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After spending the last four days fishing Vancouver Islands Gold River, I am reminded of an experience of hearing Michael Fong give a seminar on Flyfishing New Zealand. He said. " if you are not catching trout here in the states, don’t think for a moment you will catch them in New Zealand". Such is experience of Gold River steelhead.
The Gold River is located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island near Campbell River. Topographically, it is a canyon stream carved through a millennia of bedrock as it cascades its way to the Pacific Ocean. I would never recommend floating this river unless you have spent a lot of time in class 3 waters, and will take the time to scout every drop. (Get a guide) The scenery is breath taking when the clouds lift high enough to see it. It rains in feet not inches. The rimrock canyons have zero water retention and the river can raise or lower 3 feet in a day.
Eagles, Mountain Lions and Black bear are all well established in this wild country.
It is difficult to draw a comparison of the fishing experience to that which you could relate. Imagine fishing the Sol Duc under high spring flows with crystal clear waters. The steelhead are very light sensitive and prefer holding lies that are 6 to 10 feet, and fast. This is not a soft edges fish!
Hal and I fished 400-grain sinktip lines and barely got down to the fish. These small steelhead ( 6 to 9 pounds) laid in pools where the substrate (rocks) varied from the size of beach balls to buses. I lost one head and broke two others.
The water temperature never rose above 41 degrees and the fly had to be dead drifted in front of their faces. No, you don’t see the fish.
The Gold River is not really a flyfishing river. In the lower ten miles floating every day, there are three pools I would stop to fish. Two of these you can actually wade, if you are good.
Don’t get the impression we had a bad trip. Hal and I brought steelhead to the fly every day, but Hal flyfishes with me for steelhead about 30 days a year, and I guide them year round.
Our guide Mat Guiget 250 283-9144 is a really good guy. He works hard and he is good company. He is awesome with dink bobbers and gear. He will also tell you most clients who come over to flyfish end up with a gear rod in their hands, but if you want to only flyfish he will do that too.
If I were to return to the Gold, this is what I would do:
Fish with Mat:
Bring 400 grain, lead core Cortland lines in 15 and 20 foot heads attached to flat mono running lines
Fish at first and last light
Be prepared to fish from the raft (I am used to fishing from my feet)
Fish purple and black GPs and Bunny leaches: Purple and pink when light is on the water in sizes 4- 2/0, use Maxima ultra green tippet material
Stay at the Ridgeview motel 604 283-2277 in Gold River
Fish in April when water temp is in the upper forties
Dennis Dickson
http://www.flyfishsteelhead.com |
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