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DESTINATIONS
October Dreaming
Salmon Fishing in British Columbia
By Noel F. GygerYo Ho!...that's the battle cry in the fall when the Coho arrive in northwest British Columbia. October is the time to angle for both migrating steelhead and coho salmon, as well as resident Cutthroat, Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden Char. Let's talk about the Coho salmon first.Yo Ho!... The Coho
They jump. They roll. They tumble. They wrap themselves up in your line like a pretty package. The rolling and tumbling is a Coho characteristic.The Americans know them as "silvers,".but we Canadians call them the Coho. The Skeena river and its many tributaries have many large runs of these silver beauties.
The first migrating Coho are of average size, but later, in October, the larger Coho appear. We call these larger fish "northerns" not only because they typically weigh more, but also because they have a distinctively large hooked nose that we refer to as the northern nose. Even the females have the hooked nose, although not as prominently as the males. The regular Coho average between 6 and 12-pounds but the northerns average between 12 and 20 pounds, with the odd fish weighing more than 25-pounds. Our lodge record fish was caught by Jack Baikowitz and weighed an amazing 27 pounds.
The Coho actually arrive into the Skeena system at the beginning of August. The smaller Coho enter the river first since they have the furthest to travel. The"BIG" Chinook Salmon runs are coming to an end and are all but over. Even though there are still Chinook Salmon in the rivers, most are getting too dark and are left alone to spawn. Everyone's attention turn to the bright silver Coho Salmon, which are more plentiful anyway.
“... A thousand tiny waterfalls skitter down the rock faces. . .”
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This is the most non-combat angling area you'll find anywhere, especially in the fall. Many times you will be the only person in the pool. The isolated coastal rivers near Terrace are only accessible by jet-boat. My favorite river is the Kasiks. For 8 miles you wind your way upstream through mountain flanks that touches the river on both sides. Slate gray rock faces confine the river to a narrow slot. A thousand tiny waterfall skitter down the rock faces plunging into the small river.
One basic rule applies when fishing for Coho: if you can't see them rolling, don't fish. Presentation is everything. Coho like just about any terminal tackle that is properly presented. And to have some fun with the colors they should be silver, blue or green. I love using the flyrod in a weight 8 or 9 or a light spinning rod and reel filled with 12-pound test and a jig as terminal tackle.The jig works well in very clean water, calm or slow moving deep pools where you know fish are holding and you cannot see them , except for the odd "roll" or "rise" now and then.
If you find a pool or run where you can see the fish because the water is very clear and not that deep, your terminal tackle choice should be a lure such as the Lure Jensen Krocodile or a light thin spoon weighed, if needed, with split shot. Use something thin that glides through the water and is designed to represent small fish that the Coho think are a threat to their spawning" reds" or area. Sometimes a spinner such as the Blue Fox #4 or 5 is the correct bait. The spinner blades cause it to be retrieved slowly, letting the fish have a good look at it and thereby making a decision to strike. With other terminal tackle, such as thin lures, most folks retrieve them too quickly. Slow down your retrieve. I know this will cause you to lose a few lures but you have to be down deep and your lure has to be moving slow enough to give the fish a chance to react. Always keep your hook sharp.
Float fishing or bottom bouncing works best when the water is higher, the fish are not spooked and the current is moving at the correct speed. Many types of terminal tackle will work when float fishing but I think the best bait is "dime size" egg bags fished on number 2 hooks.
But after awhile, no matter what you're using or how you present it, the fishwill spook or develop "lock jaw" and stop biting --time to find another, un-spooked, pool.
Even though the runs are strong in our area, it is still wise to practice conservation. We want these Coho here forever. Please learn the correct way to catch and release -- and teach your friends. Do not stress a fish by playing it too long (usually caused by using too light a line) or dragging it in too quickly so that it beats its head on the rocks. Keep the fish off the rocks and in deep water.The angler should be wearing chest waders or at least hip waders so he can accomplish this. Use "barbless" hooks or hooks that have small barbs, such as Gamakatsu. When landing a fish, wear gloves or a sock to grip the tail. For a largefish use a glove on both hands. Do not pick fish up only by the tail and lift them high into the air since this puts too much stress on their backbone. Keep the fish horizontal by supporting the belly with the other hand. Do not use a landing net as the mesh can cause excessive scale loss and splitfins. Try and keep their head in the water as much as possible, then hold them up for a quick "kiss" and photo. Take the hook out gently. If you do this correctly you will not need pliers. If the fish has the strength to wiggle its tail, let it "kick" out of your hand and swim away, do not hold it back.
If you keep a fish to eat, make sure that it is silver and fresh.Do not keep a dark fish since it is probably too near to spawning and the meat will not make good table fare.Wild Steelhead
October is prime time for wild British Columbia Steelhead. They're called wild because there are no hatchery steelhead in the whole Skeena river and it's tributaries. Both conventional and fly tackle users will be in heaven. The main rivers we fish are the Skeena, Copper and Meziadin. We also fish in the Meziadin Lake. At this time of year the lake is full of spawning Sockeye Salmon, and the fishing for DollyVarden Char is fantastic. These are big Dolly's that weigh up to 6-pounds. You can also catch Rainbow Trout to 5-pounds. At the end of the lake, where the lake turns into river, the river is jammed with fish. No matter how bad the weather, this river remains fishable all the time.
Another river in our area, the Copper, is excellent for Steelhead. Care must be taken when wading this river because the bottom is strewn with large and small boulders. If the water is very clean, the fly rod will hook many fish, and conventional tackle users will have no trouble hooking up to six or more fish per day.
Our lodge record steelhead weighed 32-pounds.It was caught and released by Dennis Therein in the Kalum river in 1995. It measured 40 inches in length and had a girth of 24.5 inches. The weight was estimated by using a formula of length x girth squared x 1.33 divided by 1000. We have a 20 x 30 inches poster photo of this fish at our lodge.
To have a successful trip, you need a good run of fish, proper timing of the runs, good water and weather conditions. We cannot control water conditions, but with so many watersheds available, quality angling can always be found.
Noel F. Gyger is a longtime fishing guide in the rivers of British Columbia. He operates Northwest Fishing Guides, a lodge and guiding service in Terrace, British Columbia.
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Article copyright © by Noel F. Gyger.
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