to work. So, sounds like fishing can be pretty darn good. Any further comments will be appreciated.

 

[Sharphooks]

First week September is prime time television in that neck of the woods. In the mid-80's a school teacher from Terrace and I drifted the lower Copper last week August in a small raft and had a 14 fish day, most of them on dry flies. I quit at 3 PM because it was getting so ridiculous \

The biggies will be going by you at that time, too, heading for the K and the B

With the sockeye situation (poor run, limited commie openers) the steelies will get a white card this year

 

[Steelhead S2]

I am getting really excited about this trip now. I'm taking the whole arsenal (spey, single hand and drift gear). I think I'll tie some jigs for drift fishing. I'll probably do a shop for flies up there, so I can benefit from local knowledge.

I'm going to overhaul my gear before I go, and I wonder if I should do anything different from normal. I'd normally run 12# maxima on the levelwind. SHould I step up to 14#? This will only be necessary if I need to run 12# leader, which seems pretty heavy to me. I'm looking for input on all these little details.

As for the K and the B, we are planning to do soem exploring, and ther is atleast one K on the list. As for the B, I think that's a bit of a drive, but we may get there. Especially if conditions are unfavorable on the closer flows.

 

[Sharphooks]

I've never fished drift gear up there because there was no reason to---if you can get a fish of a lifetime on a dry fly, why chuck gear?

These fish are about the easiest fish in the world to catch. Really.

Case in point--- my bro' stepped off a plane in Terrace years ago. He'd NEVER had a fly rod in his hand. EVER. I took him to a Skeena trib, greased up a dry fly, told him to get the fly 20 to 30 feet into the river using any casting method he could come up with that would get the leader to lay out straight. Ten minutes later he was yahoo-ing with a nice 10 lb buck on his rod. Did the exact same thing with another bro' the next year. Why put a level wind in their hands and spend the rest of the day helping them unsnag their gear of breaking it off for them when they hang up? With a fly, you only hang up in a fish's mouth

Did you ever wonder why there are so many hero-shots of fly boys with the grip and grin steelie and the long rods over their shoulder?

'Cause it's REEEEAL easy, that's why...


Last year I brought my daughter up with me and she got frustrated trying to punch wind with a fly rody so I put together a drift rod for her. 12 Max is perfect---if your knots are good and you re-do them every once in awhile, that is. I wouldn't go nuts with lots of different methods and different rods---these fish are so aggressive that ANY method works ...all you'll do is start heavy breathing and wasting time doing the switch up with gear routine.

If you want to drift fish, it's tough to beat a spoon. You can go for the long casts if you have to, cover a lot of water, and they work high water, low water, or in-between. Fish them like you'd fish a fly --- sweep the hole, never cast in the same place twice (unless there's a reason to) and fasten your seat belt because a good take-down on a spoon is as good as it gets

Hard to beat the Coho type spoons--wobblers like "Steelie" or Little Cleo etc.

Kitimats---they work but they're generally too heavy and hang up too much (and too much $$)

Go for cheap wobbling type spoons, then put good quality siwash hooks on them---tough to beat a 2/0 or a 3/0 Gamakatsu siwash---they'll easily hold a 30 pounder if you keep them sharp

Hot Tip No. 77: buy a bag of removable split-shot. No. 7's are about right. Instead of changing spoons to match river conditions, pinch split-shot about one foot above your knot (or remove) as needed for the distance/ depth thing.

If I ever arrive at a river and realize I forgot either my hook file or my trusty split-shot, I feel like I might as well go home---those two items are critical to effective river fishing unless you're in a fly-only stretch of water that specifically frowns on split-shot

And Treble hooks---they're an absolutely useless fishing tool-- they're also illegal in most of the rivers up there---strip them off your spoon, cut them into sections and throw them away and replace with a Gammy siwash ---you'll be cruisin' on Broadway for love in no time

 

[Steelhead S2]

So, youthink I should cast a fly or two, do you? No prob! Thanks for all the good advice. I will take the full arsenal, spoons included. I have saved more than a few days with a spoon. Very effective way to cover lots of water.

What I hear you saying is, don't overthink this. Not really a technical fishery. Don't panic about the gear, but don't be afraid to experiment either. And... cast a dry fly from time to time, cuz it works. That about sum it up?

 

[Sharphooks]

There was this arrogant Japanese guy (Smithers local) who was a good fisherman but he was kind of a weasel---he'd tether his fish in a creek and high-grade until he got the biggest one, then kick the smaller ones off his tether and go home with the whopper. This was back during the SEARCH AND DESTROY DAYS on the Skeena system and her tribs so killing was legal but the way he got his big fish was pretty sleazy.

Anyway, he saw me get one on a fly one day and said wow, pretty lucky, bet you can't get two in a row on that outfit (he was a died-in-the-wool Gooey Bob kind of a guy)

I told him I could get one on a cigarette butt it was so easy. He called B.S and bet me $ 20 I couldn't.

I greased up a butt with dry-fly floatant, jammed a hook through it, and flung it out in the river.

Like taking candy from a baby.....

'Nuff said about the sophisticated gear required to catch a fall run Skeena steelhead