The photo of week shows Kyle Johnston of Ontario with his biggest Kalum River Steelhead landed this October. His friend James Clark of Alberta gets in the shot. The fish measured 39.5 inches and was caught using a Luhr Jensen egg with pink yarn; float-fishing using a 13’6 G Loomis rod with a Stanton centre-pin reel.
This fishing report is brought to you by Gamakatsu – hook choice of most angling guides www.rapala.ca
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated November 1 – November 8, 2009 Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: We’ve had light rain all week but really not enough to do any major damage to the rivers. By fishery regulation, angling for all Salmon is closed. Steelhead is the only target fish now along with the smaller resident and sea-run Cutthroat Trout, Dolly Varden Char, Bull Trout and White Fish in rivers. There is ocean Winter Chinook fishery out of Kitimat and Prince Rupert starting soon. Due to the heavy rain last week the KalumRiver is high but still fishable and I have a report of some good catches of Steelhead. I have a report that the Zymoetz (Copper) River is fishing “excellent” for Steelhead using both spin and fly gear. River fishing for Cutthroat Trout in the KitimatRiver is only “fair” and depends on the weather. Check out Ron Wakita’s report below. He plans on testing some new Flashers in the Channel for winter Chinook.
NOTICE For Sale:Want to get into the fishing guide business? Guide has 326 rod-days for sale on the Skeena River Class 2 section from the mouth of the ExchamsiksRiver to 1.5 KM above the KalumRiver. These rod days include the license. Total price $50,000 CDN which works out to about $154 per rod-day. This is a steal! Contact Noel for more information.
NOTICE Cast to http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to view open dates for guides. Their season is running short but they still have a few spots open:
Last minute RIVER FISHING DATES available: - Day Bookings - in November are still available. - Lots of day bookings available for Zymoetz (Copper River) in November. BEST fly fishing for Steelhead in the world awaits you. Contact Noel to book NOW.
VIDEO CLIP November 8, 2009 One ''New'' clip posted on Video Clips: I was fishing for Steelhead on the KalumRiver with my good friend Rob Vodola. We like to fish a variety of ways including spin, bottom-bounce, float-fishing (centre-pin or conventional) and fly fishing. For this fish Rob was using his 10.5 foot G Loomis centre-pin float-fishing rod and reel. www.gloomis.com We landed this fish with a Rushton Landing Net www.rushtonlandingnets.com Cast here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGLmwVnvBJM for a direct link to the video. It is also listed on the Video Clips webpage: Title: Centre Pin Steelhead and is 2009 Steelhead video clip #0075
LIST OF “New” ITEMS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:
- One New video clip posted on ''Video Clips'' Nov 8/09 - One New item posted on ''Conservation'' Nov 6/09 - 326 Skeena 2 rod-days For Sale on ''Market Place'' Nov 5/09 - One New item posted on ''Conservation'' Nov 4/09 - One New item posted on ''Conservation'' Nov 3/09
NOW BOOKING for 2010: Let me know if I can be of service to book you with the ''best'' fishing guide and/or fishing lodges for both river and ocean. There are NO extra charges to book through me, just a lot of free information and advice from a person with years and years of fishing and fish guiding experience. It is like hiring two guides for the price of one. I will promptly answer your questions and concerns. Cast here http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to read more of what I have to offer.
Many people book three trips per year to our area; one trip in the spring (March-April-May), one trip in the summer (June-July-August) and one trip in the fall (September-October-November). They love having the same guide but fishing for different fish in different areas.
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for news bulletins, mid week fishing updates, conservation, my history, quality waters strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, podcasts, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles, archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002 and a sportfishing market place. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction. I am at your service.
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT: Steelhead, Trout and Dolly Varden Char for river. Salmon, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks!
FISHING THIS WEEK: POOR FAIR GOOD** EXCELLENT
LARGEST FISH OF THE WEEK: River: 1ound Steelhead landed by Jim Zondanos on a Skeena tributary. Ocean: none reported this week.
WEATHER: Rain showers. Flurries this morning. High plus 5. Sunrise 7:51 AM Sunset 4:46 PM. Today’s yearly average temperatures: Maximum 4 degrees. Minimum 0 degrees.
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
SKEENA RIVER: water has been dropping all week and is in good shape. Fall Steelhead should be coming through now plus “excellent” fishing for Trout and Dolly Varden Char.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO): Tyee Test Fishery for the SkeenaRiver.
KALUM RIVER: is closed for Coho fishing as of October 31. Late fall Steelhead fishing is in full swing with some very good catches being reported. The water is high but still clean. I have had some of my best Steelheading when the water was high. Please try and avoid hooking spawning Coho.
KASIKS RIVER: is closed for Coho fishing as of October 31.
EXCHAMSIKS RIVER: is closed for Coho fishing as of October 31.
EXSTEW RIVER: is closed for Coho fishing as of October 31.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Both Class 1 and Class 2 sections are fishing well for wild Steelhead using both spin and fly rods.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
Cast on link below to view New flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/images/Instore_Flyer_Oct_2009.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: The Kitimat River dropped early in the week but not a lot of fishing activity except for Morris Evans. The remainder of the week we received some typical fall weather with rain showers mixed with the odd sunny period. The river accordingly was up and down but for the most part fishing conditions were marginal.
Nov 3 Morris Evans fishing the Pump House pool for Cutthroat or maybe the odd Steelhead. Morris has been a fixture on the KitimatRiver for as long as I can remember. If anyone is out fishing the Kitimat it will be good old Morris. Tuesday was a classic example of Morris in his usual spot at the Kitimat Pump House.
You know you have had an excellent Coho season when.....we receive reports that Moore Creek are full of Coho as Brad Riley witnessed during last week’s high water. The creek was full of spawning Coho.... Chad, one of my hockey buddies who work’s with the Railway reports all kinds of Coho swimming and spawning in all the ditches along the railway tracks. Kind of cool observations and definitely signs that confirms that we had an excellent Coho return on the Kitimat this year
When the weather permits there will be some good Trout fishing on the Kitimat River. There are some very avid Trout fishers in the area who are always on the watch for the opportunity of good river conditions. When the conditions improve using worms and flies will be the more productive methods for the Kitimat River Trout.
DOUGLAS CHANNEL:
Nov 3 Ferd Weunche was out trolling and was able land two beautiful Winter Chinook. They hooked five but only landed two. ''They were not big'' said Ferd but ''perfect for the barbecue''. Well done Ferd. Sorry no photos, Ferd promised to send me pictures but he forgot to take them. So all I have to show for this portion of this Fishing Report is a picture of the bait that Ferd was using. If I can’t show what he caught I can at least show what he was using.
Summary: The weather conditions have improved in the Douglas Channel this week especially the wind. More boaters will be out trolling for Winter Chinook.
I am looking forward to trying the New Flashers offered by different manufactures. I have chosen Hot Spot, Oki and Gibbs flashers to test in the Kitimat Harbour Winter Chinook fishery. Stay Tuned!
We are booking for next year. Any interested anglers please contact Noel Gyger noel@noelgyger.ca Telephone 250-635-2568
Hope you enjoy the Report.
Thank You to everyone who provided information and pictures to this report.
Sincerely Ron Wakita
Fishing Report from: Nicholas Dean Lodge
A great reason to smile - Nicholas Dean regular Genady Davidov and head guide Dustin Kovacvich pose with a 20 lb Skeena system Steelhead. Genady Davidov Photo
Hello Anglers, The Lower Skeena region near Terrace, BC is one that certainly has many faces and moods throughout our fishing calendar, and the Early Winter Steelhead season is a particularly striking one. For anglers who prefer classic Steelhead fishing - fishing large flies on heavy tips in weather that has a little bite - this a great time to search for the trophy Steelhead that inhabit the Skeena's fabled waters. The bulk of the Summer and Fall Steelhead have reached their tributary rivers and angling pressure is a fraction of what it was in the warmer months. In this sense, I personally think that November is one of the most underrated periods for which to target our Steelhead.
We have been joined this week by Australian fly fisher, Jim Zondanos, who made the long 20 hour trip overseas to pursue his Steelhead fishing addiction, and has been rewarded with some of the best Steelhead fishing he's experienced. Fishing with head guide, Dustin Kovacvich, Jim has fished three different rivers in three days, and landed Steelhead in each, including a 15 lb buck. He is joined by Scott Runciman, a very keen and motivated angler who searches for remote, wild places to find Steelhead - the type of angler we absolutely love to cater to. Scott was initially drawn to us by our new Adventure Steelhead program, where we focus our efforts on small rivers hidden in channels and remote valleys off the coast. In this Spring Steelhead adventure program, there is a fair amount of hiking involved - you have to earn your fish - but the rewards are more than worth the extra effort. So, it came as no surprise that Scott wanted to join us in early November, when we hike and raft down the more remote reaches of our favourite Skeena tribs to some of the best Steelhead water on the planet. Look for a more detailed report of Jim and Scott's fishing in next week's report...
In other news, we are pleased to announce that we'll be working with April Vokey of Fly Gal Ventures during the 2010 season and beyond. For those of you who don't know her (and I would be very surprised if you don't!), April has become one of the most iconic young entrepreneurs in the fly fishing industry today, and her experience as a guide in the Lower Mainland of BC and as a writer for the Canadian Fly Fisher and several other magazines make her a valuable asset to our growing team. April will be leading hosted trips and guiding for us during the 2010 season, and if you'd like to join her on one of her trips, she can be reached at april@flygal.ca.
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels...
Chad Black, Operations Manager
Fishing Report from: Nautical West Sport Fishing
Hi Noel, another fine season we've had here on the north coast. Great numbers of fish in most species, with the exception of the Chum salmon.(We'll leave that discussion for later reviews)
Weather is still holding for us to get out and do some fine steelhead/trout fishing on most of the coastal streams. It’s time again to settle in for the winter and keep busy tying up those Spring Steelhead patterns. Looking forward to another fantastic season ahead.
Contact Noel noel@noelgyger.ca to reserve Now! 2010 NorthCoast Steelhead Season.
All Reservations made between now and March will receive our annual pre booking discount of 10% off.
Prime time dates are available for the 2 and 3rd weeks of April.
New All Inclusive Steelhead Packages Available.
Thanks. Todd Haynes
PRODUCT PROFILE: House brands of Redl Sports Distributors
Dragonfly – Performance Fly Fishing Products Based in Burnaby, BC, Dragonfly carries a wide selection of performance fly fishing products that meet the needs of North American flyfishers. Their products include five series of fly fishing rods, six models of fly fishing reels, packs, accessories and flytying materials.
www.redlsports.com
Rod – Expedition Series with moderate-fast action, black Hialoy stripping guides, uplocking aluminum reel seat with wood grain composite insert. Reel – large arbor, die cast frame and spool, large arbor for faster retrieve & smoother drag, disc drag system, counter balanced spool and matte black powder coated finish.
3 Part Chestpack (front view) – Carry your essential gadgets while flyfishing is easier than ever with Dragonfly’s new 3 part chestpack. Loaded with pockets on both front and back, the 3 part chestpack is designed for better gear organization without hindering your mobility. It has accessory D rings, 3 pockets in each front part, integrated retractors and mesh pockets.
Fly fishing accessories – Dragonfly carries a wide selection of fly lines, backings, leaders tippets and fly tying materials. Visually meet the ''best'' fly fishing tackle and accessories. Watch Podcast 0018 Chad Black shows ''best'' Dragonfly fly fishing tackle and tips…very important podcast to watch.
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: SkeenaRiver, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: SkeenaRiver, 27-pounds.
FISHING REGULATIONS WEBSITES: 2009-2011 BC tidal waters and non-tidal (Federal) Salmon fishing information: www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011
2009-2011 Freshwater (Provincial) Fishing Regulations Synopsis: www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011 (Note regs good for two years)
GUEST FISHING PHOTOS:
*** If any of you have special fishing photos, testimonials, scenic river photos, wildlife photos or articles I would love to see them.
This photo was sent to me from Derrick Downey of Kitimat, BC. The spring Steelhead was caught and released in May. It is wonderful that we have Steelhead to angle for in spring, fall and winter. It doesn’t get any better than this! Thank you Derrick.
Catch & Release formula:
- Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by 1000 (inches) - Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
MARKETPLACE Sportfishing related items only please. Contact me anytime to list your items. There is no charge for this service.
Buy, sell, trade or swap your item or items by listing them here today Your Ad will receive LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL exposure: • Your Ad will be posted on my website • Your Ad will be promoted in my Weekly Fishing Reports • Your Ad will be posted on other websites who host my fishing reports
Examples of what to list: Boats and accessories, Motors, Vehicles, Air Craft, Rods, Reels, Tackle, Real Estate (i.e. fishing lodge), Rentals (Cabins Cottages), Lakeshore, Tourist accommodation, ATV, RV's, RV sites, Taxidermy, Books, Magazines, Videos, Photographs, Antiques, Artwork, Clothing, Employment, Trade/Swap and Wanted, Help Wanted, etc.
To view the items currently listed please cast to: http://www.noelgyger.ca/market-place.htm
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The following are Sponsors of this fishing report. Please check out their websites at your convenience. Thank you.
ound Steelhead landed by Jim Zondanos on a Skeena tributary. Ocean: none reported this week. 
