Bulkley River: Clear water, Dry flies and Big fish

by Brian Smith and posted by Northword, www.northword.ca

So, your dreams are made of releasing a five- to 10-kg steelhead on the dry fly? If so, plan to fish the Bulkley in September and early October when the water is still warm and the fish are frisky. The reason the Bulkley is such a cerebral destination for dry-fly addicts is its origin at Morice Lake, which produces the clarity and warmth of the Bulkley’s water and fosters the instinctive memory of its fishes. Its major tributary, the Morice River, originates from Morice Lake and is almost never blown out by storms or incoming pressure systems that hinder coastal rivers.

Also, the Morice system is the Bulkley’s nursery, where juvenile steelheads spend one to four years actively feeding on aquatic insects from the fertile water before maturing and heading downriver to the Skeena and the Pacific Ocean, returning to the Bulkley system to spawn after one to four years of ocean-feeding. When they return, they remember the bugs they ate as youngsters and react with aggression—simple as that!

The best dry flies for the Bulkley system are by far the Bulkley Mouse, originated by Smithers-based guide Andre Laporte, and The Freddie, designed by former Babine River guide Fred Watts. The Bulkley has special regulations including classified water and boating restrictions—please consult the regs before you go to enjoy this amazing piece of our north country.

See more at: http://northword.ca/features/the-bulkley-river-clear-water-dry-flies-and-big-fish#sthash.2CM6Um9p.dpuf