Once you clear Canadian customs in Vancouver the northwest adventure begins. The flight to Terrace is like a National Geographic show that hi-lights the Canadian coast, mountains, glaciers, and emerald green lakes. As you approach Terrace the landscape changes to large cedar trees and northwest cloud cover. As you descend through the shroud of clouds you get your first glimpses of the Skenna, the highway for some of the largest Pacific salmon and Steelhead in the world. This highway gets them to their home spawning rivers and tributaries. After you step off the plane you are greeted by Wally Faetz a transplant from the east side of Canada. He knows steelhead from the Great Lakes and the west coast brothers. Wally is the wikipedia on information about fly fishing and the area. He is full of excitement about the possibilities for the week of fishing ahead. The journey up to the Bell Irving is another chapter of the National Geographic show. Following the Skenna you get a true view of how large and important this river is to the anadromous fish. Effects of logging and habitat degradation can have a significant effect on the ecosystem.

The British Columbia River

As the trip progresses we encounter the Seven Sisters, seven magnificent snow covered peaks.

Magnificent Seven Sisters in the Background

The journey continues, traveling through a First Nation’s town and road side stands willing to purchase pine mushrooms to be sold internationally. All along the ride we encounter eagles in flight and resting in trees, moose dodging vehicles, back bears eating on the roadside, all in the background of yellow and orange fall colors. We stop at a small creek stuffed with spawning sockeye salmon. This is the location where Wally’s pet grizzly bears (mom and cub) hang out to get fat for winter. Unfortunately Wally’s friends didn’t make an appearance for us.

As we get close to our final destination we see the Nass River. The Bell is a tributary to the Nass. This river system is more remote with little fishing pressure. We turn off the main highway down a gravel road and the anticipation is growing to wet a line. At the end of the road is a primitive boat launch with a jet sled waiting for us. We prepare our rods, suit up in our waders, throw our bags in the boat and head up river. The ride reveals many fishy looking runs. We arrive at the home pool and the fishing begins. Flies can range from big buggy to a skated dry fly depending on that water temperature. A quarter down stream cast, small mend if any, swinging the fly all the way to shore is the ticket. Make sure you fish the hang down with a couple of strips; you might just find a surprise on the other end. Every cast in these runs make you feel you should get a pull. They are classic runs with a riffle flowing to a bucket and you know fish hold through out. The steelhead range from 10 to 20 lbs and coloration varies from dime bright to a spotted red striped rainbow.

When the last rays of sunlight dip behind the mountains we head up to the lodge, a hand made structure in the middle of a cedar forest 25 yards from the river. When the door opens you feel the warmth of a well stoked woodstove and the smell of a great dinner cooking away. After a quick shower we sit with a beverage and enjoy an appetizer of salmon or moose sausage and listen to the tales of the day. Dinners are fantastic with menu items of home made soups, chicken, fish, beef/moose and pasta. There is plenty to eat to sustain you on those 8 am to 5 pm fishing days.

Having a sled and rafts enable the fisherman to cover many miles of river and experience new water everyday. The river varies from glassy pools that you can fish with dries, deeper holes with uniform flow that can be fished with floating line with a weighted fly, or a type III with a tube fly which is the all around suggested fishing method. Wally and his staff are very professional and knowledgeable fly fishermen. They can provide advice on casting techniques or fly selection. The staff can read you as an individual to be interactive talking to you in slow periods, or give you space to enjoy your time on the river and enjoy nature. Evenings allow you to tie your hot fly or create a new famous pattern. The weather in early fall can vary from 32 to 60 degrees depending on how the dice have bee rolled for you. Layering enables the easy addition or subtraction of clothes which is key to your comfort while fishing. The Spey Lodge offers many fishing opportunities starting in spring for winter Steelhead. Next come the early summer kings that are good fly biters. In August start the summer run steelhead on dry flies. The fall starts with silvers then focus on Steelhead. There are a variety of rivers and scenery to appreciate in the Terrace area. I have booked my third consecutive year to enjoy the fall colors and the pull of that big Steelhead!

Author With a Bell Irving Steelhead