Tactics for Steelhead on Haida Gwaii
Spring steelhead fishing on Haida Gwaii is very different than in the winter time and you really need to adjust the way you approach the waters. By the end of April the main push of fish have come and gone in many of the streams. However there are still large chrome fish entering the system daily. The rivers are typically much lower in the spring and fluctuations in the water level can tell you where to find the fish. Although there are less fresh fish in some of the systems, there are also less places for them to hide which in turn makes catch rates higher at times than during what people might consider “peak season”
People always ask me if I only had one line to use on Haida Gwaii, what would it be?
I would choose a floating line. It’s not my cup of tea for winter necessarily–I’d really rather have a wide variety of T-11 and T-14 sections–but for only 1 line I’d recommend a good floating line like a Clouser Tip or Rio Grande for an all rounder. One with a short heavy head. You can always put a weighted fly, sinking tip or sinking leader on a floating line and get down.
The advantage to the floating line is the control when the water is dropping like in the Springtime or dead of winter when the cold weather shrinks up the flows. When fishing these small coastal streams on foot, you will inevitably walk by a small slot that can only be fished with a dead drift. It’s hard to dead drift with a 15 foot sink-tip. A floating line gives you the versatility to use heavier or lighter flies to adjust for slight changes in water depth. The rivers of Haida Gwaii are often very small and the fish are caught in less than 3 feet of water.
For someone just getting into steelheading, I always recommend a Versa-tip. We often use the Rio Versi-tip that comes with a floater, Type 3 and Type 6 and an intermediate or Type 8. The tip you use depends a lot on the fly. The problem with fishing too heavy of a tip in small water is that its the actual sink tip that catches on bottom rather than the fly. This can cause major problems in a snag infested run.
With the wide variety of streams we fish I’ll use a 6 or 8 foot piece of T-11 on the creeks and up to 12 feet on some of the bigger water. I don’t usually go much above 12 feet. Since we typically use short skagit style spey rods (6 or 7wt ) we like to use a section of Cheater between our line and the T-11 or T-14.
We have spent the last 3 years developing the best rod and line outfits for our different rivers. By utilizing single hand rods with short bellied skagit lines and spey casting we can access all our water with the fly. Water that would have never been accessible to the fly fisherman is now right in our wheelhouse.
The Skagit lines have become very popular and not just with spey rods. Spey casting single hand rods with Skagit lines is becoming very popular. After using this technique for the past 3 years with Steelhead, Coho, and trout we have seen all the benefits. The switch rod has become increasingly popular as of late. We prefer not to go this route and instead use single hand rods or spey rods depending on what river we are fishing at that time.
By changing your gear and taking a different approach to the rivers, you can expect to catch just as many fresh steelhead in April as you do in Dec.
Springtime in Haida Gwaii is my favorite time of the year to experience a wide variety of fishing opportunities. A combination of swinging flies for steelhead and stripping fry for sea run Cutthroat is right up my alley. Toss in an afternoon session trolling for chinook and halibut a few minutes from town and you will have seen the best of the islands all wrapped up in a bow for you in just one week.
Mid April is the tail end of the steelhead season however the fishing can still be exceptional, and this year it was. There are a couple rivers close to our lodge that have a spring run of steelhead and late March and April are the time of year to fish them. As always on our side of the island, we have these fisheries all to ourselves. These small streams are very dependent on water flows, and with a day or two of rain you will find fresh fish moving into the systems. Although April, and May are quite dry, there is still small storms pushing through that tend to provide just enough water to keep the rivers fresh.
April is still a good time to fish the Yakoun River. There is a spring run of fish that come into the Yakoun from Late March through April and they tend to be on average a very heavy fish. We stay away from spawning fish by focusing on faster pockets, speedy tailouts, and heads of runs. It is here we consistently find the fresh aggressive fish that have just entered the system. Water conditions can vary but there is typically less rain at this time of year. A few days of rain a week keep the rivers at a perfect level for fish to push into the systems. You can expect to find fresh fish moving into the Yakoun after rains and high tides right until the end of April.
For more info give us a call, or send us an email, in the meantime tight lines.
Derek@copperbaylodge.com / 1-877-846-9153
