Fishing, Skeena river

Steelhead

Spring

Formerly known only to anglers living in the lower Skeena valley, spring steel heading here is now gaining an
international reputation. For anyone who has cast fly through the clear, crisp air in March, April and May,
it's not hard to appreciate why this is so.

Spring steel heading in Skeena is done when the water is low and as clear as air. The steelhead are hard; they
shine like newly minted coins; they fight well; and they are readily found with a fly. In March, when the land is
still hard and the snow shelves are stacked along the river bank like thick sheets of glass, a fast sinking line is
the order of the day. In April, when the buds are out and rivers are beginning to rise in height and temperature,
a slow sinking line is fine.

The air is full of fragrance and the land is green by May. This is the month when the last of the Spring steelhead
can be persuaded to come up for a surface fly. Spring is also a good time to find sea run cutthroat trout, dolly
varden char, and bull trout, all of which are on the prowl for emergent salmon fry, and can be fooled with a
minnow pattern fished at the end of a floating line and a long leader.

Summer and Fall

The Skeena valley is resplendent in the summer: the fishing is as brilliant as the brilliant green landscape, and

angling possibilities seem as endless. This is the time when the summer steelhead of Skeena surge up the Skeena
and her tributaries. The fish bound for the upper branches of the river -- the Kispiox, Babine and the Sustut --
are the largest of their species. The possibility of catching one of these great fish is distinct; the chance of catching
a world record is remote, but possible.

When the Skeena giants reach their home rivers they have burned a lot of energy. In the Skeena waters our giants
know so well, the same fish can be intercepted from a few to fifty miles above tide, when they are fresh and strong.
Fastening onto a fish of these proportions in the lower Skeena is combat: it's the angling thrill of a lifetime.

Fishing the main stem for Skeena Giants is fishing that demands long rods and long casts. Spin fishing there can be
spectacular. Fewer steelhead are hooked on the flyrod in the Skeena than are hooked in her tributaries, but those
hooked are well worth the effort.

Summer steelhead are arguably the best fresh water game fish in the world. With their aggressive natures and the
penchant for floating flies, the summer steelhead of Copper (Zymoetz) River are fish the kind of steelhead that have
given the species their well-deserved reputation. A floating line, a seven or eight weight rod, and reels with a robust
drag, that carry plenty of backing are a necessity for summer steel heading.

Salmon Fishing

Chinnok

Terrace has the largest Chinook (King) salmon in the world. The raw power of these fish is extraordinary. Our
Head Guide has beached fish over eighty pounds and has been beaten by King salmon larger than that. He has
also guided many other fishermen to fish of these dimensions over the course of a guiding career that has lasted
more than a quarter of a century.

We will get you tackled up, get your hook into Chinook, and coach you as you do the rest. This fishing experience
is electric and athletic -- a once in a lifetime experience.

Come and experience it!

Sockeye

There are millions of them during a year of good returns to the Skeena. Only recently opened to sports fishers,
and formerly considered to be non-biters, the small, but speedy salmon can be fooled into taking a fly or lure.

Like the pink salmon, the sockeye is fine table fare and a welcome surprise on a day when fishing for the other
species is slow. A fast sinking line is best for sockeye since these beautiful, blue-backed creatures prefer a fly
fished close to the bottom. Pinks, which range from four to eight pounds normally, are best taken on a trout
rod or light spinning gear. In the places we catch them they are still bright and firm.

Coho

For years Northern Coho -- the largest of the species, by the way -- were frustratingly difficult to catch with a fly.
This was particularly irritating since they are wonderful fish to play on a fly rod. In the last decade we have honed
our fishing technique to the point of where these finely proportioned salmon are a mainstay in our guiding.

Clients have hooked as many as thirty a day. Through this kind of fishing is not the norm, we guarantee enough Coho
in one day to please any angler. Coho are wonderful game fish in fresh water and dazzling fish in the sea. Of course,
casting spoons for Coho is a time tested technique. If you wish to angle them that way, we'll put you on the right run.

Recently we have begun seeking our salt water fly fishing opportunities in estuaries and bays. You may wish to join us
on such and adventure.
Havfiske

Saltwater Charters

A cruise inside the coastal islands is worth the price of a salt water trip with Skeena Wilderness. When you consider
that the sea on our north coast teems with seafood -- crabs, shrimp, clams, and bottom fish like halibut are some of
the delectable creatures found in abundance -- and that hungry chinook, coho, sockeye, and chum salmon swim above
them, a salt water trip with us is a real bargain.

In the approach waters to Prince Rupert, the Douglas Channel, and in Work Channel, spectacular salt water fishing
opportunities abound next to breathtaking scenery.