Gearing up for Spring The Steelhead House – a boutique fishing lodge Text: Peter McMullan Photos: Darren Wright and Peter McMullan Just as the rivers of the United Kingdom and Scandinavia are cherished for their Atlantic salmon so those of British Columbia, Canada’s most westerly province, are acclaimed worldwide for their steelhead. HE TWO SPECIES have took my very first ten-pound Atlantic much in common in on a small blue and silver Devon terms of their biological minnow from the River Moyola, one backgrounds, their of the rivers that flow into Lough size, their sporting Neagh. That was in late June of 1955 Treputations and their admirable after time well spent as a college heritage; one of timeless traditions student on Vancouver Island. There built on countless years of angling I was introduced to steelheading on effort. A willingness to come freely to the famous Cowichan River where an artificial fly, or lure for that matter, an eight-pounder fell to a spoon on ensures their continuing high ranking December 29, 1953. Today, more than on the discerning fisherman’s wish half a century later, my diaries allow list. I grew up in Northern Ireland and me to recall the details of both fish. | 76 | Chasing Silver Fly Fishing Magazine Gearing up for spring Gearing up for spring Americans and Europeans and other One day last spring, after off time, I was always looking at rivers. nationalities join with visiting out- four days spent battling snow and I did that for two years straight, guiding of-province Canadians and local reluctant steelhead on the Skeena and for trout in the summers and working on British Columbians over the course of the Kitimat, I sat down with Darren the oil and gas wells through the winters. an annual autumn angling invasion. and asked him to tell me how the boy Then I began to guide full-time, working It’s one that generates all-important from Ontario, who has always loved for an outfitter for three years before I tourist income for many northern to fish, had come across the continent decided I wanted to go on my own. centres and in particular for Smithers to start a new guiding business in That’s when I started Tightline and Terrace, 128 miles (206 km) northern British Columbia. This is his Adventures, based in Banff, Alberta, in further west. These are traditional story: 1998. It’s still going today and hopefully resource-based towns with respective “I started guiding for walleye and one of the lead guides who worked for populations of around 6000 and northern pike, probably when I was 14 me will be able to take over and continue 11,000. years old, around lakes back in Ontario. with business as usual. I went back there The town of Campbell River, Even then, when I was much younger, I to guide for brown trout in July and on Vancouver Island, was for years always knew that fishing was number August of last year but this year we will known as the ‘salmon capital of the one in my life and something I always be concentrating on The Steelhead House world’ and Terrace could very well wanted to do. I moved to Alberta in and chasing andronomous fish on the claim to be the epicentre of British 1994 as an oil field worker and, in my Missy, Darren and loyal friend River. fly throughout the summer months. For Columbia’s steelhead excellence. Its proximity to the formidable and productive Skeena River and the much smaller Kalum, a close-to-hand tributary, is most certainly a key to such a claim, as is the convenience of the Kitimat River, which empties into Douglas Channel. Little wonder then that when long-time fly-fishing guide Darren Wright and Missy MacDonald, his always smiling partner who is also an accomplished and successful Catch and release is the law with all wild B.C. steelhead. steelheader, made the move from Alberta to British Columbia little more The sheer delight of the event and the of a warm summer’s day, fish whose than a year ago, it was to Terrace and thrill of the catch remains vivid to this relationship to our environment is a to a classic, two-storey log home now day. key indicator of its continuing health so aptly named The Steelhead House. A lifelong passion began; one and wellbeing. It’s hard to imagine a venture that was to bring me back to British It’s that variety of opportunity, better suited to the talents of Darren Columbia and the Island with my from mid-winter through spring and and Missy. Fishing is in their blood young family in 1971. I was, by then, summer and into the autumn and and the reputation of The Steelhead a dedicated fly-fisherman and my early winter again that has helped House is such that they are already growing familiarity with double- to establish B.C. as a true dream close to full for the upcoming March handed rods served me well on destination for anglers from around and April spring steelhead season, a number of different steelhead the globe. with bookings and enquiries not only rivers. These are fish that come Many of them set their sights from Alberta and British Columbia home from the sea in the dark of a on the famous rivers that sprawl but also from Russia, Austria, Japan winter’s night or in the early dawn across the massive Skeena Region. and the USA. Summer time and all is green at The Steelhead House. | 78 | Chasing Silver Fly Fishing Magazine www.chasingsilvermagazine.com | 79 | Gearing up for spring Gearing up for spring variety there will be some ocean fishing in the summer months, you tend to stay for salmon and halibut. in the same place for a lot longer. That’s Our plans for the future are to be because you don’t know what’s coming able to offer a guide service but also to through, in the next minute or the next run a bed and breakfast business. After hour, or what you are going to catch, guiding for so many years you get set in since both salmon and steelhead are your ways and doing things the way you there at the same time. want them done. I did not want to just Anyone who fishes for steelhead open up shop as just an outfitter. We are knows that it does not matter how good a combination of fishing lodge, bed and an angler you are, or how experienced. breakfast home and outfitting company. These fish can be present one minute People who prefer to fish on their own and gone the next and you have to are most welcome to stay with us but understand that. I think most of the there will be times when we are booked people who pay to come here realize it’s up with full board and guiding guests. not like trout fishing. For one thing they We are not going to take big are certainly a lot bigger than any trout. numbers of people, four or six at the My own largest steelhead most at one time. It’s going to be small measured 44” in length with a girth of and quaint with a high quality of 22”, or over 28 pounds, but I have seen service. I don’t want to guide every day. them even larger in the water, as a lot of I want to be able to enjoy life and the us have, and on the end of lines. When fishing too. you meet up with a fish that weighs 30 As to the fishing, I have definitely pounds and more, I don’t care how good seen a change in the numbers where the your tackle is, the stars had better be salmon are concerned since I first made aligned, or else. it to the Babine and other Skeena system As to steelhead flies and casting rivers 18 years ago. With the steelhead, ability every fisherman will have his it’s been pretty steady. They do go up or her own ideas and style. I want to and down year-by-year but nothing like give the visiting fisherman as much the salmon, and there always seem to be confidence as I can so I’ll tell him (or her) sufficient fish around to keep most people the four basic colours are blacks, blues, happy. This is a very different fishery pinks and purples and probably any one Until very recently, pretty well all to what most think. These are moving of those will catch a fish. You will know my steelhead experience came through fish that are heading for rivers like right away whether the client is a great first going to the Babine with a friend the Babine and the Bulkley and the caster or not a great caster, but the key is as a much younger walk-and-wade Kispiox, all famous for the quality of that he has to fish the fly, whatever the fisherman and then guiding on the same the experience they provide to local and pattern, with confidence. river for the last 10 years at the Norlakes visiting fly fishermen from August on How much line must he (or she) Steelhead Camp between late August and into late October and even November. be able to cast? When these Skeena fish early November. That is if we are not hit by heavy snow come up the river through the summer The season just ahead will be my and really low temperatures.