Ken Morrish
Skeena River
Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC - Jonathan Riddell
With the onset of warmer spring weather in northern BC, many anglers are anticipating the short steelhead season that’s like no other on this planet. While many avid steelhead anglers are familiar with the Skeena's catch-and-release bounty of summer- and fall-run steelhead on the fly, less well known is the spring-run fishery.
These later, spring-migrating steelhead have a precise time of entry to the fabled waters of the lower Skeena watershed. Too early in the season, heavy ice flows and low water limit upstream migration; later, the high water flows of the spring freshet present an inevitable battle. The fish clue in to the perfect time between these extremes to move to their spawning grounds.
Though timing really is everything to find these fish, and a game of chance for visiting anglers, the reward can be spectacular. Folks willing to brave the elements in this large, glacially carved river valley should be prepared for big fish that are carrying all their marine weight from offshore feeding grounds. Ocean-fresh steelhead – extremely aggressive to the fly – make for a short but tremendous angling season.
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