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With cool summertime temperatures the snow was slow to melt, causing high water conditions till late in the fall. The El Nina gulfstream brought abundant rains and created floods that made our fishing conditions tough. The late fall runs of the upper Skeena arrived a bit later then usual due to the high water conditions, with fish arriving until late in the season. As autumn progressed the conditions and the fishing improved. The Tyee test fishery index indicated a slightly above average return for steelhead destined for the Skeena drainage. Reports from lodges and anglers, and my own impression, indicate a lower than average return. The reliability of the Tyee index has been questioned before and it warrants scrutiny of DFO management based on the index. | |
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| This season had, as usual, many highlights for me. One of the highlights each season is a visit from my friend Leif Stavmo to our home. For me the greatest pleasure in fishing is the experiences shared with good friends. Leif and I both enjoy the wilderness and our annual steelhead trip always includes some serious camping. Rain, mud, snow, mice, bears, and even a bit of sun, were all present on this year’s trip. Back at the house we had some great meals, drinks and late night jamming to the Foo Fighters. How much more fun can a guy have! | |
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| I am also very excited about this season's developments in Guideline products for the steelhead scene here in North America. I tried out the brand new Reaction test model and was very impressed. One of the nicest all-round rods I have seen. The rod I tried handled Skagit and Scandi heads with equal ease, very easy loading and great reserve power and speed. The beauty of a rod like this is that both Skagit style casts that are slow and water born, as well as Scandi style casts that are air born and much faster, can be performed with a similar comfortable casting stroke. This allows me to utilize both styles and gives me a wider variety of presentations when I fish a run. As a guide I often see that anglers stick to a certain type of cast and presentation that they are most comfortable with. The result is that only those runs and pools that "fit" the anglers´ if style are fished effectively. In order to become a better angler it is important to vary presentation styles and adopt a variety of casts to improve the presentations. A good all-round rod like the Reaction I tried will handle all these styles comfortably. |
| New lines with a heavier Skagit type taper are on the drawing board and promise to be a nice mix between heavy Skagit heads and light Scandi heads. This should be the perfect line to fit the Reaction rod that I mentioned earlier and will allow for a nice variety of techniques without changing lines or rods. For the fishermen that are looking for a line that can do it all, this should be one to check out. Personally I can't wait to try out that rig! Ten of my favorite fly designs for steelhead are going to be produced by Guideline. For the fly fisher that does not tie his own, this series will provide you with a reliable set of flies that will cover every situation. All flies have been tested and perfected over many seasons and are tied with the highest standards and best materials. | |
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With this all coming up I can’t wait for next season! |
