The photo of the week shows Mark Girard with a 40-pound Chinook (King) Salmon boated in the Douglas Channel near Kitimat on Saturday May 26. If you can't get em in the river you can get em in the ocean! Mark was fishing with Ron Wakita who took this photo.
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Noel Gyger - Guided Fishing Adventures and Weekly Fishing Report
4012 Best Street, Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R8, Canada
Tel/Fax: (250) 635-2568
Cell: (250) 631-2678
E-mail: noel@noelgyger.ca
Home page: www.noelgyger.ca
Fishing Reports: www.noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
RECORD SALMON & STEELHEAD Spin or fly-fishing
RIVER, LAKE, STREAM or OCEAN!!!
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Home Page: www.noelgyger.ca
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated May 20 – May 27, 2007
Dear Fishing Friends:
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Salmon forecast for 2007: Chinook look very good for the Skeena and Kitimat systems; Coho are good to excellent; Pink expect a reasonably good run; Sockeye returns to the Skeena are expected to be good this year; Chum average return.
Weather has been good with warm daytime temperatures but fairly heavy rain on Friday and Saturday. Most all rivers are rising as the snow melt is coming off the mountains now. I checked the condition of the upper Kalum this morning and although very high it is still clean and fishable. Sadly, it is now closed for Chinook fishing on the upper Kalum River. It closed on May 24th. This closure has been in effect for many years and I think it is time to open it up again. Years ago the closure date was June 15th. I think it is time to return to that. Anyway, if you want to angle for Chinook on the Kalum River now you must do it on the lower end.
I have updated reports and photos from Chad Black and Ron Wakita for Northcoast and Craig Murray Central coast.
In general, the fishing is fair.
If I can be of service to find you the "best" guided fishing adventure let me know. Cast here to check out more of what I have to offer: http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for more info on my history, Quality Waters Strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles and archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction.
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT: Chinook (King) Salmon and Steelhead
Thank you for using barbless hooks.
FISHING THIS WEEK:
POOR FAIR* GOOD EXCELLENT
LARGEST FISH OF THE WEEK: Specie: 40-pound Chinook (King) Salmon Where: Douglas Channel Angler: Mark Girard
WEATHER: Cloudy. Highs to 15 degrees C. Region normal: Max. Temp. 13.8 degrees C. Min. Temp. 8.0 degrees C. Sunrise 5:12 am Sunset 9:51 pm
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Environment Canada taped messages constantly updated, giving current conditions and three day forecasts. Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
For current Terrace weather information please cast on:
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/pages/CABC0292.htm?ref=wxbtnold
WATER CONDITIONS: water has been on the rise all week.
CURRENT WATER HEIGHTS FOR:
SKEENA RIVER:
http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/fullgraph.asp?stnid=08EF001
KITIMAT RIVER:
http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/fullgraph.asp?stnid=08FF002
SKEENA RIVER: has been rising steadily and is not fishable. This is normal for this time of year. Even though the water is very high and dirty Chinook (King) Salmon are migrating through the system now.
KALUM RIVER: had an "excellent" run of Steelhead. Most Steelhead are in the spawning mode now. Chinook (King) Salmon are available in the lower section. The water is very high but is still clean, especially on the upper end.
This is a Classified River year round and can be guided from March 15 through October 15 only. The Steelhead record is 32-pounds. To see a photo of this fish cast to: http://noelgyger.ca/records/Record003.jpg The angler is Dennis Therrien.
KASIKS RIVER: It is now possible to fish for Chinook at the mouth, in the clean seam, where it joins the Skeena. Sometimes, the Chinook come out of the Skeena and into the clean water in search for scent of their home river.
EXCHAMSIKS RIVER: Same as above, it is now possible to fish for Chinook in the clean seam.
EXTEW RIVER: Same as above, it is now possible to fish for Chinook in the clean seam.
Note: the above three rivers are closed to angling for Chinook except at the very low end. Please check 2005 – 2007 BC Freshwater Salmon Supplement (fancy name for regulations) at: www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish for details.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Like other Skeena tributaries, the Chinook will start coming in now. The water is very high.
Nicholas Dean Lodge Fishing Report for the Week of May 20 to 26, 2007
For this week in the Skeena Region, it might be better to talk about the wildlife or how great the mountains are, than the fishing. There has been a lot of hype about the potential for floods, and the Skeena River is definitely well on its way to perhaps the flood of the century. The colour of the Skeena is comparable to that of Willy Wonka's river of chocolate in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and where there used to be rocks exposed earlier in the spring, they are now replaced by 4 ft standing waves. So while the Skeena will not be much of an option for fishing in the next little while, the Kitimat will likely remain fishable, or at the very least, will clean up faster than the Skeena.
That being said, however, Greg Buck, his son Josh, and Mike Bartlett did squeeze some last minute Spring Chinook fishing, and landed a number of fish up to 30 lbs. Josh is only 7 years of age, yet he regularly out fishes both his dad and Mike – seems like he's well on his way to getting into the guiding business in a few years! And Dustin and Ruby did enjoy some success last week in the saltwater arena, with flounder, rockfish, halibut, and Dungeness crabs…
Isolated wilderness rivers are still putting out some nice fresh Steelhead
So while the fishing options will be a little slimmer now in the Skeena Region, it just means that you have to look a little harder for some fishing. And with all of the great coastal rivers and lakes within a few hours of Terrace, it shouldn't be too hard!
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels,
Chad Black
Operations Manager
Note from Noel: the following is another report from Chad for last week:
Over the past week and a half, the Skeena Region has undergone a major transformation. The Spring rains that had previously dominated the local weather have now turned to warmer temperatures, and finally, more sunshine-filled days. To me at least, it seems like you can literally view the buds of the trees growing. The landscape looks more green, which is a welcome replacement for white snow banks! And this change in the landscape reflects a change in the runs of fish in the Skeena and its tributaries. The majority of Steelhead are now spawning or moving back to saltwater, and are being replaced by a few runs of chrome Spring Chinook. Still, anglers here at the lodge were successful in hooking (but not necessarily landing!) a few Steelhead and Chinook over the past few weeks.
With some remote coastal stream fishing for Steelhead in mind, Jeff Bright and his guests Tom and Martin arrived a few weeks ago and experienced some adventurous, albeit challenging, fishing. It was Jeff and Martin's second trip of the season, having fished with us earlier in the last week of March, and with all of the snow melted around the lodge, it sure must have been a different perspective compared to the freak snow storm they witnessed while here previously! Both Jeff and Martin are excellent fishermen and fly tiers, and if you ever get the chance to watch either of them tie flies, make sure to pay attention, as they are two of the most gifted tiers that I've encountered! And don't forget to ask Jeff about his ''Little Elvis'' fly - an absolute killer. Tom, who is a great guy and a great comedian in my opinion, was learning to Spey Cast and was a great sport for being patient when the fishing was slow. And I was even given the chance to fish with the three of them on a remote coastal river with incredible scenery, which I appreciated very much. Initially, the guides targeted the larger Skeena Tributaries in search of Steelhead and Chinook, and Jeff enjoyed the fight of a 15 lb buck Steelhead and the bulldog fight of a Chinook on the fly that spit the hook just at the net. And later on in the week, Martin landed a nice female Steelhead of 14 lbs, while Jeff had the opportunity to release a chrome 18 lb Spring. The adventurous anglers also had the chance to fish several other remote coastal rivers, which were highlighted by incredible old growth forests, classic riffle-pool-runs, and wild Steelhead.
And last, but definitely not least, Jim and Tom from Oregon arrived at the lodge last week for the last few days of Spring fishing. On their first day, they went out with our Saltwater guide, Ernie Webb of Ernie's Outdoors www.erniesoutdoors.com for some exciting saltwater Salmon fishing. In addition to the chrome 25 lb Chinook that Tom landed, both Jim and Tom caught several rock fish, which also provided great sport. Jim and Tom had also expressed some interest in fishing the remote coastal streams for Steelhead, so Dustin and his 130 lb dog, Ruger, led the way through the forests to the crystal clear stream, where they hooked two good sized fish that got away. Not to be outdone, the next day Jim landed a beautiful 30 lb Spring on his fly rod and Tom landed a 27 inch Bull Trout, both fine fish. And to finish his trip off Tom landed another gorgeous Chinook of 35 lbs. Congrats guys.
So while our Spring Season has come to a close here at the lodge, we are excitedly anticipating the start of the Summer Season in early July. We do still have a few available spaces in the prime time season for Trophy Chinooks.
OCEAN FISHING PRINCE RUPERT:
A summary of what is available year round can be read in the Archived Fishing Report dated April 13, 1997. For a direct link cast here: http://noelgyger.ca/archived-fishing-reports/Old%20Fishing%20Reports%201997.doc
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.
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Northern Coastal Rivers:
KITIMAT RIVER:
As Steelhead season winds down, it's time to put away the Steelhead gear and bring out the Chinook gear. Pat Oliver and Steve Oben did exactly that on Thursday May 24th and caught a 33lb. Chinook. The river is high due to the warmer weather but the water clarity remained fishable enough for Pat and Steve to hook this beauty on the lower Kitimat.
Report and photos from Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
OCEAN FISHING KITIMAT DOUGLAS CHANNEL:
A lot of boaters set sail down the Douglas Channel for the May Long weekend. Some caught halibut ,some caught crab and some caught chinook. All were rewarded with Great weather for a fishing weekend. The Father/Son fishing team of Jody and son Stryder Dennil caught three halibut 60, 35and a 25lb, two snapper and 22 crab. Stryder caught all three halibut earning him bragging rights in the Dennil household.
Congratulations Stryder and father (Jody) should consider the weekend fishing results as a "compliment to the teacher". Another group comprising of Curtis Bye and Dan, Tanya, Trey and Tristan Allen caught five halibut a 100lb , 80lb and three 30 pounders. They also caught two grey cod, a couple rock cod and forty crab including a King crab. "The fishing was great and the weather was awesome", says Curtis, "Dan and Tanya Allen went out again this weekend". Dan's comments pretty much says it all. Congratulations to you all.
Note from Noel: with the above photo somebody needs to reset to the correct date.
Most of the chinook that were reported were caught within the Kitimat Harbour limits on both the Bish Creek side as well the Clio Bay side. The catch rate is still spotty but there are a few being caught. Bonnie Girard and Dick Woodcox went out on Monday May 21th and boated a twenty and a twenty-five lb. chinook. Not to be out-done by his wife. Mark Girard and I went out on Saturday May 28th and Mark boated a 40lb. chinook.(see photo of the week) The Chinook run is progressing as usual. With each new tide, more and more Chinook will migrate into our waters. Stay Tuned!
Report and photos from Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Central Coast/North Van Island Wilderness Rivers:
DFO Salmon forecast for 2007: Coho return is expected to be normal; Chinook were at or above average, so good fishing are anticipated; Chum are always strong; Pink returns are expected to be normal, which means very plentiful; Sockeye is not expected to be high.
May 26, 2007
Fishing report from Nimmo:
This past week Nimmo Bay was entertaining folks from Chile. It is a long way for them to come, but according to them it was worth every mile.
These folks do a similar thing to what we do, down there, but at a completely different season. They are on their time off. So, what do we do, go and catch some fish.
There were Steelhead, Dolly Varden Cutthroat and Rainbow, all on the fly. And the Nimmo Bay cuisine was stellar. Our chef Heather Davis, once again, reduced the gourmandizing guests to devoted fans of hers after just one meal.
As you can see, Andres and his catch have once again been immortalized by the digital camera and have forever become a living memory in our photo gallery. This mainland beauty gave a good fight, and was released to fight again.
Nimmo Bay was just this past Friday given a very notable distinction. Forbes Traveler just awarded Nimmo Bay as being their number 1 Helicopter adventure tour in the World. The Vancouver sun is doing an article on us and our award in Saturday's Sun. The Victoria Times Colonist is following suit.
BC is the place to be ladies and gentlemen. It's all here. Perhaps we'll see you some day soon. Just let Noel know that you would like to come for a visit and I bet he can set you up.
To Fly is Human ... To Hover, Divine
Craig Murray, Owner
Nimmo Bay Resort (est.. 1980)
Note from Noel: Congratulations Craig and the staff at Nimmo Bay for a well deserved award being number 1 Helicopter adventure tour in the World.
FISHING REGULATION WEBSITES:
2005/2007 BC tidal waters and freshwater Salmon fishing information:
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007
2006/2007 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/intro.html
Effective April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007
NOTE: For In-season Regulation Changes posted on the web check the above URL's
CATCH & RELEASE FORMULA: Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by
1000. Steelhead: Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
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
Back to: http://noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
Home page: www.noelgyger.ca
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