RIVER Steelhead OCEAN Winter Chinook
Capt. Noel Gyger
December 7, 2009
Terrace - Freshwater Fishing Report
The photo of week shows Gill McKean owner of Westcoast Fishing Adventures with a beautiful bright, wild Steelhead landed last fall.
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated November 29 – December 6, 2009
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: As I am writing this summery the air temperature outside is -8 degrees C with high out flow wind (out of the north). We all know what this means…it is way too cold to go fishing. I think the wintering over Steelhead need a break from us anglers once an awhile. The Trout lakes should start freezing over now and the ice fishermen will start dusting off their gear. Weatherman says this cold snap may be with us for awhile.
"WIN" a FREE one day DRIFT FISHING TRIP for three persons down the Kitimat River by signing up your friends, family and fishing partners for my WEEKLY FISHING REPORT
This trip is supplied by Reliable Guide and Charters and is for the 2010 season. The LUCKY WINNER will be drawn on April 30, 2010. Cast to this link http://www.noelgyger.ca/articles/win-a-FREE-driftboat-fishing-trip.doc to open a form showing how to enter names. Send the completed form via e-mail or postal mail. When I receive it I will reply confirming your name is entered into the draw – GOOD LUCK
December 2, 2009 One "New" clip posted on Video Clips:
I was invited to go fishing with Ron Wakita and Wes Owens for Dungeness Crab in the Kitimat ocean Douglas Channel November 27, 2009. This video shows "how-to" catch Crab using the "right tools for the job" such as Crab Traps distributed by Redl Sports www.redlsports.ca , Ace Line Hauler Crab and Prawn puller www.acelinehauler.com to effortlessly pull the traps, Danielson Bait Cage (basket) and a Gibbs-Delta Crab Gauge www.gibbsfishing.com to measure the Crabs. The lead core rope used to pull the traps is made by Danielson. We placed four traps for only one set and were only one Crab short of the daily limit of six each. Cast here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq-wU33Ihoo for a direct link to the video. It is also list on the Video webpage: Tips and Techniques: Title: HOW TO catch Dungeness Crab and is video clip #0078. It plays for 6:52 minutes
NOW BOOKING for 2010: 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.
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, podcasts, 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. I am at your service.
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT Steelhead, Trout and Dolly Varden Char for river. Salmon, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks! (This is a BC fishing regulation)
FISHING THIS WEEK: (Too cold!)
SKEENA RIVER: water has been dropping all week and is in good shape. It is too cold to fish right now. Late fall Steelhead should be coming in now plus "excellent" fishing for Trout and Dolly Varden Char.
KALUM RIVER: Late fall and early winter Steelhead fishing will start again when the weather warms up.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Really too cold to fish right now.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
Cast on link below to view New flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/images/Instore_Flyer_Oct_2009.pdf
Cast on link below to view New Christmas Flyer:
http://www.noelgyger.ca/images/2009-Christmas-Flyer.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: The Kitimat weather was sunny and clear early in the week and some anglers managed to get to do some Trout fishing with good results.
The Lower Dike, Goose Creek and the Big Pool at Cable Car were the Hot Holes this week. Cable Car was reported to have lots of small Trout.
Mid week in Kitimat we received some light snow falls followed by some rain which melted most of the Snow.
During the latter part of this week we received Sunny, Clear and some very Cold weather. It dropped to below zero at times.
Dec 1st Jacques Losier reports "My son Colby Age 7 caught some incredible cut throats. He caught these 20 inch plus fish with a pink worm and a real worm. He landed at least 15 to 20 fish all in the 11 to 13 inch range. Awesome day of fishing!"
Wow! These are some very nice trout. Well done Colby! And at Age 7! It is so refreshing to report a Father and Son sharing the passion of fishing and it is quality time with Colby will never forget. Well done Dad! Thank You for taking the time out of your busy life to send me the pictures
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: The Winter Chinook fishing in the Kitimat Harbour is difficult to determine as only one boat was reported fishing the Harbour this week.
Nov 1st Wes Owens of Golden Adventures took my brother Brian and my Twin brother Rick Wakita out for Winter Chinook and to do a little crabbing. I asked Wes not too try to hard to catch any fish for my brothers because of our ongoing Sibling rivalry. For readers that have brothers you may be able to relate to the normal competitive nature of brothers. It can be bad in most cases but if you add the issue that we were all born the same year. (Brian was born in January and Rick and I were born in November the same year) it can be a little too competitive but it is all in good fun!
I am happy to report that they didn't catch any Winter Chinook. :-) They did however catch their limit of crab with the help of the Ace Line Hauler www.acelinehauler.com They both loved pulling the traps and they did catch a lot of crab but "Whats Up" with the FiFI gloves!
I am sure that Wes and my brothers put in honest effort but they did not find the Winter Chinook. Stay tuned.
Thank You to everyone who provided info and photos to this Fishing Report.
Hope you enjoyed the Fishing Report.
We are booking River and Saltwater trips for the 2010 season. Interested anglers, please contact Noel: [email protected]
Good Luck Good Health Good Fishing
Sincerely
Ron Wakita
Fishing Report from: Nicholas Dean Lodge, Terrace
Spring Steelhead fishing near Terrace is probably one of the most overlooked seasons on the Skeena system, despite its reputation for large fish. Taft Ring can attest to this, having landed this 23 lb Steelhead on his second day of fishing!
Hello Anglers, around this time of year, I always find myself reflecting back on the season - of enjoyable dinners and conversations had with clients, tying flies in anticipation of the next trip and yes, the clichéd big fish stories told at the lodge which usually don't involve myself. So, for this week's report, rather than one specific story, I decided to do put some of these memories on paper - let's call them the 2009 season highlights...
Starting our Spring Steelhead season at our rustic and comfortable lodge on Kalum Lake Road, we hosted a number of clients who focused their angling efforts on a few Skeena River tributaries and the big river itself. Like most other years, there seemed to be proportionately more, large Steelhead landed in the Spring than at other times of year, and Taft Ring took top honors, landing a 23 lb Steelhead on the fly (this week's report photo). During that same week, we had the pleasure of hosting legendary Steelhead angler Lani Waller who had recently penned his newest book, "A Steelheader's Way." Lani is a charismatic yet genuine, humble man whose passion for Steelhead and Steelhead fly fishing is infectious and derived from many years on the water. Having the chance to meet and share stories with Lani was certainly a highlight of my Steelhead fishing career, and I suspect for those anglers who also joined us that week.
From mid April through mid May, we continued to develop one of our newest fishing programs - Adventure Steelheading - on small, not-to-be named coastal rivers. Why Adventure Steelheading? Well, many of the coastal rivers we fish aren't the easiest to access and demand a fair amount of hiking and wading on the part of the angler. On a few rivers in particular, we'll start the day by driving down a logging road, launching in the Ocean, jet boating to the river's estuary and from there move from pool to pool in search of Steelhead that average 12-15 lbs. This year, Sonja Sorbo took top honors with a 20 lb Steelhead landed in early May - one that I'm sure she won't easily forget!
Perhaps one of our most significant announcements this year was our partnership with five-star Yellow Cedar Lodge. Beginning April 20, we moved operations to this incredible facility, and clients enjoyed some of the best fine dining, hospitality and amenities in Northwest BC. Building upon our successes this season, we look forward to working with Alf and Simone at Yellow Cedar Lodge during the 2010 season as well.
It was another great year for Trophy Chinook Salmon on the Skeena and Kitimat Rivers during the early part of our Summer season, complete with some absolute monster fish. If you saw my Trophy Chinook of 2009 blog post a few months back, you will have probably already seen a few photos of these incredible fish. Congratulations go out to: Andrea Scaramella for a 60 lb fish he landed in late July, Bob Cusick for his 70 lb lifetime fish and Ron Kostich, with an 80 lb buck which is reputed to be the largest Chinook caught by any angler during the 2009 season.
As many devoted Skeena Steelhead anglers are aware, Steelhead numbers on the Skeena during early August at the Tyee test fishery were some of the highest reported in the last 10 years, which is certainly encouraging. Steelhead fishing on the mainstem Skeena near Terrace followed suit, particularly in late August and early September, with many large Steelhead in the 18-23 lb range landed. Dennis Channing landed a chrome bright 23 lb Steelhead on the Skeena in late August with Sky Richard, which was featured in our 488th Fishing Report.
Our Fall Steelhead and Trophy Coho season is always one of our most popular seasons, and 2009 was no different. We hosted several groups through September and October and, fishing overall was quite good. Many anglers had the opportunity to experience the magic of seeing a large Steelhead rise to a waked dry fly - certainly one of those defining experiences in one's angling career. Fabrizio Oliva was one of our more lucky anglers this Fall, as his first Steelhead landed was a 20 lb fish from one of our remote wilderness rivers. If this wasn't enough, he followed up with an even larger Steelhead stretching to 22 lbs a few days later on the same system! Perhaps one of our biggest success stories this year, however, was the marked improvement in Coho Salmon returns for the North Coast - nearly every system we fished this year had an abundance of fish, and the fishing was unparalleled! Top rods went to Gary Bartholomew and Deb Morrow who fished with us in late October, and landed over 60 Coho in one day...
On the whole, the 2009 year was a successful one for us, and we owe much of this to you, our clients. We would like to thank each of you individually for your patronage and company in your quest for exciting fishing experiences, and hope to see you in the 2010 season or in the near future.
Summary of Current Conditions: With air temperatures dropping well below freezing, fishing conditions are somewhat more difficult this late in the season. It's not to say the fish aren't there - they are - but, when your guides freeze every 4 or 5 casts it's slightly more difficult to focus on your presentation. On our warmer days, however, I have heard reports of anglers catching a few Steelhead on the Skeena and its tributary rivers, particularly in slower moving pools. With the last of the Coho Salmon spawning in local rivers, trout fishing has improved markedly, and targeting these fish with small flesh flies and single eggs are likely the most productive methods of fishing.
Please contact Noel Gyger [email protected] to book your next guided fishing trip with us.
From all of us here at Nicholas Dean Lodge, I'd like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season this year...
Chad Black, Operations Manager
Fishing Report from: J & E Tackle Shop, Prince Rupert
Noel the photos are of Miles Fuller and his charter vessel the Alouette Gal. Miles is holding a 14lb. Chinook caught Dec 5/09 in the Prince Rupert Harbour.
The Winter Chinook fishing has been awesome this past week with numerous reports from anglers taking to the inshore waters of Prince Rupert Harbour, Tucks Narrows, Spire Ledge, Venn Pass and Tugwell Island are all producing winter Chinooks. If you do not have a boat to get out and enjoy this winter fishery you can book any one of the local guides with rates reduced by up to 50% from summer months. So take to the water and do some winter angling, crabbing and prawning. You can contact Jeff Carlson of BC STYLE Fishing Charters www.bcstylefishingcharters.com
J & E's Fishing and Hunting Shop has many gift ideas for your Christmas shopping.
Click on this link http://www.noelgyger.ca/articles/nov-30_2009-je-tackle-shop-christmas-flyer.pdf to view the instore Christmas flyer.
BLUE KNUCKLE DERBY UPDATE
Tickets will be available Monday December 7, 2009 at J & E's Tackle
"19th Annual Marc (Dezi) Desautels Memorial Blue Knuckle Derby" is held on Dec. 27th
With the involvement of the Prince Rupert Lions Club and other charitable organizations we have to move from the previous "winner-take-all" format to a split of funds generated.
Largest Salmon Caught
1st Prize $1000
2nd Prize $300
3rd Prize $200.
Lots of door prizes to be won
All surplus funds raised from the ticket sales will go to the Salvation Army.
The weigh-in and prize money PRESENTATIONS will be held at the Moose Lodge in Prince Rupert.
More details of this event will be available in next week's report.
e.g.
- Start and finish time of derby
- Where to purchase tickets
- Time and place of Weigh-in
BLUE KNUCKLE DERBY SPONSERS
PRINCE RUPERT LIONS Organizer
ASTRAL MEDIA Radio Coverage
HAWK AIR 2 Tickets -Prince Rupert/Vancouver Return
LOYAL ORDER OF THE MOOSE weigh-in and prize money PRESENTATIONS
Prince Rupert Tide Charts:
http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/cgi-bin/tide-shc.cgi?queryType=showFrameset&zone=18&language=english®ion=1&stnnum=9354
Thanks. Jeff Carlson – owner
PRODUCT PROFILE: Redl Sports www.redlsports.com CENTER PIN fishing reels
Trophy XL offers two styles of fishing reels. The Winter Run series is a line of center pin reels that cater river anglers under all conditions. The Tyee series is a popular mooching reel that every saltwater angler needs to have.
Top left: Trophy XL Tyee QR is machined from solid aluminum bar stock, duel balanced handles and anodized dark pewter. Spool capacity for 500 yards of 20lb monofilament.
Top middle: Trophy XL Winter run is machined from solid bar stock, click drag system, brass bushing system for silky smooth casts, polished silver finish. Spool capacity for 200 yards of 15lb monofilament. Available for right or left handed anglers. Nickel finish is also available.
Top right: Trophy XL Tyee is made from machined solid bar stock, disc drag system, 3 bearings for silky smooth casting and polished silver finish. Spool capacity of 500 yards of 20lb monofilament.
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.
FISHING REGULATIONS WEBSITES:
2009-2011 BC tidal waters and non-tidal (Federal) Salmon fishing information:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011
2009-2011 Freshwater (Provincial) Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011 (Note regs good for two years)
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.
The photo shows James Clark of Alberta with a bright wild Steelhead landed on a Skeena Tributary this past October. He and his friends had a great trip landing many Steelhead and Coho Salmon. Photo courtesy of James Clark.
The photo shows Genady Davidov with a Skeena tributary a wild Steelhead. He and his friends had another great guided fishing trip this fall. Second year in a row pro fishing guide Dustin Kovacvich guided them to many different rivers for both Steelhead and Coho (Silver) Salmon. Photo courtesy of Genady Davidov
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)
Place your order NOW for Fiberglass Fish Reproduction
This 42 x 23.5 inch Steelhead was estimated to weigh 30-pounds. There are many sizes and positions available, and pretty much any species. Call Carey Braun anytime at 250-639-3769 and he will be happy to build one for you. Yes, that's Carey in the photo.
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GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
Yours sincerely,
Noel F. Gyger
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Home page: www.noelgyger.ca
Terrace Fishing Forecast:
Too cold to fishing right now. Needs to warm up
Target Species:
Steelhead Chinook
More Fishing Reports:
