During the first signs of fall, when fireweed turns crimson and the leaves of poplar, birch and aspen change from green to gold, the mighty summer-run steelheads have left the ocean and are returning to their native streams to spawn, beckoning anglers from all over the world to test their fly fishing skills against this most prized game-fish of all.
For some steelhead, this will be their first journey to their home stream; for others, the 10 to 15-kilogram fish, it could be their fourth, because these ocean-going trout can spawn many times and grow to colossal weight and strength, which makes them sought after and revered over all other salmonids.
The Bulkley/Morice River system is the closest bona fide steelhead fishery to Prince George that we have. Our Fraser River also supports a steelhead fishery, but the fish mostly return to its lower reaches in the Chilcotin and Thompson River systems below Williams Lake.
The Morice River begins as it exits Morice Lake south-west of Houston and travels in a north-east direction to join the smaller Bulkley River at Houston, and then the Bulkley journeys on a north-west course to meet the Skeena at South Hazelton.
At Houston, the Morice River Forest Service Road accesses the Morice all the way to its headwaters; the Bulkley is accessed from Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, Hazelton and all points in-between from by turning south on secondary roads leaving Highway 16 West.
Steelheads have been rightly dubbed "the fish of 1,000 casts" because sometimes they are just not where they are expected at their typical time and place. They could be upriver or downriver, resting or moving--only they know when the time is right to continue their drive. They move in waves and packs as they leave the ocean, mingling with the sockeyes, Cohoes, pinks and Chinooks salmons, pressing ever-onward to their home rivers, where they will lay-over for the winter, spawn in early spring before run-off, and flush back to the ocean before summer to feed and regain their strength for their next crusade.
For the fly fisher, prime steelhead water has tell-tale signs: thigh deep, walking speed only, structure and moderate flow. Look for these characteristics and you'll find fish. It's not necessary to dredge the bottom for summer-runs--what you wish for is aggressive fish, trout that are "players", ones that will chase your fly as it swings across the river.
The well-known theory on fly patterns for steelhead is "dark day--dark fly; bright day--bright fly" is quite true. During September and October, many of our days are dark; most steelheads are caught on dark flies, black, purple and blue patterns and mixes thereof with some flash of tinsel being most common. Pink is a common colour for your bright flies.
I relish the chances I get to angle for these elusive trout.
For more information on fly fishing places and patterns to use in the Central Interior, refer to the book Fly Fishing BC's Interior by Brian Smith, available at local bookstores and sporting goods retailers.
