Fish the Lower Skeena for Spring Steelhead
March 31st-April 7th, 2013
It's time again to announce dates for the 2013 C.F. Burkheimer Spring Steelhead trip. 2013 sees us heading back to Spey Lodge for the third year in a row, and during the prime week of the season, the first week in April. Join us from March 31st through April 7th to swing flies for the brightest fish in the wildest rivers.
Why do we love the Spey Lodge? Simply because it’s strategically placed within a short drive to some of the world’s best winter and spring steelhead fishing. The lodge itself is in Terrace B.C., right on the banks of the majestic lower Skeena River. Within two sips of your favorite morning beverage you can be standing in the Skeena, the Copper, the Kitimat or the Kalum, all world class fisheries for steelhead and salmon. Then there are the many less talked about rivers that hold 20lb wild winter steelhead, and we fish as many rivers as we can to explore the diversity of the area fishery. We may very well blindfold you to take you into river "X" but I promise that you won’t mind a bit, especially when your rod’s bent to the cork and your reel’s about to explode as a hot chrome slab heads back to the salt.
Spey Lodge is owned and operated by Wally Faetz and his amazing staff. The food is incredible and the accommodations are truly top notch. Head chef Molly is a culinary artist, and I find myself looking forward to her cooking almost as much as the fishing. The guide staff at the Spey Lodge are some of the best in the business. This comes as no surprise when you consider the fact that Wally is one of the hardest working and most well respected guides in B.C. His willingness to explore remote river systems and spend countless hours behind the wheel of his 22ft Thunderjet is what sets this operation apart from all others. The key to successful steelhead fishing is flexibility, knowledge and versatility. Wally takes these basic elements to a whole new level.
Spey Lodge also has the ability to travel by helicopter to a remote satellite camp and access rivers where you will not see another human footprint. What you will see are steep canyon walls laden with waterfalls from the spring run-off and a healthy population of mountain goats. These remote and untouched rivers are breathtakingly beautiful. We will swing for spring steelhead that are minutes from the salt in what is arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Does it get any better than that? Molly sends her cooking along for us to prepare at camp, you will eat like a king and share a few drinks around the fire with friends while listening to the smooth gurgle of the river. It’s steelhead camp at its finest in remote Northern B.C., this is life as it should be.
The rivers of Northern B.C. are truly one of the last strongholds for wild steelhead, and the Burkheimer Spring Spey School presents a unique opportunity for students to hone their skills with the two handed rod in an environment like no other in the world. Each day you will be assigned one guide and one instructor. Your guide will put you on the fish and we will work on the skills it takes to put the fly on the target the first time. There is no replacement for good and solid technique when spey casting, it puts fish on the beach plain and simple. You will learn more in one week of this class than you will in two seasons of just chucking line out into the river. In the evenings we will discuss line design and what lines will best fit your fishing. We will also cover modifying lines to a particular rod or river. We will be tying flies to fit the conditions and will discuss steelhead fly design as it pertains to specific river applications. At the end of the week each student will receive photos and video from the week and a personalized outline describing what they will need to work on to achieve their goals as a steelheader.
This will be another great trip to the finest spring fishing in the world, and we look forward to fishing with you at the Spey Lodge. Tightlines, Brian Styskal
Dates: March 31st-April 7th, 2013.
Cost: $5000/angler (With 6% tax. Licenses are included.)
We have four spots left on this spectacular trip. Please contact Brian Styskal at blackspey (at) hotmail.com or Nate Koenigsknecht at nate (at) cfbflyrods.com for more information on this week.
You may also call the shop at 360-835-1420 and speak with Nate or Kerry.
All photos courtesy of Wally Faetz at the Spey Lodge. Thanks, Wally.