DAY 4
We packed up
the big boat and got ready to head south
towards a smaller river. Even if I mentioned
the name here, I promise there is nothing to
find out about it on Google or YouTube. It's
a small river that is rumored to get a good
winter steelhead run this time of year. We
said goodbye to Chuck, gave him our leftover
lasagna, and headed out to explore another
new river. After arriving at the mouth of the
river, the loggers that were working the area
confirmed that steelhead have been in and
out of the river recently. We took the jet up
the mouth, but unfortunately, fallen timber
and a low, clear river didn't let us up the
river very far in a jet. We had to tie the boat
off and walk up. The pools in this river were
deep and clear, the deep parts giving off
an aqua turquoise color. We walked up the
river a few hundred yards to check it out. We
smelt fresh elk along the river, accompanied
by its tracks, which got Dad and Craig excited
as they planned to hunt the area later in
the fall. We had a few fish take some larger
streamer patterns. In our last attempt, Craig
saw a big bull trout rising in the middle of
the run. No dry flies along, Dad chucked a
Smoke N' Mirrors just above the fish and it
ate it. Probably a 27-28 inch bull trout. If we
had more time, we would plan to hike up
in to the river and spend the day, and with
the right group of dedicated anglers, I would
guess some really big bull trout live in that
river. We headed out of the river, and started
planning next year’s trip on the boat ride
back to Campbell River.
Vancouver Island Hunts ran by Eric and
Lorna will be offering this adventure fly
fishing trip starting next spring in 2017.
The trips will be led by head guide Craig
Walls. We already grabbed the first spot to
continue working with them on this brand
new and adventurous fly fishing trip. These
rivers will be in good shape for an 8-12
week window in the spring before run off. If
interested, please email me at sam.wike@
north40.com for more information.