THE SKEENA RIVER
All five species of Pacific salmon and the elusive steelhead migrate up the Skeena River on their way to their native rivers to spawn. Most salmon and steelhead world records are made or broken in the Skeena River and it’s tributaries.
Beginning of March the spring run steelhead start to arrive on the way to their spawning grounds, followed by the early chinooks. By June the Skeena River is not suited to the fly fish as high elevation snow melt causes the river to become high and brown.
But when the river drops in July and August it will be perfect to fly fish. At this time the river becomes a salmon and steelhead highway with literally millions of fish making their upstream migration. All 5 species of Pacific salmon (chum, pink, coho, chinook, and sockeye) are present in great numbers. Following the salmon are large summer-run steelheads destined for the Copper, Kispiox, Babine and Sustut Rivers as well as many other famous Skeena tributaries. They are aggressive to a fly, chrome and once hooked you will know it! Jumping, cartwheeling and ripping hundreds of yards of backing from your reel.
The fishing is truly amazing. This is the time of the year to get a potential world record fish from the Skeena River. We are one of the few guides who hold guide rights to all sections on the Skeena River.
The Skeena is a truly impressive river with big fish and snow capped mountains making the fishing in a post card scenery even more dramatic. There are very few places in the world where you can fish a truly wild undammed river like it was 200 years back in time! Swinging a fly in the Skeena can be a life changing experience, because your next fish can be 5 or 50 pounds.
Refined fly fish lodging, exquisite meals and exceptional hospitality.
WHERE IS THE LODGE?
The lodge is located in the Skeena River valley, approximately 16 miles upstream of Terrace, BC.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
To get to Skeena River Lodge guests will need to arrange flights to Terrace, BC which will require initially flying to Vancouver, BC. The lodge asks that guests book a late afternoon / evening arrival. A lodge representative will pick you up at the airport and transfer you 25 minutes to the lodge. A trip to the liquor store is offered on the way.
The new Skeena River Lodge is one of the nicest facilities in the steelheading world. The main lodge overlooks a private casting pond with trout in it and is within easy walking access of the Skeena River. Guests stay in very nice single occupancy rooms and or cabins with attached baths. The lodge has a large dining room, a bar, multiple sitting areas, an outdoor hot tub, hot indoor steam bath, an indoor and an outdoor sauna, as well as exercise equipment and a game room with a pool table, ping pong, darts and foosball. Massages are available with advance notice.
Lodge amenities include:
Infrared Sauna – this sauna which functions by infrared heaters. The heaters emit infrared light which is then absorbed by the skinned and is experienced as radiant heat. There is no scientific data to back this, but patients with rheumatoid arthritis have suggested pain relief, and relaxation during these sauna sessions.
Steam Room – is one of the best ways to rid the toxins from your body and feel fresh after a hard day.
The steam room generally operates with a temperature of around 41 degrees Celsius and up, with 100% humidity added to the room once guests are inside.
Swedish Sauna – this sauna is finished with clear cedar and is a perfect way to unwind after a cold day on the river. This operates with a standard convection oven and water being poured over the oven to create steam.
Jacuzzi – this Jacuzzi has seats and jets for up to 10 people and features an onboard bluetooth speaker system and lighting sure to blow you away on a clear night sky under the stars.
CASTING PONDS
Our casting pond is a great way to further brush up on your casting abilities, or try out new lines on your rod before hitting the river. It’s over 150 feet in length and is home to our 200 Kamloops rainbow trout.
FUN & GAMES
Games Room – Our games room features a pool table, ping pong, foosball and a dart board.
Satellite T.V – Maybe you’re feeling tired and want to catch up on some rest. Relax on the couch and watch a movie, or even watch a sporting event with buddies.
DOES THE LODGE PROVIDE EQUIPMENT?
The lodge has plenty of single hand rods as well as full Spey set ups for guests to use. With that said, most guests elect to bring their own gear.
WHERE DO WE EAT, AND WHAT ARE THE MEALS LIKE?
Guests will dine in the main lodge dining room. The lodge employees at least one internationally trained chef who will oversee the preparation of a wide range of delicious and thoughtfully prepared meals. Breakfasts will be of the highest quality and have buffet and made to order options. Lunches will be served on the water and will include sandwiches and delicious hot soups.
Sample of a day in the lodge.
Whenever guests are feeling the need for a break and something to eat. Guests should plan on fishing all afternoon unless they have expressed a desire to get back a little earlier. Everyone is generally back to the lodge in time for cocktails and appetizers. Dinner is served around 7:00 – 7:30PM.
Canada at its most beautiful. Unspoiled wilderness, abundant wildlife and pristine nature combined with fishing that is unmatched worldwide. Our unique Skeena River Lodge sits right on the banks of the salmon-rich Skeena River, in Northwestern British Columbia, surrounded by snowcapped mountains.
Whether you are seeking the elusive steelhead, or one of the five species of magnificent Pacific salmon, every fish, every river displays its own character and the next one is even more beautiful than the last!
At Skeena River lodge, we are proud to be a “fly fishing only” lodge! For us, fly fishing is a way of life! We are experts with Spey and single handed fishing rods for the elusive steelhead and all five species of pacific salmon. It is all possible with Skeena River Lodge!
Fly fishing for steelhead and salmon is always a challenge. You have to work hard for that fish of a life time! Whether fly fishing for the elusive steelhead or the mighty king salmon (tyhee/chinook) some days it can be very tough and other days it all looks so easy.
The fly fisher who is pursuing the wild steelhead or salmon in British Columbia must possess many skills, the most important of which are patience, endurance and passion. Especially when Mother Nature is not cooperating, it is important to be flexible and always willing to work hard for your fish.
The scenery is breathtaking. It is as if you are fly fishing inside a painting. Moose, bears and wolves are our common companions along the river. Bald eagles soar among the snow capped mountains, watching every move we make.
Our steelhead and salmon fishery is special and unique to this part of the world. We spend long days on the river in search of mighty salmon and steelhead. Often these rivers are covered in mist and always surrounded by pristine forests. There is a magic in this pure, unpolluted air that will keep you coming back to beautiful Northern British Columbia. The Native translation of Skeena river means: River of mist.
HOW MANY FISH WILL I CATCH?
The nature of swinging flies for any anadromous fish is that there is a lot of variation in catch rates. That said, we feel that guests should go into the trip with the expectation that hooking 1 – 1.5 fish per day is a great trip.
HOW WILL I FISH?
All fishing is swinging flies while wading. Sink tips are used for most seasons and they may be very light with unweighted tube flies or quite heavy with large, heavy flies. Guests that are proficient with Spey rods will often have more success. The lodge trailers both jet boats and rafts to various put-ins.
WHAT TYPE(S) OF FISH WILL I CATCH?
Spring steelhead in March and April. Summer kings mid-June to early-August. Fall steelhead mid-August through October.
Rods
We like the 13-14-foot 7-8-9 weight rods. You will be fishing the Skeena, Kitimat River and some secret rivers if they are fishable. The Skeena River is a big river and distance will be a plus. The Kitimat River is a medium size river, easier to cast and fish.
Lines
Skagit, rage, scandi or shooting heads would be the best lines to use for this time of the year. But any line you are comfortable with casting is ok.
Sink tips
In the early summer season, we like to use light tips or even go full floating for the aggressive fish just coming out of the salt. Later in the year, the heavier tips like t6 would be used most of the time. But make sure you bring the following tips, because the Kitimat River is very different from the Skeena River or our secret rivers. Bring Intermediate, t3, t6, t8 and t11.
Leader
We strongly advise Maxima ultragreen in the 15-20lb range. We have seen many large fish breaking off other brands of leader material.
Flies
In the early season the fish are very aggressive and not picky. Black with blue flash flies like the HOBO spey are some of the best flies. Bunny leeches with some blue flash work also very well.
Pink flies will do fine as the river gets clearer. Bring some flashy flies for Cohos.
JET BOATS
Our Jet Boats are all custom made for our type of guiding. We run Outlaws, Wolfmade, Harbercraft and Alumafix boats. Some of our jet boats have teflon bottoms so we can go to fishing spots, most other boats can’t go.
RAFTS
We also use Hyside self bailing white water rafts: 13, 12 and 11 footers. This is the best and safest raft out there. It allows us to navigate around the many big boulders and teeming rapids, in search of salmon and steelhead. At Skeena River Lodge we believe only the best equipment will do when you are pursuing the fish of a lifetime.
FORD F150 CREW CAB
We drive Ford f150 crew cab trucks, to transport you in comfort from the Lodge to the rivers we fish for the day.
The Fords have a very dependable 4×4 WD system so we don’t get stuck launching the boats in tough places. If we do get stuck they are equipped with a powerful winch to get us out of every situation. But our clients really love the spacious leg room in the back where you can rest your legs, after a day’s fishing.
In the spring season we recommend 7-8 weight Spey rods in the 12.5’ to 14’ range. Summer chinook fishing is time to break out the big sticks. 9 and 10-weight Spey rods are the norm in lengths 13’ – 15’. Fall steelhead fishing is time to bring back the 7 and 8-weight rods. We recommend guests string up two rods in the fall, one with a floating line and another with a sink-tip.
We offer our customer service without any additional cost, where you can clear up questions about our different destinations, the organization during the pre-trip or any query that arises in the middle. Traveling with Pointer is always the best option.
And this is very important: By purchasing your trip through us, you are elegible to get extra gift and rewards, like a voucher open for 3 years for 50% off in your accommodations on your next Fly Fishing trip to Argentina in one of our lodges, you can choose between Trouts in Northern Patagonia or Golden Dorado in the Paraná river.
Also, you could get a voucher open for 3 years for 100% off accommodations on your next Dove Hunting in Argentina staying in one of our wonderful Lodges.