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Those who hooked a
steelhead know that those spectacular and beautiful game fish will do
everything to loosen themselves. Several runs upstream and downstream
up to 50 meters are regular and sometimes the steelhead will leap out of
the water several times like an acrobat. Steelhead will take both dry
and wet flies, and streamers and nymphs as well. Fly fishing for
steelhead with a dry fly however, desires lots of patience, commitment
and endurance from a fly fisherman.
Steelhead can be particularly
hard to catch, not necessarily because they won’t pursue a properly
presented fly, but because you are searching for a needle in a
haystack. 99 % of the water is empty, and you are trying to find that
one fish that will take your fly. The
reality is that some fly fisherman go years without success.
A 10 feet fly rod,
weight #8/9 and a 200 or 300 grain sink tip line and a leader with a
strength of about 15 lbs will do fine. Angling according to the dead
drift method and make sure that the fly will have the opportunity to
sink, must give some results. |
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The size of the fly depends on the season and water level. In summer some larger
flies are preferred, size #2 or #4 and in autumn smaller size, #6 and #8 should
be used. Remember that steelhead are almost constantly
moving. You may find several steelhead in a specific location one day only to
find that same location without fish the next day! The Kispiox River has
many good pools with gravel beaches where fly fishing is very easy. Long casts
are not always necessary, usually some 20 meters are enough. After each cast
take a step downstream and cast again until a steelhead has taken the fly or
when you finished the pool. Pools that are easy accessible are known to most
anglers, so you can encounter other angler at some pools. So don't hesitate to
go for pools that have difficult access. At the Kispiox Steelhead Camp I have 2
pontoons and with those we can reach for the most
beautiful spots. |
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The Morice River has even more difficult access and
those floaters are very handy there.Sometimes
a long double-handed Spey rod can be very welcome, especially when long
casts are needed. A 13 or 14 feet rod for a #9 line is perfect. Another
advantage of a long fly rod is the better control of the movements of
the fish although the actual landing or beaching of the steelhead is
more difficult. Especially the Bulkley and Morice Rivers are rivers for
the Spey rod. Dry fly fishing is also very popular on those rivers. I
always advise also to have a baitcaster or spinning rod with you. Some local
circumstances are hard to predict and fly fishing is not always
possible. Casting the whole day with an 8- or 9-weight rod is also
tiring so a relaxed day with a baitcaster can give your muscles some
rest. |
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