Fly fishing for Chinook or “Spring” salmon with a Spey rod is considered by many to be the ultimate anadromous fishing experience. Chinook begin entering our rivers in the Terrace/Kitimat region in late May and early June. Our Chinook salmon guiding season officially starts on the 1st of June and extends through the end of July. Our primary focus is on the Kitimat River, which is known for its consistently abundant runs of large chrome Chinook salmon returning home annually.
There is a myth among fly fishermen that fly fishing for Chinooks is too much hard work for little or no reward. We are here to tell you and show you that this misinformed belief could not be further from the truth. Modern advances in rod designs, fly lines, integrated shooting heads, sink tip tapers and fly design have turned a once arduous task into an enjoyable fishing experience, even for novice anglers. The innovative new triple-density lines are very easy to cast and get the fly down deep where the fish are, almost effortlessly. They also allow us to fish shorter sinking tips, which also aid in easy, effortless casting.
More importantly, we have some of the very best and highly skilled guides/casting instructors in BC on our staff, who will teach you all of the techniques, tips and tricks necessary for a fun, informative and highly successful angling experience. Each day our guests will enjoy a beautiful float trip, exploring many miles of majestic river, and fish a wide variety of different water types throughout the day. We have a fleet of new and modern Hyside rafts that are well-equipped for a safe and comfortable float down the river. We generally only use the rafts for transport, and all of our fishing is done by wading, casting and swinging.
For those lucky enough to connect with these river giants, it is a life-changing experience. Chinook salmon are notorious for bone-jarring grabs followed by explosive jumps and screaming hard runs that will have your heart racing as an epic battle ensues! When you hook a big one over 25 lbs (which are very common here), you will use every ounce of strength and power you have to persevere and win these incredibly intense and hard-fought battles.
What you can expect when booking this package
We recommend 13.6 to 15-foot spey rods in the 8-9-10 weight, to cast heavy sink tips with big flies. Longer rods help lifting big tips out of the water.
Reels should be large arbour with a solid drag. We have seen reels break under the pressure of big Chinook. Make sure your reels have a minimum of 300 meters of backing 50 pounds test minimum. We prefer the braided line like Fireline. But of course, you can use any other braided line.
Skagit heads full floating, intermediate or sinking will work well. We recommend bringing all of them, because the Skeena River is very different from the Kitimat or Copper River.
Bring sink tips in the t6, t8, t11, t14 and t17.
We strongly advise Maxima ultragreen 25lb test. We have seen many large fish breaking off other brands of leader material.
We like the blue with chartreuse/prom dress. It’s one of the best Chinook flies. In addition, we can recommend the Bjorns Super Prawn. Other green, pink, blue or black leeches/ flies also work well.
It can be very wet, cold and warm all in the same day. Wearing different layers is a must. Most times the jet boat ride will be cold and during the day it can get quite warm in the sun. Make sure you bring a solid rain jacket and a chest wader.
Ask us anything. We’re happy to be there for you. You can also browse our Q&A section and find answers for frequently asked questions.
