August 6 2008
Skeena River Report
The phone rings at 530AM and awakes me out of a deep sleep. The voice sounds familiar, how’s the fishing? The Chinook still biting?
I clear my throat to speak as another hot sunny morning begins here in paradise. Yes, the Chinooks are running and the Skeena closes the 7th of August. By 730PM the next evening and a flight cost of 1200CDN and Mr. Chacalias was at the Terrace airport ready to do battle with the Skeena Chinooks. As you can see in the pictures attached, the Greek from Edmonton Alberta, the Skeena gods gave a large Chinook to this man and what a bruiser it was. Not to mention a 20lb Steelhead Chrome as a polished bumper on a 57 Chevy.
Attached are pics of repeat clients Harry as well some group photos of our friends from Switzerland and Spain, including the Rancher from Chauvin, with guide Mike, Gittin er Done. Also, Calgary’s Robbie Parmar with a Kitimat Chinook.
Some bad news to report is the result of a canoe trip on the Kitimat River with a lady, man and two children getting flipped by the swirling water of the Kitimat and losing the canoe in a logjam. Our guided driftboat was minutes behind this terrible accident that resulted in the lady getting caught under the jam.
When I saw this real life scenario and the look on the faces of the children it made me sick to my stomach, for a couple of reasons. One reason is that each year people come visit the Kitimat region with the idea they can drift the Kitimat without a problem on their own and each year someone drowns or gets lucky and never does it again. We guides from Kitimat talk about how each year the river changes direction and water levels change on a regular basis making for some heart pumping experiences, believe me I have scared myself at least twice this season. What can we do to stop this problem? Many local anglers use tin lake boats to drift the river, the most dangerous vessel you can use and have done it for years. I do warn you do it yourselfers that these people have lost a wife, mother and a friend, something that we can only hope does not happen again on the Kitimat, I think not.
With the summer run Steelhead about to start our clients from around the globe will be experiencing a trip of a lifetime as we have now acquired classified rods on the Skeena 2 section giving us another 60 miles of river to target Steelhead and Salmon. Not to mention a Park Permit for micro-streams feeding the Douglas Channel out of Kitimat. Tight lines and keep safe this summer.
Tracey John Hittel
Kitimat BC Canada
250 632-9880 hm.
250 639-4277 cell.