Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORTS for Smithers, Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert
January 31 to February 7, 2010
Number 161
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: Weather has been good all week with continued warmer than normal daytime temperatures. The river heights have been dropping steadily and the water is in good shape for fishing. Lots of folks are heading out for some winter Cutthroat Trout, Dolly Varden Char and Steelhead fishing with both fly and conventional gear. The upper end of the Zymoetz (Copper) River is closed to angling (as of December 31, 2009) to protect the “wintering over” wild Steelhead. To be clear just the upper reaches of the river are closed but one still may angle on the very low end, just make sure you fish below the boundary at the first canyon. The water has been open, free of flowing ice all week. I heard Steelhead fishing is good, especially on the fly rods. Trout and Dolly Varden Char are also being caught. The Kalum River is open to angling all winter. The Kitimat River is in good shape and is open all winter for fishing. Cutthroat Trout are the usual target but a few Steelhead have been hooked also. Covering lots of water with pontoon boats is the ticket. Check out the Ron Wakita report below. Winter Chinook fishing in the Kitimat Harbour and Douglas Channel is good right now but is weather dependent. Winter Chinook fishing in Prince Rupert is great when the weather is good. It has been windy most of the week. Check out the Jeff Carlson report below. Lake ice fishing is slowing down due to the warmer weather we've had and a fear of thin ice. Smithers reports slower than normal ice fishing also. Check out the Cory Koenig report below. Jason Munday in Terrace reports fishing is really starting to pick up due to the warmer weather, check out his report below. The fishing guides are preparing to start their season on March 15 on the Kalum River. Guiding is allowed on the Kalum River from March 15 to October 15.
With the participation of some of the Best Dealers (Tackle Shops) in the Northwest I have distributed DVD players and Video clips featuring the Best Fishing in the Northwest highlighting several of the Best Guides and Charters in the Northwest using a variety of the Best Fishing Products on the Market today. The dealers that have the DVD players are: Home Hardware in Kitimat, J&E Tackle and Hunting Shop in Prince Rupert, Oscars Source for Sports in Smithers and Fish Tales Tackle Shop in Terrace. Please visit these shops to watch the shows.
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.
*** Don’t miss the opportunity to be guided for Steelhead on the Kalum River the last two weeks in March 2010. Season opener begins March 15th. Please contact me for details. Limited spots available!
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 http://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.
FISHING THIS WEEK: GOOD
WEATHER: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of rain showers or wet flurries. High plus 2. Sunrise 8:12 AM Sunset 5:25 PM. Today’s yearly average temperatures: Maximum 2 degrees. Minimum - 4 degrees.
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
SKEENA RIVER: The Skeena River is frozen over in places. More anglers are getting out to fish the open water. An early run of spring Steelhead should be coming in now.
Skeena River height: http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/fullgraph.asp
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO): Tyee Test Fishery for the Skeena River.
KALUM RIVER: Since the weather has warmed up more anglers are heading out to try their luck fishing for Trout and Steelhead. Anglers are reminded of a bait ban January 1 to March 15. Fishing has been reported as slow. I heard one has to work hard to find and catch a Steelhead. Trout fishing has been OK...but has really slowed down...as a result of the bait ban.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Steelhead fishing is reported as good. The upper section is closed as of December 31 but the lower section below the first canyon will stay open for the winter Steelheaders to enjoy.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters, Kitimat BC
Cast on link below to view New! flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/images/Instore_ ... t_2009.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: The Ground Hog apparently saw his shadow but the Ground Hog theory definetly did not apply to the weather we received this week in Kitimat. We received Spring weather for most of the week and many anglers took advantage of the weather and did some Trout fishing on the Kitimat River.
Jan 31 Pat Dufrene caught another 9 Trout and a small Steelhead on the Upper Kitimat River. Wow! Congratulations Pat.
Feb 1 Justin Lowes, Mike Campbell and Travis James caught 7 Trout on the upper Kitimat River. They were float fishing a Gibbs Float with a 3" Berkley Power Bait pink worm with a piece of Bubba's Bait dew worm. This rig is referred to by locals as the "Worm Combo".
Feb 2 Ariel Kupper, Justin Lowes, Trent Vines and Jeremy Torres drifted the upper Kitimat River with their South Fork Pontoon Boats. They only landed 2 Trout and lost a couple more. Ariel said "It was a beautiful day to drift in their pontoon boats, in fact we nicknamed ourselves Team Southfork". There were lots of fishermen out fishing. "Almost every hole had people in them", commented Ariel.
Feb 4 Kyree Dos Santos released a small wild Steelhead on the bottom of the Hatchery Island.
Feb 5 Jesse Houston landed 3 Dolly Varden on the Kitimat River. Well done Jesse!
Summary The weather has been exceptional for this time of year and the fishing conditions have also been very good. If the nice weather continues more anglers will continue to get out fishing especially with reports of some Steelhead being caught. The Steelhead that have been caught are small, there have been more caught than usual. I hope this is an indication of the main Steelhead run in April.
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: The awesome weather we received also provided excellent conditions for fishing in the Douglas Channel. There were a few boats out fishing especially now that Halibut is open. The Kitimat Harbour is producing the odd Winter Chinook but the fishing has been spotty. I was out Saturday with my good friend Dale Barge and we hooked one Winter Chinook with a couple of other strikes but we did not land any. There were two Halibut reported by MK Bay Marina. A big one was reported to be hooked at Emsley Cove. The angler could not land the Halibut because his kids were to young to help him boat it. The other Halibut caught was 80lbs was at Coste Rocks. I am in the process of getting pictures and confirming these results. Stay Tuned!
Jan 31 Wes Owens trolled the Kitimat Harbour Sunday and landed a small Winter Chinook. Wes only caught the one Chinook but he shared his catch with his nephew Vince Sealy and his family. In Vince's own words, "You can always count on Wes Owens ( or "Uncle Wes" as he is known as in our household ) to bring home the first fresh fish feed of the year. We all certainly enjoyed this Winter Chinook Wes landed on January 31, 2010." Bon Appetite
Summary The Herring should be coming in the harbour throughout February and more Winter Chinook will follow the Herring in. There is no specific time to when the Herring arrive, they just come whenever they show up. More boaters will also start to venture out as the weather improves and with Halibut now open.
Thank you to everyone for providing photos and info for this Fishing Report.
Good Health! Good Fishing!
Sincerely
Ron Wakita
PS: We are booking for the 2010 Fishing Season. Please contact Noel noel@noelgyger.ca
Fishing Report from: J & E Tackle Shop, Prince Rupert BC
I hoped to make it out Halibut fishing with a group of friends on Saturday Feb. 6th, but woke up to the winds howling out my bedroom window. The weather off of Triple Island was blowing 27nts and Lucy Island was 23nts, but the Prince Rupert Harbour was only 7nts. So I decided to change from Halibut fishing to a day of Prawning and Crabbing in the harbour. While we waited for the traps to soak for a few hours we decided to try our luck trolling for salmon through Tucks Narrows. Although we saw lots of signs i.e. Bait fish, birds and seals we weren’t able to get a single strike. The weather was great and the company even better, a day on the water can’t get any better. When it was time to pull the trap we weren’t disappointed. I invited everyone over to my place where we cooked up our feed of shrimp and crab. The perfect way to end a day of fishing.
To book your charter for Winter Chinook onboard the Trish-Anne please contact Jeff Carlson of BC STYLE Fishing Charters http://www.bcstylefishingcharters.com
Prince Rupert Weather: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cabc0236
Prince Rupert Tide Charts:
http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/cgi-bin/ti ... tnnum=9354
http://www.bcstylefishingcharters.com
Thanks. Jeff Carlson – owner
Fishing Report from: Fish Tales Tackle Shop, Terrace BC
Hello Noel! Well things are looking up! This week I have acquired a picture of a beautiful Steelhead caught by Willie McCleary on the lower Skeena. It was caught late afternoon on Feb 2nd. I am getting reports from folks that the steelhead fishing is picking up! The weather we are having is just awesome. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is February and not April. No snow and sunny days. Gotta love it!! The folks in Kincolith are still doing well for winter Chinook off the government docks. Fishtales would like to take the opportunity to send out a special thanks to all its customers for their patronage and support !!
Cheers!
Jason Munday - manager
Everyone is invited to check out our New! instore flyer http://www.noelgyger.ca/ads/fish-tales- ... -flyer.pdf Out of town orders are always welcome. Come in for a coffee anytime.
Fishing Report from: Cory Koenig of Webflyz, Smithers BC
Cory Koenig is taking custom fly orders for any species now at http://www.webflyz.com
Highest Quality, Durable, and Competitively Priced Flies for any Species!
Hello Noel, Weather is making for sketchy ice fishing in the Bulkley Valley and area. Emphasis is again on the safety of the angler... on the ice, and on the back roads to get to those lakes! There is major melting and this is keeping most people away from ice-fishing... there is some great opportunities to ice-fish for large char in the Smithers/Houston area though, eating most any baitfish imitations you may have!
... Need CHAR catching flies? Then look at webflyz.com or give me a call 1-250-877-2021 or, ...if you are in need of lures or anything else for ice-fishing, contact Steve Hidber at Oscar's Source for Sports.
Anticipation is definitely on spring fishing in the Terrace area for steelhead. Many new anglers/customers are asking about this years steelhead fishing in our beautiful province!
Do you need to top up your fly box?!?! Sick of tying flies yourself? Check out Webflyz B.C.! Any flies can be custom made for your specific fishing situation.
Contact Cory at WEBFLYZ B.C. http://www.webflyz.com for ice-fishing flies and more.
Check newly added fly photos at http://www.webflyz.com or... if you are planning a trip to hotter destinations like Belize, Mexico, Bahamas, or even the Cayman Islands check out WEBFLYZ B.C.'s website for select boxed flies that are working for many anglers right now!!! Bonefish and stripers are sought after at the moment! From Steelhead to Stripers, Salmon to Sailfish, this fishing year has already begun in some of the warmer states!
Check your 2009-2011 Freshwater fishing Regulations synopsis for all details concerning B.C. Lakes and upcoming spring/summer steelhead fishing in Region 6.
Good luck everyone. Yours sincerely, Cory Koenig
PRODUCT PROFILE Lyman Lures http://www.lymanlures.com
Canada’s Finest Line of Handmade Wooden Plugs
Wood is better. Lyman wooden plugs are designed to imitate the erratic action of injured fish. The buoyancy of the wood and the weight distribution of the lure create a darting action that has not been achieved in other lures.
Lyman Lures are productive in both Fresh and Saltwater.
Testimonial: “For years I have been pulling Lyman Plugs behind my boat. Whether it's on my home waters of Kootenay Lake, or on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, they always seem to produce fish for me.
We run the 4" plugs most often, because they can imitate just about any bait fish. I also have a large assortment of 5" and even some 6" models when targeting the big ones.
Our largest fish taken on a Lyman in Kootenay Lake so far is just over 23 Lbs, and the biggest Salmon we've taken off the West Coast on a Lyman is just over 40 Lbs.
So, no matter where you fish or what you're fishing for, I would highly recommend the Lyman plugs. Thanks Lyman for providing such a great product. Look forward to many years of great fishing." Kerry Reed - Reel Adventures Fishing Charters
Contact info for Lyman Lures in Kelowna BC http://www.lymanlures.com Phone 250-861-3677 Fax 250-861-3672
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: Skeena River, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: Skeena River, 27-pounds.
WIN a FREE one day DRIFT BOAT FISHING TRIP down the Kitimat River for three people by signing-up your friends, family and fishing partners for my WEEKLY FISHING REPORT. This trip is supplied by Reliable Guide and Charters and is for the 2010 season. The LUCKY WINNER will be drawn on April 30, 2010. Cast to this link to open a form showing how to enter names. Send the completed form via e-mail or postal mail. When I receive it I will reply confirming your name is entered into the draw - GOOD LUCK
To receive my WEEKLY FISHING REPORT and PHOTO via e-mail please send your name and e-mail address to: Noel Gyger noel@noelgyger.ca
GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
Yours sincerely,
Noel F. Gyger
Guided Fishing Adventures and Weekly Fishing Report
4012 Best Street, Terrace BC V8G 5R8, Canada
Tel/Fax: (250) 635-2568
Cell: (250) 631-2678
E-mail: noel@noelgyger.ca
Home Page: http://www.noelgyger.ca
Fishing Reports: http://www.noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
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