A day on the river with Luke from England.

A week a go I fished the Squamish, with Luke from England. We went to fish the 24, mile area and we had an awseome day. We caught a few nice dollies, on the fly. Luke had never fished with a fly rod before, and I had to show him how to cast.It was fun showing someone, something that they had never expierenced before. It was fun for me because I was the guy showing him where to cast, and it was great to see him catch a few all on his own. I really enjoyed having the opportunity, to take Luke out on the river. We had fun, it was a great day, and he was happy to have caught fish. After the day was done we went to the Howe sound Brew Pub, for some food, and a cold beer. A great time was had by all.

Another Three Days On The River.

Yes I spent the weekend looking for a chum that wanted to bite my fly. I thought that I had a couple of light takes. I floated the lower Squamish, and didn't see that many fish rolling, except for the ones that I scared as I drifted over the shallow riffles, that they were moving through. I met this dude from England when I was out on sunday. We talked for awhile and we are planning on doing some fishing sometime. I met John, on Monday, and we hung out for awhile, and talked about a plan to take John out fishing. I said to him that it would be great for me to be the guide. It will be fun.......

A Summary Of The 2008 Bulkley River Adventure Friday October 17th.

It was a fantastic trip, with lots of fish action. The numbers of fish were there. The people that we met were great, the weather for the most part was good. During the first week, there were lots of people out on the river. There was alot of boats going up and down the river as well. As the end of the first week, came closer the amount of fishing pressure lightened up. As the second week, started there was hardly anyone out in the spots that we fished. The river stayed in great shape, and didn't colour up at all. The fly choices were lots of dark patterns, such as black, and combinations of black and blue together, with a little bit of flash on them. Black and chartreuse, together, black and orange, purple with orange, all of these flies were of the intruder style, tied on small size waddington shanks. Sink tips in the type 6, and type 3, were the most effective ways to get the fly down to most of the willing takers. The amount of fish in the two weeks that we were here, between two of us totaled up to somewhere around 80, steelhead hooked. That is alot of steelhead in one river. I never thought that we could find so many fish in my wildest dreams. The Bulkley River, is truly an awesome river, when the fish are in and the numbers are there. This will always be a river I will fish every year. The quality of fish, and the size of fish, Are absolutely incredible. They fight hard and jump the odd time, and run into your backing from time to time. These steelhead are some of the strongest, I have ever had the pleasure of having at the end of my line. Well that summs up the Bulkley River, trip up here in SMITHERS, BC,.........

A Cold Wet Day On The Bulkley River. Fishing With The German Dudes!!!!!.

On Wednesday, we made plans to go fish with two German, guys that we met on tuesday, while Andy and I were out fishing. We all met in downtown Smithers, because Andy, and I were going into one of the tackle shops. I had to go and buy some replacement tips, for my spey line, and then it was off to the river, for another days fishing. We met up with Wolfgang, and Jurgen, and then decided where to go. We fished up above, Telkwa for awhile, and then in the afternoon we, decided to go to Ebenezer, to see if we might find a few steelhead, moving through. We a stayed there until about dark, and then headed back to the motel, to put our gear away and then it was off to the Alpenhorn, with Wolfgang, and Jurgen, for a huge meal. It was a fun day, I had a great time showing Jurgen, some casting tips. The next day was Thursday, it was colder all day, and it even decided to snow a little bit. Unfortunatly for me the water temperature, was very cold so I had trouble getting those fiesty, Bulkley River, steelhead to bite. We are going out with Jurgen, and Wolfgang, for dinner tonight at the Mexican, Restaurant. It should be fun, just like last night. I might even fish on Friday, Im not sure yet. It has been a fun trip, we have seen lots of the same people from last year. And we have hooked into many steelhead!!!!!!!!.

BIG STEELHEAD,GOING CRAZY!!!!!!!!.

On saturday we had a great day. Between Andy, and myself we hooked into 12, fish and landed a few. We were fishing around the Ebeneezer, area. When we went to Ebeneezer, in the afternoon I had three on and almost landed one.It was a superb day. Sunday was a great day as well, I had the biggest steelhead, that ran so far down river, that it was into my backing before I new it. I had to run after it to regain my line. It was I would figure an easy 18, pounder. An awesome battle, a powerful fish, And a lot of fun on the fly. That was the highlight of the trip so far.We also met two germans that were fishing in the same spot. I was giving one of them a lesson, and some advice on spey casting, and helping him set up his line with a sink tip. It was fun for me to share some of my knowledge, and showing someone how to cast the line to get the best drift, and action on the fly, to get a steelhead to strike.We have a week to go, I have documented the last two days....

DAY SEVEN IN STEELHEAD PARADISE

Today was a good day. We had 4 fish on and Andy, landed one and I landed another. For me it was alot better than yesterday, I didnt have a hit all day. I got my fish up above Telkwa, and Andy got his just a little bit below. Both were nice strong fighting steelhead.We went to the Alpenhorn Pub, for another great meal.It seems that wherever we go, it seems we are getting to know alot of the locals.Today we talked to an older guy from the Island that bought a place right on the river, he had fished the river for years.It was a great day, because we landed two nice steelhead.

Day 4 The Steelhead Search Continues

We found a few more steelhead, that wanted to come out and play. We fished the usual spots. And enjoyed being out on the river, as usual. After fishing we went for dinner, and as we were sitting there having a nice cold beer, Andy, and I were talking about how great it was to be back up on the Bulkley, fishing again. It was almost like it was to good to be true, that we were up north casting our lines

Day three MAINLINING CHROME ON THE BULKLEY

Today was another great day on the river. I hooked my third steelhead of the trip, in just as many days. I think that these fish are camera shy, because they throw the fly. Anyway thats the way fishing goes. I saw jonathon at the smithers bridge this afternoon, and we talked for awhile. And then Andy and I went to fish at Telkwa. I can tell that there are a few more steelhead in the system, this year. It is alot better than last year. The fly colours of choice were black and purple, marabou mixed, and purple with a bit of flash. Im still trying to land one, hopefully it will happen soon. The last spot of the day that Andy and I fished I was into a casting rhythm that i've never had before. I worked a long wide run sending perfect casts out into the river, and letting them swing through. I was most impressed with the 15 ft, gloomis 10/11 weight spey rod, the power it had to send the line out was amazing. It was a great day and fun was had by all. Good bye for now . Stefan, AKA Mr. Spey and Andy, AKA Mr. simms.

Bulkley River Adventure Day 2

Today we fished above Telkwa. There was some nice water up there but we didnt find any fish. We hooked fish just above the Telkwa bridge. We then continued to fish below the bridge. Lots of nice looking water but we didnt find the elusive steelhead that we were looking for. The day itself was great. We saw lots of fisherman out there and there were lots of fish that were caught. When we arrived back at the vehicle at Telkwa I saw Frank and one of the other Whistler guides. We had a few words and headed back to our motel in Smithers. We hung up our gear and headed for the Alpenhorn Pub for dinner. WHAT A DAY!!!!!!.

Bulkley River Flyfishing Adventure 2008

Andy and I once again find ourselves on the banks of the Bulkley River. Our first day on the river we hooked into a bunch of fish. It was agreat start to our trip. Its sunday night and we are back at the motel and andy is tying up a fly that we named the bukley bugger. It caught a few fish. We fished above Telkwa and down below. The river is in great shape. And there are fish around. We saw a few other fish caught. We talked to other fisherman that hooked fish as well. It was good news all the way around. The weather has been good since we arrived. Not to cold not to hot. Im happy to be up here in the north country its the best place ever.

Look Out The Salmon Are Coming.

Soon the rivers will be filled with salmon. The Squamish River, comes to mind and is one of my favourite rivers. The chum Salmon, and the Coho Salmon, will be entering the river at this time. I always look forward to this time of year. The fall is a great time of year. The changing colours of the leaves, look great down by the river. I like the early fall mornings, the mist on the river, and hearing the splashes of those monster chums. So come one, come all and swing those flies, through the currents of the mighty Squamish. Maybe you'll hook into a big one. Tight lines, and have fun.

My Big Wall Adventure In Yosemite California.

Two years ago I had an amazing opportunity to go to yosemite national park. The adventure started in squamish, where i met up with John. He arrived at my place and we packed the van and headed to vancouver, to pick up Brett at the airport. Upon finding Brett, we loaded his stuff into the van, and we hit the road. The drive down was fun cruising, and listening to great toons along the way. We each took turns driving every so often. We made a few stops along the way, for food. When we finally arrived in Yosemite, it was an amazing sight. Seeing EL Cap as we rounded a corner, it was the highest wall that I have ever seen in my life. We parked the van, on the side of the road by the meadow. We jumped out of the van, and looked up at EL Cap, from the ground. we enjoyed hanging out for awhile, and deciding what route we should climb. We decided to do Tangerine Trip. After all that was decided we headed to Camp 4, to get our gear together. Camp 4 is the classic campground in the valley, where all the hardcore climbers hung out in the 60's. For the next four days, after that we were on the biggest piece of stone I had ever been on. We climbed higher, and higher, and it seemed as if it would never end. It was so steep, and overhanging, that I was so far out there that I couldn't reach out and touch the wall. The whole time I was up there, the view was getting better, and better. It was great to be up there, hanging out on the portaledges in the evening a half mile above the valley floor. John and Brett, were fun to be up there with. Brett and I got along well organizing stuff before I jugged the line, and Brett cleaned the pitch. John climbed fast and made short work, of every pitch. John had every angle covered for this trip. When we topped out it was exciting to be up there 2000 feet above the ground. I was the last one to come up and over the top. I stood there suspended above the ground, feeling on top of the world. We hung out on top for awhile in need of lots of water and something to eat. We took the summit shots, and did the handshakes and the congratulations, to oneanother. After that we hiked down to the classic camp spot, where Jim Bridwell, Billy Westbay, and John Long camped out. It was a tough hike down, the east ledges decent trail. We arrived at the van and had a beer and took some more pictures, we celebrated the climb, once again. All of us piled into the van and headed to curry village for lots of food, and more beer. On our last night we went to to The Awhanee Hotel, to have another huge meal in one of the nicer places . This was without a doubt the best trip i've ever done, and the most incredible expierence of my climbing life. The next morning it was back to vancouver, and the airport so that Brett, could get his flight back to saskatoon. Then John and I headed back up to good old Squamish. WHAT A TRIP IT WAS!!!!!!!.

climbing adventures in squamish bc

i have been climbing in squamish for a long time. the first time i came to climb i was with dave jones. we drove up in his van and we went to the smoke bluffs. he showed me how to place gear at burgers and fries. it was alot of fun. we did a couple of fun routes on the apron. the two classics are banana peel and the ultra classic diedre. these two are the easiest. both are seven pitches of more or less run out climbing. we also did a few climbs at murrin park. there were some slab climbs at the malamute. the comic rocks is an interesting climbing area. we did a route called garfield. i think that was the only climb that we did. the climbing is awesome. before i moved to squamish i met this dude ron springer he was working in the park royal mall. i was working there also. we talked about climbing and we decided to go to the edge climbing center in north van. we went there alot and we were both climbing with some sort of style. we went up to squamish alot and did some climbs at the smoke bluffs. we climbed at murrin park. we did banana peel and diedre. we also made an attempt on mercy me a two pitch run out climb on the grand wall. we only did the first pitch. since i have been living in this area i have met and climbed with so many great people. i have had the opportunity to meet some of the best climbers in squamish. luc mailloux, eric hammel, conny amelunxen, adam diamond, matt maddaloni, and john furneaux,. i also met sean easton. i had the good fotune to climb with john. we climbed wrist twister, and cannabis wall, to great wall climbs. i started to get interested in aid soloing and talked to alot of these guys about different techniques. i used the grigri belay device. one day i went up to the sherrifs wall and i decided to try and solo the first pitch of cowboys and indians. i arrived at the base and geared up. i made my way up on some shifty pins, and cams,. as i got to the point were i had to start traversing accross the wall i was a bit unnerved because i was on some other shifty pieces of gear. most of the pitch was a very thin crack. i finally made it to the belay chains and fixed my lead rope and my rappel rope. i rapped down, and jugged the line cleaning all my gear. that was a great day on the wall. in the year 2000, i met robert steiner from germany he was living and going to school at ubc. he was staying at a frat house. he would hitch-hike up to squamish, and he would solo all sorts of wall climbs. he would fix ropes and show up at my house and we would go out the next morning and have a big wall adveture. robert and i also did cannabis wall, and we tried to do ten years after. i met matt buckle, and robert and we went up on the sherrifs badge. thy fixed a few pitches and i went up to hang out and i took some pictures, and had a great day up on the big stone. its a steep and impressive wall. if i didnt live here i would not have had these great climbing opportunities...

journey to the bulkley river

last october i went to the bulkley river. i went with andy and we met up with jonathan and paul. we stayed at the florence motel on highway 16 in smithers. it was a nice motel and it was conveniently located within walking distance from main st. and all the restaurants we went to. the alpenhorn pub was the one place we went to more than once. the main drag reminded me alot of cleveland avenue in squamish. we fished the bulkley river for the better part of the trip. fishing for those bulkley steelhead wasnt easy but we managed to find some willing takers. andy had the first one on the fly. he hooked it down below the smithers bridge. it was a big steelhead a chrome bright slab that jumped out of the water about ten or twelve times. it broke off and that was it. andy hooked afew more on drift gear. i was trying to catch them on the fly. i finally caught my first one in a nice long run below telkwa. it took one of my marabou pixie patterns. it hit hard it ran and jumped a couple of times. i landed it and released it. what a fish. i hooked a few more and i landed one more nice fish not as big as the first one but it was another great memory of the mighty bulkley river. i will be going back there in october 2008 for another steelhead adventure. i really liked casting my flies in all those wide open runs and long riffles. we also fished the copper river and the kispiox river. we stayed one night in the sportsmans lodge on the kispiox. it was a nice a frame cabin with a rustic look inside we had agreat meal in the lodge and we met some really nice people that worked there. it was well worth it and lots of fun.

a river runs through it

i recently found out that the coquihalla river opened. i decided to go out there and check it out i went out there on friday august 22 2008 i left early and arrived at the river by 9am. i fished two really nice runs that were about two to four feet deep. it was a nice day the sun was out the river was in great shape. i saw one other fisherman out there and i talked to him but he was new to the river as well. i continued my quest to find a summer steelhead that would take my fly. i tried a dry fly i tried the floating line with the wet fly i tried a sink tip with an orange general practitioner. i used some of my intruder patterns as well. i fished a few other runs all really great water that should have held fish. there was one other spot that i wanted to fish but i wasnt sure how to get to it. it was areally great piece of water for at least a thousand feet. it went through a nice run at the top and towards the mid section it was only about two or three feet deep. there was a nice corner and what appeared to be a deeper section. i really enjoyed being out there and i will definatly go fish the river again. it was agreat outing.

welcome to my blog

fishing and traveling in british columbia. i have been fishing in bc for many years and i have been to alot of scenic spots. fishing in lakes is very relaxing and enjoyable but i think that nothing compares to casting a fly with a spey rod making eighty or ninety foot casts. fishing big rivers and long runs as i work my fly down a run or long riffle anticipating that strike from the finest and most saught after gamefish in bc rivers. as everyone can tell i am much more into river fishing. i have also spent many years tying trout flies but my ultimate task is perfecting my steelhead and salmon flies. when tying flies for these monsters of the rivers you can use all sorts of different materials. i started tying steelhead and salmon flies a few years ago since then i have come up with some very effective patterns. i tie mostly big intruder patterns and those are the ones that have been working well because they move and undulate in the water. my all time favourite river is the mighty squamish river that runs into howe sound. i really like living in squamish. i have been living here for eight years. well this ends my first entry. there will be more to come later.