HAIDA GWAII TRIP PART I

[Sharphooks]

I just walked in the door from a three week trip to the North Country. I do with truck and camper in October what I do in my boat in July.

This is the third year in a row I booked a ferry for Haida Gwaii. (Gotta love sub-contracting the Hecate Strait crossing to BC Ferries....they do it way better then I'd do it in my 28 footer, especially in October…ha ha)

It's a huge ordeal for me to get to Rupert from my house---lots of windshield time, dodging 18 wheelers to stay alive….. but the pay-back once you get to the Promised Land is well worth the effort.

If I could sum up this trip, I'd be lying if the word "rain" wasn't part of the description. It was off the chart precip for the entire trip. This was Witset Falls on the way in:





I've been going to this part of BC since 1976 and I have never, and I mean NEVER, seen so much precip so fast and effecting the rivers as bad and for as long a period as I saw this Fall. The BUlkley at Witset Falls was almost spilling over the rim of the canyon----a first for my pair of eyes

The mud it carried (mostly from the Telkwa, which I'm guessing is a logged wasteland in its upper reaches) succeeded in putting out the Skeena at the confluence and pretty much kept the Skeena out (unfishable) for two to three weeks.



This rain dynamic put a capital "I" in the word irony. Here we had some of the best steelhead returns in many years in the Skeena and its tributaries and no way to get at them.....lots of long faces in Smithers

When I arrived in P. Rupert it was Biblical Rain. I visited a few of my customers in Port Edwards and while camped out in a parking lot across from one of the processing plants, it was like someone trained a fire hose on my camper for 12 straight hours. The water got in to my camper and got under the mattress.....not a great way to start the trip.

I got a bit dejected because with all that rain, I had to draw the conclusion that all the rivers on Haida Gwaii would be pumping mud which is what I saw driving from Hazelton to RUpert---every river, creek and ditch I saw was the color of red dirt.

I rolled the dice and sent a text to a guy I met on the ferry last year who lives in Sandspit, asking him for guidance. He immediately responded, telling me to get my arse over to Moresby. That was an absolute string of pearls. Silly me--I learned that rain in Rupert does not necessarily mean rain on Haida Gwaii. The river I had in mind was in absolutely prime condition when I got there and absolutely full of fish









I was doing a heli trip to a remote lodge after this Haida Gwaii trip and same as last year, being a non-meat kind of guy I knew I had to bring my own fish or I'd be staring at beef for 7 days so I brought out the wood shampoo and filled my freezer with some beautiful bucks

I always wanted to try what’s called a “Clouser” fly. I ordered a few from a fly-Tyer in Florida (tied on heavy stainless hooks that I knew would sink like a rock) The idea was to use a heavy Clouser on a floating line with a long leader….absolutely deadly!!!!



Graham Island was a different story---the Tlell and the Yakoun were high and colored, fishable, but just barely. That was OK---I did my most favorite thing in this world---I built a rip-roarer of a fire with drift wood on the beach where the Tlell dumps into Hecate Strait. I got a coho fillet picture perfect in my stand-up grill then washed away all my troubles with a bottle of wine



On my B-day, I drove to Juskatla and fished some small creeks. They were high and roiling but I could see that one night of cold weather would bring them into shape

One of them I found did just that on my B-day. Not only that---the sun came out! It was hands down one of the most beautiful spots I've seen on Haida Gwaii. The coho were huge and hard to hang on to. Seeing the backing of my fly line on my reels became the norm......4 or 5 jumps and a screaming reel....to a steelhead fisherman that's all we need to be happy

This was my parking spot for my B-day



This was the dog playing in the fields of the Lord while I fished:




Best B-day present ever!!!!!!!!

 

[Sharphooks]

PART II—-DAMDOCHAX

Then it was time for a ferry ride back to Rupert and the long drive back to Smithers to meet the helicopter. I’d flown in to the Damdochax Wilderness area last year—- same place but I went in November. Stunningly cold but I was a very lucky guy---the owner let me bring my dog and I was the only one at the lodge---- I had 12 miles of river to myself for 8 days.

This year there were other people and I knew that it would be a major challenge for me to deal with a guide who I already knew had a very rigid approach to his job. It did not surprise me that I had my best days last week when I fished alone, although I appreciate why the guides are not thrilled about people doing their own thing---that area is crawling with wolves and grizzlies so being in groups is for safety reasons.

The value for me this year trying that lodge one more time? ---it cured me forever of wanting to go to another lodge. I lack the gene for social fishing, I'm uncomfortable with the single-malt crowd, and although the other clients were good guys, they were used to fishing in groups and enjoyed it. Me, not so much.

One of the other clients almost took the eye out of the guide while roll casting a weighted fly. It hit his eyelid and it looked like someone had punched him. I didn't say a word but I'll admit I was thinking to myself----gee what a surprise. You stand one foot away from a guy roll casting and then you're surprised you got hooked?

It's an absolutely lovely place, though. I can also say without a doubt that during the week I was there, it was the only fishable piece of steelhead water in the Nass/Skeena system. Yes, the Damdochax is lake fed which modulates big rain events but the prime reason it got high then dropped immediately back into shape---no logging, no mining, no development of ANY kind for 100 square kilometers. It was a supreme privelege to be able to fish a virgin watershed like that

This is Damdochax lake. We were in the peak of the foliage change—-stunning everywhere




These are the old buildings from the Telegraph Trail and from a hunting lodge that was in use back in the 40’s and 50’s:



This is the lodge…..very rustic, sleeping in tents…no running water, stoves for heat etc…but a wonderful setting right on several honey holes




Here’s the river in all its glory:



This is the one day I let the dog accompany me…too many wolves to leave her by herself. That’s the Kitimat Range off in the distance.



Here’s a Damdochax buck: def high 20’s—-a stunner of a fish. Not mine.




I did hook a large buck that went over the lip of a pool down a Class III chute. I’d heard about this trick but never done it before—-I plunged my entire rod in the water, tip pointing downstream. The fish instantly turned and started coming back up stream—-I was floored how quick it did that. I got him back under my rod. He launched himself 4 feet into the air, crashed back into the river and went over the lip again. I instantly immersed the rod back in the river and I’ll be blowed, the fish turned and swam back up the chute back to my feet.

This was all very lucky for me because I was using a 3 1/8” narrow drum Hardy Perfect with approx. 75 yards of backing—-if I hadn’t turned him I would have lost my fly line for sure

This is the rod I hooked the big buck on: not sure why I was tempting the fates by using such a peanut reel but it sure does have a nice scream!



It was a long drive back home for me this year. Lots of obligations waiting for me. Yes, it can be exhausting doing these trips. This Fall was my 47 th trip up to Skeena country (really) . I've seen it go through so many changes... not too long ago it was a bonafide wilderness experience—-very common to not see people on the river….now—-lots of people everywhere....jet boats everywhere...lodges stuffing clients into broom closets just to goose up the revenue

I stopped at a place called TRout Creek on the BUlkley River one afternoon. The river was pumping mud, completely unfishable but the parking lot had at least 15 cars and trucks with boat trailers shoe-horned into every available spot. 3 RV's with ALberta plates. I watched at least 20 people casting into the mud hole for an hour

In the 80's and 90’s my girlfriend and I used to fish that area and never saw a soul. Nobody. The fishing was ridiculously good and we were always surprised not to see people because the spot is just off Hwy 16. But not no more. Those changes stack up inside a guy. I can feel the heavy weight, just like older guys out on the salt chuck feel who can't get into their favorite spots without playing bumper boats and being aggressive to maintain their position when only a few years ago you could start feeling lonely in places like that there were so few people. It's all a bit sad.

Every year I have these thoughts. I make a firm decision to put my rods and reels on eBay. Then I forget about doing that and Fall rolls around the following year and what do I do? I start packing truck and camper because this year, I just know, I can feel it....it will all be different and will be just like the good old days

 

[leaseman]

Looks like a great adventure!

Keep them coming!

 

[Sharphooks]

Just because the foliage was so stunning this year and the storm systems produced such amazing contrast with dark and light, I thought I’d include some more pictures.

The lower Bulkley—-completely unfishable but sure was a glorious morning. After that picture was taken it rose another 1/3 of a meter



Confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena—-it’s rare to see the Skeena green (above the confluence) and the Bulkley brown—-once they mixed the Skeena was a goner for fishing. Meanwhile, The Copper River above Terrace pumped mud the entire time I was in that area



Stunning granite peaks overlooking the Exchamsiks River—-there’s a stand of old-growth Sitka Spruce in that spot that’s amazing to see—-400 year old trees!



Roche de Boule with fresh snow. It was extremely mild weather this Fall—-fresh snow at night, then snow melt in the rivers the next morning…part of the reason for the unfishable conditions. Check out the color of the Skeena through the trees—-chocolate milk shake



Smithers from the chopper




The Damdochax River just below the Lake. Lots of water going through there but fishable due to clarity——the precious gift of ZERO development in the Damdochax Wilderness area



View of the river from the lodge




Haida Gwaii——God gave me a sunny day , a river full of fish, and zero people for my Birthday!!

I had to use sandpaper to get the smirk off my face later that evening.