2016 Highlights at Spatsizi Fly Fishing
July started off with exceptional water and weather conditions. The skies were blue, the air was warm, the water was crystal clear, and the hatches were great. The dry fly fishing was remarkable and trout were eagerly rising. Of course we experienced a rainy day here and there when Mother Nature reminded us that Spatsizi does get wet! Big green drakes were coming off all season thanks to our overall wonderful weather. Other hatches included baettis, caddis flies and a great stone fly hatch mid-July. We explored some new water searching for big bull trout on the Finlay Toodoggone confluence. We saw some huge Bulls on most days taken with large streamer patterns tied by our guides Luke, Cam and Florian. The serene getaway on the Firesteel River was a big hit with plenty of hook ups, dry fly mania and some good wildlife sightings. Mice, stonefly and adams flies were the primary producers, and a number of larger fish were taken on mouse patterns. The low annual snowfall and dry July made for low water levels and challenging fishing in August. Due to our extensive fly-out program we were able to diversify and find fish at numerous destinations. Our classic canoe trip from Tuaton was a big hit and some nice bull caribou were spotted on the banks as we floated by. Of course, the hike to Fountain Falls on the Stikine River always produces great grayling fishing.
Fish Tales 2016:
Most Epic Days: We saw some incredible catches on size 14 purple parachute adams in small streams and large fat rainbows – Nina Motlow, Marjorie Swig, Jeff Sawarynski & Allen Tochihara
Biggest Bull Trout 12 lbs: Earl Sante at Toodoggone
Most improved and hearty angler: Anne Nicoll
Guides Choice Fly of the Year: Royal Para-X, Madam X & Spatsizi Special Mice
Crew Corner:
Once again our splendid crew made Spatsizi a special and unique place to visit. Our kitchen crew, Jesse, Emilie, Val and Chris produced some truly delectable meals. We had a diverse guide team including Ray, Carrie, Luke, Cam, and Florian. The workhorses, our airplanes, did a fantastic job. Tim Brown returned for his 16th year and his plane, "Gunk", performed great, both are an invaluable part of our aviation and guide crew. We were happy to have Keith Connors on our flight crew with LDA's Cessna 185. Keith has over 30 years flying experience and he and Ray go way back, sharing many stories around the campfire! Jackie keeps our administration organized and efficient, and a thank you to Catherine, our expeditor who kept the lodge well stocked and hosted our guests around Smithers. We thank all of our guests who visited us in 2016 and we look forward to seeing you again and meeting new friends in 2017.
