Swinging Flies

The hype and anticipation for this adventure to the Bulkley Valley was unlike anything I have ever felt before. Unlike previous adventures, this year’s trip had an aura of electricity surrounding it. This was mainly because the early returns catalogued by the DFO Canada in the Skeena Region showed numbers upwards of thirty thousand fish returning to the rivers of their birth. This class will go down in the top ten returns within the last 70 years. Many longtime Steelhead anglers will tell you they never thought that they would have the opportunity to fish a run like this ever again, and let me tell you, those anglers on our adventure were not disappointed. With seven full days of fishing, the steelheaders at the BRL had many opportunities to connect with beautiful, wild Steelhead. Travelling to Northern BC is not always the most pleasant. It takes multiple plane flights and often multiple days to complete the journey. This adventure was no exception. From Salt Lake City, our group boarded a Delta Airlines flight bound for Vancouver. Even with an on-time arrival, we were unable to make the one daily Air Canada flight to Smithers, BC. Excited for our next leg of the adventure, the Fishwest crew found their way to the hotel, had a nice dinner, a few drinks, and went to bed to try and get some rest before our final travel day. Day two of travels allowed our group to experience one of the iconic landmarks of the “Skeena Country”. The Storks Nest Inn is known by fisherman worldwide and serves as the official jumping off point for many once they arrive in Smithers. Nothing super fancy or over the top about this place, just a clean, comfortable room, with decent coffee and a free continental breakfast for those early risers. The real fun began on the morning of day three when our group was met bright and early by the Bulkley River Lodge team for our first day of fishing. After enjoying all that the Storks Nest had to offer, we bid the hotel adieu. Some anglers headed for the lodge, while one group took off directly from the hotel to enjoy the stretch of river through town. Day one yielded a mixed bag of results for our anglers. Most taking the first day to either learn how to spey cast or knock the rust off their existing casting skills. Personally, I found myself knocking off the rust. I don’t spend nearly as much time as I would like casting a two handed rod, but I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the mid river cast returned. Just like riding a bike. Unfortunately, mistakes were still made, and I did miss the hookset on two good eats. I broke the cardinal rule and lifted the rod. I tried to hook the fish and should have just left it to hook itself. Even with very few fish landed after day one, you could still feel the electric buzz as everyone returned from fishing. This week had all the makings of being something truly special. Conditions on the Bulkey were unlike anything I have ever seen before. Compared to trips past, the water was extremely low, very clear, and the forecast called for sun during most of our time there. This led to some exciting, albeit still challenging, fishing conditions. In some areas, sight fishing on the swing was possible, and on some cases, successful. A visual treat I feel lucky to have witnessed. For this trip, I outfitted myself with two rods, one lined to throw floating lines and chase fish on the dry, and the second, matched to throw sink tips, heavy flies, and find the fish where they live. For the dry fly setup, I outfitted the Winston Air TH 12ft 3in 7wt with my old reliable Hardy Dutchess, an Airflo Rage Shooting Head, Rio Gripshooter, and a floating Rio Versileader. The fly choice(s) for the week included a variety of skaters ranging from the Pompdour, to the sparse Klamath skating fly. Try as I might (and I tried hard, often to my own detriment) I was unable to rise a fish to eat my dry. On three occasions, I found fish that wanted to rise to the fly, only to swirl it, and head back to the lie that it originated from. Batting cleanup was the Winston Air 13ft 3in 7wt paired with a Cubalaya Fair Chase G2, The Rio Elite Skagit Max Power Shooting Head, Gripshooter Running Line, and a variety of Rio MOW tips. This combination worked together as seamless as possible and was ridiculously fun to cast and fish. A vast majority of my fish wanted to interact with flies like the Hobo Spey, Burnt Chicken and the Steelie Pig. The amount of biomass in the river this year was unlike anything I have experienced. For starters, the Pink Salmon were far more prevalent than ever, and it was surprising to see the number of Steelhead found in some of the runs within the river. On a few occasions while floating, we encountered anywhere from five to fifteen fish in a run. This in my humble opinion is a testament to the years of collective Steelhead knowledge and guiding experience that the Bulkley River Lodge team holds. During the week, there were only three instances where an angler came back to camp empty handed after a day of fishing. The fishing program at the BRL is one that does not mess around. Depending on your assigned beat, you will find yourself on the water as early as 7:00 AM. Each day you will fish hard until around 5:00 PM at which point cocktails start appearing, and the tales of the day start flying. Dinner is served promptly at 7:00 PM and features some of the finest cuisine I have ever seen while visiting a fishing lodge. Dave Hughes (aka Bunky) is a true artist and master chef serving dishes like Osso Bucco, Jamaican Jerk Ribs, Salmon, and the ever-popular taco night featuring smoked Carne Asada and fresh fish tacos with six homemade salsas. Many would argue that the food program at the lodge is the best part of the experience. Don’t take it from me but I think the consensus overall would be that this week will go down as a gigantic success Although I am not appraised (fancy word!) to the total number of fish landed for the week; the stories of Steelhead doubles, multi fish days, and countless dry fly eats, surely leaves this week one for the record books. Fishwest is fortunate enough to host anglers at the Bulkley River Lodge twice a year and we look forward to doing that for many years to come. If Steelhead fishing in British Columbia is on your bucket list, give us a call. Space is very limited and varies from year to year but we would love for you to join us on a future adventure.

Swinging Flies

Post Trip Report – Bulkley River Steelhead Lodge – 2024

5 Takeaways From My First Steelhead Trip: