Overnight steelie drift trip

[BlacktailStalker]

Well a buddy and I are going to drift a northern island river tomorrow in hopes of some water walking steel.
We'll bring sleeping bags and sleep under a tarp, where ever we end up at dark and carry on in the morning.
Hope to return with silver smiles and wicked pictures :cool:

[Wood butcher]

Sweeeeeet . good luck

[5 spike]

good luck, sounds like a great trip. cant wait to see pics

[308Lover]

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!

[BlacktailStalker]

Ok we're back.
We hit the road at 4 a.m and talked about how little we'd gotten out this year, hoping everything would pan out to be something to remember for a long time.
We pulled into a friend of my buddys dads at about 630 am, as he was to go with us to launch the boat, then take our truck to where we'd pull out in 2 days.
We hit the river just as it was light enough to see the 30-40 elk in a cut on the way in. No time for pics, we've got steel to hook.
A big thanks to our friend and we push off, instantly commenting how prime the water level was, as well as clarity.
It's a good 20 minute drift before we start fishing, as we only fish the prime water. We had a long ways to go and a lot of water to cover.
10 minutes in we come around a bend and find what we expected across the river...

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208001.jpg

No big deal, we buck some limbs off, throw em down, roll the boat across them for about 100 yards and 20 mins later we're back in the water, minus a couple of layers after a sweaty ordeal.

We stop at the pools we'e been anticipating fishing since the last time last year.
We hammered it hard, changed up several times and drew a blank.
Definitely discouraged, we move on.
That hole produced some fine steel over the last few years consistantly...

Approaching the next hole, we anchor and both jokingly race for first cast on the most obvious ideal seam in the current.
WHAM! Fish on for me!
Instant 100 yard run down stream and then back up 150. These fish fight like the freight trains they are, especially in this system, being wild and having the genetics they do to make it as far as they've come.
The first fish was the only one to dance for us on top and boy did she jump!
Kurt rowed to shor eso i could beach her and 20 mins later she was released.
Slimy hand shake and we row back out to our position.
A couple casts and I'm into another one !
I laugh and my reel screams and screams and screams some more.
"Sh8T she's going back to sea, take me to shore !"
I get to shore and start running, she's gone around the dog leg and my line is under a protruding log and the fish has gone, I shit you not 400 yards now and still going!
After sprinting down the rocky shore trying to reel at the same time, while trying to breath between laughter, I catch up and go through 10 mins of tug of war before getting her to the beach, which ends up being a solid buck with a gouge on his nose.
He took the single jensen deep and I bit the line to get him revived and on his way.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208020.jpg

I started to the extreme left of this picture...

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208035.jpg


We ended up hooking into 8 fish out of this one pool, landing 6.
Unreal, we were both ecstatic.
We took 3 other fish that day before setting up camp for the night.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208068.jpg


Today was slow, just one fish which I landed, also the most coloured fish of the trip.
In total we saw about 70 elk, many bulls but only one stuck around long enough for me to get a picture of through the thick stuff.

In total we hooked into 14 steelies, landing 10.
A day not soon to be forgotten !
Here's the rest of the fish and a few of my favorite shots...

[BlacktailStalker]

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208033.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208038.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208044.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208045.jpg

[BlacktailStalker]

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208049.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208050.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208053.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208058.jpg

[BlacktailStalker]

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208063.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208072.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208061.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208064.jpg

[BlacktailStalker]

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208034.jpg


http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/BlacktailStalker/SteelieovernighterMarc208076.jpg

[Marc]

no hatchery fish eh?

[BlacktailStalker]

Nope, all wild in that system :)
Way better scrappers.

[Derek_Erickson]

Awesome, looks like you had a blast!

[Johnnybear]

Insane trip you guys!!. Great photo's BTS. The drift boat your using looks like an aluminum jobby. Is it manufactured or did you get made from plan's? if so do you have a source for the plans?
Johhny

[BlacktailStalker]

Yep she's aluminum and was made by Wolf Boats here in Courtenay. I believe it was his first drift boat he had built at the time and a fiberglass one was used as a general template.

Hope to get back on that flow in a couple weeks when the bigger ones roll through ;)

[Gamebuster]

kinda seems like you may not want to let on but..what river are you guys floatin?

awesome fish by the way!

[Johnnybear]

kinda seems like you may not want to let on but..what river are you guys floatin?

awesome fish by the way!

Kinda seems probably right!!!. Would you?

[Johnnybear]

That Wolf fellow makes incredible boats. I talked to him at last year's Vancouver boat show and he knows his stuff for sure. Nice looking drift boat for sure. I love raw aluminum for it's ease of maintenance. Great pic's.

[Wood butcher]

Your boat looks like an aluminum version of a Don Hill boat. I built one out of wood. Love the design. Some very nice fish there!!!!!!!!:biggrin:.
They sure are thick thru the back there aren't they.

Good to hear you had a productive drift. Congrats.

[rishu_pepper]

Simply amazing pics! Wish I had half the luck (and skill:wink:) to land that many fish! So far it's an 0-fer steelie season... Congrats on a fun trip!

[115 or bust]

Nice work andy I'm jealous havn't been out since december. Nice to see theres finally a few fish out there. And don't worry I won't tell where that is ;-) Beautiful fish too.

[hunter1947]

It looks like you had a blast Andy ,good for you ,you needed that after what you have been through in your schooling. I see the steelies have no darkness to them ,really clean looking fish.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif. PS I hope you had a few shots of hard stuff befor hitting the hay.

[steel_ram]

Great Pic's. Reminds me of fishing the Salmon. A quiet little subtle river (most of the time) with some huge and athletic steelhead.

[Wildman]

Awesome Andy!

[Schutzen]

Nice thread, enjoyed the pics. See.. there still are some steelies left on the Island.LOL
I have been hearing its really dead on the Stamp.

[BlacktailStalker]

The stamp definitely saw better years, lets hope its just an off year.

[115 or bust]

I've been helping out the guys who do the counts and the stamp is abysmal this year. Andy's just given me hope for the spring season though.

[115 or bust]

Jeeze Andy you have totally ruined my studying. I must have looked this one over 15 times today just out of jealousy :-p. Hope your not planning on hitting her up over the easter holiday.

[Tinney]

Hooooo baby thats some nice fish and even nicer water. Those are some monsters by island standards

[c.r.hunter]

Hooooo baby thats some nice fish and even nicer water. Those are some monsters by island standards

What do you mean? They commonly go over 20 in that system.....

[MB_Boy]

Andy....great pics and as per usual a great post. I am just counting the days to getting out on the chuck on the WCVI. :mrgreen:

Glad to see people appreciate the posts over here and when you post it up on a fishing site (BCFR) it has gone south in ~5 posts!! :roll:

[BlacktailStalker]

You saw that eh MB Boy?
Yeah what a joke.
I talked to the guys who modified it and the link was removed because it was an external source (here on HBC, #1) where I posted it originally.
Too bad, you'd think guys are tired of looking at 6 lb steelies and 16" dollys over there.
The pm response I got was huge, most guys loved it and wanted the link after they erased it, as well as a couple who think that kryptonite guy is something else...

[MB_Boy]

You saw that eh MB Boy?
Yeah what a joke.
I talked to the guys who modified it and the link was removed because it was an external source (here on HBC, #1) where I posted it originally.
Too bad, you'd think guys are tired of looking at 6 lb steelies and 16" dollys over there.
The pm response I got was huge, most guys loved it and wanted the link after they erased it, as well as a couple who think that kryptonite guy is something else...

Ya.....I am Pippen over there. It is just ridiculous as you said (I think) that "everyone is a CO". ALso, from pictures that for all anyone knew had you not posted that it was on the island, could have been anywhere; they make their "charges". I have seen all sorts of your stories and enjoyed them and you would be one of the last guys I would imagine breaking the rules.

I sometimes wonder how many people just sit behind the computer and figure that it is their job to police the province. I mean you don't seem like an "idiot" ;-) and why you would post pictures of yourself fishing illegally or against the rules just leaves me scratching my head. "Hey look at me.....I was fishing illegally!! Woo-hoo.....flame away!!!" :lol: :rolleyes:The "judges" did so without even asking you a single question.

Anyhow....good on ya for posting them up and standing up to the likes of "Superboy" the "Krytonite Katastrophe"

Cheers,

Scott :cool:

[Schutzen]

No fish over here Mb_ Boy..try C.R. Or Black Ck!:)

[MB_Boy]

No fish over here Mb_ Boy..try C.R. Or Black Ck!:)

Sorry Schutzen.....I must have caught the last of them during last few summers. :wink:

Please extend my apologies to the locals and guides over there that used to enjoy the fishing for both pleasure and more importantly a living before I fell in love with the "Wild West Coast" of the island; and subsequently caught the last few springs and coho. Perhaps my forays over there will have to be for "driftwood carving and friendship bracelet arts/crafts seminars" in Tofino. :confused::wink:

[Inlet Hunter]

BlacktailStalker,
It look like a fun time, Nice Fishs How was the over night at camp Hilton a little cold this time of year??....... Great pictures;-)........My kid winding up his hockey season.so this mean out of the arena and onto the rivers on the weekends

[Johnnybear]

Hooooo baby thats some nice fish and even nicer water. Those are some monsters by island standards

Like others have said that system does put out big Steelies. And what about the North Island rivers as well like the Salmon, Adam, and Eve.......

[BlacktailStalker]

Inlet Hunter; Yeah it was a bit chilly, dipped to -2. We got snow overnight, just a skiff that was gone by 9 a.m.
Rocks were a bit hard but I've slept in worse places.