BC Steelhead Fly Fishing at it's BEST
Capt. Noel Gyger
September 30, 2008
Terrace - Freshwater Fishing Report
The photo of the week shows an absolutely huge Steelhead landed on the Kalum River. This fish is suggested to be the next fly caught river record. Who would disagree? This fish was landed by Annti from Finland who was being guided by Steelhead Heaven. When he hooked this monster it flew out of the water four times and across the raging river, he then put the brakes on this hog with his single hander 9wt and brought it to the slow edge of the downstream side of the pool, when the guide landed it he could not believe the size of this guy and was shaking as it came to the net hoping it would be landed. Please read more detail in the Tracey Hittel report below…
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Noel Gyger – Guided Fishing Adventures and Weekly Fishing Report
4012 Best Street, Terrace BC V8G 5R8, Canada
Tel/Fax: (250) 635-2568
Cell: (250) 631-2678
E-mail: [email protected]
Home Page: www.noelgyger.ca
Fishing Reports: www.noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
RECORD SALMON & STEELHEAD Spin or fly-fishing
RIVER, LAKE, STREAM or OCEAN!!!
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Home Page: www.noelgyger.ca
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated September 21 – September 28, 200
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: Weather has been good during the week (no rain) and the river heights have been falling steadily. Some anglers would say they have been falling too much. The pools and runs in the smaller rivers are very, very low and the fish are spooky. Some rivers are so low the guides can't get up them with their jet boats. That said…fishing for Steelhead and Coho (Silver) Salmon has remained pretty good using both fly and spin techniques. The "best" guides know the tricks how to keep the bite going even in extreme low water conditions as long as the client follows directions exactly as the guide describes. Unfortunately some fly fishermen cannot break their bad casting habits and will catch NO fish. These folks would be better off to switch to spin casting at least until the water conditions improve. Slapping your fly line in low water over and over is a sure way to spook fish.
The odd Chum Salmon is being caught on the Skeena River. Some of these fish get pretty big. The lower Skeena tribs such as the Kasiks, Exchamsiks and Exstew are very low. Running a jet boat in such low water is not a good idea.
The weather changed on Friday and now we have some rain. It did not change the water heights very much. We need a good shot of rain to shake things up. I guess I should be careful what I wish for. It's raining in the valleys and snowing in the higher elevations of the mountains.
The Kalum is in great shape and fishing well for both Steelhead and Coho. The Zymoetz Copper is fishing well for Steelhead both spin and fly (dry fly). The Kitimat River is low but the guides still know where to go to catch Coho. Be sure to check out the detailed report below from Ron Wakita.
Top left is a nice Coho landed by Alannah. Top right is a Steelhead landed by her sister Shannon. We were fishing on the Kalum River with our friend Rob Vodola who is Head Guide Fishmaster for Minette Bay Lodge. I made a clip of Alannah's Coho. Cast here to watch the video under Video Clips (Coho Video Clip #0009) I shot some video footage of Shannon's Steelhead but it did not turn out as the very bright sun at my back and side was causing vertical bars to flash on my camera lens. For my clips it is best to shoot video in cloudy overcast days but still have the sun to my back.
LIST OF "New" ITEMS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:
- September 21/08 one item posted on "Special Guided Trips" http://www.noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm
- September 23/08 one item posted on "Conservation" http://www.noelgyger.ca/conservation.htm
- September 23/08 one video clip posted on "Video Clips" http://www.noelgyger.ca/video-clips-web.htm
- September 27/08 one item posted on "Conservation" http://www.noelgyger.ca/conservation.htm
NOW BOOKING FOR 2008 Let me know if I can be of service to book you with the "best" fishing guide and/or fishing lodges for both river and ocean. There are NO extra charges to book through me, just a lot of free information and advice from a person with years and years of fishing and fish guiding experience. It is like hiring two guides for the price of one. I will promptly answer your questions and concerns. Cast here http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to read more of what I have to offer.
Don't be disappointed - BOOK your preferred dates for fall Steelhead and Coho now.
It is my sincere pleasure to Welcome Todd Haynes of Nautical West Sport Fishing to my webpage http://www.noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm Todd operates a first class operation out of the port of Kitimat BC with two ocean vessels. Your fishing package includes; certified professional guide service, top quality equipment, bait & tackle, ice, professional fish care, safety equipment & life jackets, refreshments & snacks, photography (video on request), gift wear & best of all the incredible fishing this region is known for world wide. Contact me anytime and I will book your next fishing trip with Todd.
Many people book three trips per year to our area; one trip in the spring (March-April-May), one trip in the summer (June-July-August) and one trip in the fall (September-October-November). They love having the same guide but fishing for different fish in different areas.
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for news bulletins, mid week fishing updates, conservation, my history, quality waters strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles, archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002 and a sportfishing market place. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction.
FISHING GUIDE REPORTS FOR THIS WEEK ARE FROM:
Ron Wakita
Ariel Kuppers
Andrew Rushton
Tracey Hittel
Chad Black
Gill McKean
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT: Sockeye, Chum, Pink, Steelhead and Trout for river. Coho, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks.
FISHING THIS WEEK:
POOR FAIR*** GOOD EXCELLENT
LARGEST FISH OF THE WEEK: Specie: 30-pound "plus" Steelhead. Angler: Anntte from Finland. Where: Kalum River
WEATHER: Cloudy. Periods of rain beginning this morning. Becoming windy this afternoon. High 10. Region normal: Max. Temp. 14 degrees C. Min. Temp. 6 degrees C. Sunrise 7:31 AM Sunset 6:18 PM
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Environment Canada taped messages constantly updated, giving current conditions and three-day forecasts. Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
For current Terrace weather information please cast on:
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/pages/CABC0292.htm?ref=wxbtnold
WATER CONDITIONS: Skeena is in good shape. The Zymoetz (Copper) River is in good shape. The Kalum, Kitimat and smaller coastal streams are also in good shape.
CURRENT WATER HEIGHTS FOR:
SKEENA RIVER:
http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/fullgraph.asp?stnid=08EF001
KITIMAT RIVER:
http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/fullgraph.asp?stnid=08FF002
Note: It is always a good idea to check for "IN SEASON" changes to fishing regulations. http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/Freshwater/region6_e.htm
SKEENA RIVER: Very low and in good condition. Fishing for Steelhead remains only "fair" as most of the summer-run fish have already gone through. The fall Steelhead will be coming next most of them heading for the Kalum River. Coho fishing is slow at times as most of the fish are already in their tributary rivers although some are milling around the river mouths waiting for a shot of high water.
KALUM RIVER: The water is normal height and in good shape. Good numbers of Steelhead and Coho (Silver) Salmon are coming in now. Some Coho have already moved through the river and Mud Lake and are staging in the Kalum Lake waiting for higher water to head up into their tributary rivers. A good portion of the run will stay back and spawn in the main stem river. These tend to be the larger fish we locals call the "Northerns". A Coho weighing over 20-pounds is not uncommon. Fishing for Coho closes October 31.
This is a Classified River year round and can be guided from March 15 through October 15 only. The Steelhead record is 32-pounds. To see a photo of this fish cast to: http://noelgyger.ca/records/Record003.jpg The angler is Dennis Therrien.
KASIKS RIVER: Lots of Coho are in now…but the trick is to find them. The water is very low and the fish are holding in the lower to middle pools waiting for a shot of high water to move up even higher. Most jet boats won't run the river now as it is just too low.
EXCHAMSIKS RIVER: Lots of Coho are in now. The water is very low but some of the fish are still managing to make it up river. Most of the fish are starting to gather in the larger pools way up river. Only skilled jet boaters know how to get there.
EXSTEW RIVER: Lots of Coho are in now and they are holding in the cut banks and deep pools.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: The water is in great shape and lots of Steelhead in the river. At times the river is very crowded with anglers. The quality guides are using rafts to get their clients away from the crowds and hopefully into an "un-spooked" pool but that strategy doesn't always work as more and more anglers are using personal pontoon boats. Some anglers have set up camps on the banks of the best pools for weeks on end. This Steelhead fishery attracts many anglers from around the world. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with all the fall colours. Check out some of the scenery at http://www.noelgyger.ca/for-sale-videos-dvd-photos.htm Guiding is very limited. In the Class 2 section there are five licensed guides with only 117 rod-days between them.
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: Skeena River, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: Skeena River, 27-pounds.
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Northern Coastal Rivers:
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
KITIMAT RIVER: The Kitimat River started the week with some very high tides. The trend of this year's Coho season continued with Coho mostly hooked in the lower Kitimat during the rising tides. Nathan and his two fishing partners were mentioned in last week's report as hooking 16 Coho on last Sunday's morning tide. They returned the next morning expecting the same results only to discover that the Coho had moved up river. This quirky trend of this year's fishing season continued even when the Kitimat River dropped to exceptional low levels this week. Coho have been caught as high as the Sawmill (approx. 10 miles up river) with sea lice with tails an inch and a quarter long. Sea lice with tails this long are usually a sign of fish that have migrated up the river on the most recent high tide. With the Kitimat River exceptionaly low and fresh Coho moving into the middle and upper sections a lot of the Coho were "stacked up" in certain holes.
Ariel Kuppers of Reliable Guide and Charters had some pretty good drifts with his clients this week. Ariel assisted our clients on Wednesday to hooking eleven Coho and landed six. He had similar results on Thursday hooking ten and landing five. Well Done Ariel!
Pat Oliver and I had the pleasure of guiding Mark Holland and his sons Brent, Spencer and Ryan. Mark also had his niece Cheyenne and his father-in-law Bucky Stockwell in our group. We hooked five Coho and managed to land three before the Kitimat dirtied up. Although the Kitimat did not rise to a height that should have caused this dirty water I suspect that one of the clay banks may have sloughed in or one of the tributaries may have dirtied the main stem Kitimat.
The unique portion of our drift boat trip occurred at the end of our day on the Kitimat. After Pat trailered his drift boat at the pull-out at Radley Park, Bucky, Brent, Spencer, Ryan and Cheyenne walked up to their camp site with their fish. Mark and I trailered my drift boat and joined the rest of the group at their campsite. When Mark and I arrived at the campsite minutes later we noticed that one of the Coho was missing and with only an empty fish bag lying on the ground. When we asked the rest of the group where the other Coho was they all said it was lying on the stump with the other fish. Searching for the missing Coho one of the boys spotted a fox tail in the bush. We found the missing Coho in the bushes where the fox was spotted. We have appropriately nicknamed today's trip the "Coho and the Fox drift".
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: Todd Haynes of Nautical Fishing Adventures just returned this evening from a day charter with twenty plus Bottom fish and a load of Crab with clients Peter Hayashi and his group. Peter said, "they had a great time and a lot of laughs". Although the Coho fishing on the Douglas Channel is nearing the end there is plenty of other fishing opportunities to take advantage of. Well Done Todd, Peter and your group.
Lyle Jones of Kitimat reports catching some Halibut right in close to the mouth of the Kitimat River. I was born and raised in Kitimat and I have heard of Halibut caught in the harbour but this is the first picture and verified catch that I have seen. Well done Lyle!
Bottom fishing and Crabbing on the Douglas will continue for a while yet and we have Winter Springs (feeder chinook to look forward to) Tight Lines to all. Ron Wakita
Cast to this link for Kitimat tide tables http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/cgi-bin/tide-shc.cgi?queryType=showRegion&language=english®ion=1
Fishing Report and Photos from: Steelhead Heaven
Steelhead returns are up 25% for the Skeena system and today it was a proven fact that big Steelhead lurk in the glacial waters. Attached (see Photo of the Week) is the largest fly caught Steelhead ever recorded on this small river in Skeena country, and the happy fly angler is Annti from Finland. Annti joined us in late April of this year and landed a 20lb Steelhead thinking this was his personal record fish, we'll as you can see he has really outdone himself this time with a whopper of 30lbs.
What makes this picture even more exciting is that we have been entertaining a TV fishing crew from Finland and this was all recorded on HDV. Not to mention the guys landed another seven Steelhead on the fly that day. Not too often will a crew of this magnitude say we have enough film! Also attached is the producer of the show Pasi with another large Skeena tributary monster caught on a Black Articulated Leech pattern. River conditions are perfect for the fly.
Part of the Finish crew included the owner of lure manufacturer, Kuusamo, and the spoons these guys make are simply a hand painted fish catching machine. The Diamond Lure fooled many a Coho and Steelhead and we look forward to providing these quality lures in the future for Steelhead and Salmon guests. These spoons are unlike any we have seen before and the colors and shapes are of every imaginable combination to produce fish.
Also attached is a picture of another fresh Steelhead taken by one of the fellows from Spain. Having visited Alaska for the past many years these guys were out for a new venue and I guess when you have a Black Bear peering into your front window at the lodge this really tips it off as being a wilderness experience! The Coho fishing in the entire region is hit and miss as some of the rivers have a good return whereas others are not as productive.
With very little time to report the latest in our region I will make it short again as off to the river we go. Guests arriving this week are from the USA, Japan and UK. Tracey John Hittel
Fishing Report and Photos from: Nicholas Dean Lodge – September 28, 2008
Hello Anglers,
Steelhead fishing was very good this week with guests hooking one to five fish per day. Four Steelhead were landed on a dry fly on a Skeena Tributary River. Needless to say the lucky anglers were ecstatic as this is the coveted prize most Steelhead fly fishermen dream of. For this to happen conditions have to be just right. We did one heli Steelhead trip with very good results. The flying weather was perfect. This is one sure way to get away from the crowds and have a pool or run, full of fish, all to yourself.
Coho fishing was outstanding. 30 fish were landed between two anglers and many more were lost. The water has been low and clear in most rivers. Despite this the guides were, for the most part, successful in guiding their clients into fresh fish.
This week we were honoured to guide guests from Spain, Italy and U.S.A..
The forecast is for rain so let's hope it is not too heavy to blow out the rivers. A little rain will be helpful.
Also, don't forget about our promotion for next year – if you book with Noel prior to Oct. 15th, 2008, you can take advantage of special pricing for the 2009 season. This is your chance to experience the take of a Skeena Steelhead and the anticipation of the grab, in a spectacular wilderness setting…
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels,
Chad Black
Operations Manager
Nicholas Dean Lodge
Fishing Report and Photos from: Westcoast Fishing Adventures
Hi Noel, guiding has been a bit of a struggle this week with the very low water conditions. The main stem Skeena River has been working the best for me. We are still landing a few bright Coho and the odd huge Chum. Steelhead fishing has been spotty. Both fly and gear are working. I am anxious to get into some of the lower trib rivers for Coho but need more water to do so. It has started to rain this weekend and that might just do it. Take care. Gill McKean.
Fishing Report and Photos from: Kalum River Lodge
Noel, fishing has been about average for me and my guests. We are sort of limited to where we can fish with all this low water. As you know I have been a guide in this region for many years and I try not to let the low water discourage me. I have a plan "B" that works for me most of the time. Just guide the rivers you know that have a good run of fish and fish only the deep pools and runs. Don't cast for Coho unless you can see them rolling. I think the rain is coming. Thanks. Andrew Rushton.
FISHING REGULATION WEBSITES:
2007-2009 BC tidal waters and freshwater Salmon fishing information:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2009
2008-2009 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish
Effective April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
NOTE: For In-season Regulation Changes posted on the web check the above URL's
GUEST FISHING PHOTOS:
*** If any of you have special fishing photos, testimonials, scenic river photos, wildlife photos or articles I would love to see them.
CATCH & RELEASE FORMULA:
- Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by 1000 (inches)
- Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
MARKETPLACE (Sportfishing related items only please) Contact me anytime to list your items
Buy, sell, trade or swap your item or items by listing them here today
Your Ad will receive LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL exposure:
• Your Ad will be posted on my website
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Examples of what to list: Boats and accessories, Motors, Vehicles, Air Craft, Rods, Reels, Tackle, Real Estate (i.e. fishing lodge), Rentals (Cabins Cottages), Lakeshore, Tourist accommodation, ATV, RV's, RV sites, Taxidermy, Books, Magazines, Videos, Photographs, Antiques, Artwork, Clothing, Employment, Trade/Swap and Wanted, Help Wanted, etc.
To view the items currently listed please cast to: http://www.noelgyger.ca/market-place.htm
To receive my WEEKLY FISHING REPORT and PHOTO via e-mail please send your name and e-mail address to: Noel Gyger [email protected]
GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
Yours sincerely,
Noel F. Gyger
Back to: http://noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
Home page: www.noelgyger.ca
Terrace Fishing Forecast:
Coho fishing should remain strong until the end of Oct. Steelhead fishing will continue well into the winter and thoughout winter for that matter.
Target Species:
steelhead coho
More Fishing Reports:
