The Mykiss Guiding 2002 Season The early season...
And what a season it was... To be sure it was a season of extremes.
I started the guiding season on Sept 15 after five days of steady
rain with the rivers rising, following a very fine early season
of medium to low flows with some of the better dry fly fishing
in recent years. Oh well, as they say, "You should have been here
yesterday..." But there was more in store for us this season.
From the highest water that I have ever fished and guided in to
some of the very lowest, clearest and coldest flows; it was indeed
a season to test and reward the ardent steelhead anglers that
we all aspire to be. In the end (actually somewhere towards the
middle) it proved to be one the finest seasons of classic "wet-fly
swing" steelhead fishing that I have ever seen on any river. And the story begins ... Although the start of the season was difficult and it seemed like
it might never end, there were some very dedicated, and very understanding
clients: truly seasoned and experienced anglers, who persevered
and performed through the high and dark water. What a time... We fished the edges, we fished the soft seams, we fished it wherever
it could be fished.... We drove to the ends of the Earth looking
for water with even a margin of visibility, and a good chance
of catching a steelhead (but we did find some great rainbows...) During the difficult times this season, the old Zen proverb "Chop
wood carry water" came to mind. At times there was no glory, you
just kept your head up and continued casting. For those who did
just that, and in the early weeks got some breaks with the water
conditions, there were rewards. Such is the way of steelheading
most of the time. It was really quite tantalizing during those high, dark water
weeks. The river would keep its secrets for days, then the rain
would stop, the waters would start to clear, and the fish would
start to find the fly. There were fish in the river, lots of fish,
they just couldn't see anything for days at a time. So when the
conditions would just start to come into shape, that patient,
steady, work-like angling approach really payed off. During this time the Resthaven beat proved that it is truly one
of the high water fish holders on this river. So many soft edges
to probe. We all learned the lessons during this time of the value
of very light tips in very high water, as we were so often swinging
into soft, even shallow little edges. One of the common features of fishing the high water was having
the bush right at your back. Sometimes, but rarely, having to
brave swift currents up to your waste to "make the cast". I remember one occasion with Bob Pauli where we walked into a
spot on a particularly tough day and we literally bush-whacked
while wading in hip deep strong currents. We were fishing in the
bushes....literally. However Ray did find one below us...so you never know. Here Bob Dishman steps into it and puts it out to where the fish
are... Image courtesy of David Sakura These images are typical of what the river looked like in the
first three weeks of the season: high and murky (if not just plain
"out"). We didn't see the beach for days at a time, just high water and
bushes. ...and only a few fish. Here on a high, remote beat we look into the water and and discuss
the high-water strategy...usually, "fish it in close..." Image courtesy of David Sakura
While conditions were very unfavourable for David Sakura (pictured
at right) and Bob Dishman, it must be noted that they had the
honour of being the first guests to stay in the new guesthouse.
They were true anglers who put everything they could into the
situation and will be back to see what happens next season. David Sakura maintaining his vibes while enjoying the comforts
of the cooler when the comforts of the river were hard to come
by...note water color...and level. Image courtesy of David Sakura One of the significant features of the early season was the traveling
we did to find water and fish. When even fishing Resthaven or
some other high water beat was futile, we went looking.... Our travels took us far and wide, mainly higher up the river systems
looking to get away from whatever colour contributors there might
have been lower down on the rivers. We found steelhead...and we certainly did find some very beautiful
spots; some with great cultural history behind them as they were
part of the old village sites of the local first nations people.
In any case adventure was always close at hand... Bob Pauli shows off a handsome fresh run buck caught in one of
the little soft "spill-overs" in the high water on the Resthaven
beat. A well earned fish I can say with confidence. I love this picture, as in a way it kind of summarizes the early
season. A remote beat high up the system looking for some break
from the colour in the water. While there were not too many walking
days, we did on occasion "take a hike" in search of clearer water.
Which did pay off more than once. Not only in fish, but in new
water, new experience and just being in beautiful places...There
was definitely a sense of adventure to some of those days where
we were in places you normally wouldn't be when the fishing is
all happening down on the regular beats. It is an interesting
change from the usual routine on the river...for a day or two
that is....then that "usual routine" - of catching some fish on
the same old water - starts to look very appealing once again. And so things did finally start to change and the normal routine
of floating the river and fishing the runs got back on track.
I did not miss my early season morning routine of driving down
to the bridge to check the water conditions just so I could make
plans for the day. Luckily, in this case, all things must come to an end. And so
by the time Bob Pauli and Ray Christensen had left at the end
of September, the rivers were on their way down. It turned out
to be the real transition time of the season where the waters
(and weather) finally started to settle down and the mid-season
magic was about to begin... Todd & Kathy Stockner Mykiss Guiding Services Tel: (250) 842-6401 Site designed by Todd Stockner Except as noted, all of the text and images on this site are copyright
of Todd Stockner and all rights to them are reserved. Reproduction
or commercial use is prohibited except with express written permission
of the artist. The Dovetail/Fishtail logo belongs to Mykiss Fine
Woodworking. The "Made with Macintosh" logo is the registered
trademark of Apple Computer. © 2003 Mykiss Fine Woodworking
Ray Christensen "lets the monkey out", at the Airport run on a
turbulent late September afternoon, with lots of water to aim
at...
Ray Christensen walks among the giants in an old growth forest
in the upper reaches of the watershed. On his way no doubt, to
(or from..) certain glory...
