2000 Prince of Wales Island Steelhead Trip
Kenji King, Thorne Bay Lodge
April 21, 2000 (landed/hooked) 0/0 Brent and I leave Portland headed north on a 3 day drive to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The drive goes up through the Fraser River canyon and that is an awe inspiring site. The river is so large and the gravel bars continue hundreds of feet up the side of the canyon. This river has flowed through here for a long time. We then get up on the plateau and head down the Skeena River valley. With snow capped mountains surrounding us on both sides it is a beautiful area. From the port town of Prince Rupert we took a ferry over to Ketchikan then and another ferry over to Hollis on Prince of Wales Island. It's a long expensive trip but Brent wanted to take his truck and camper up to the island this year. We got on the island late enough that we will have to wait until tomorrow to start fishing. |
April 22, 2000 (landed/hooked) 1/1 The rivers were low so we tried covering some water to find the fish. We did manage to land 1 Steelhead on our morning hike. After hiking back to the truck we tried another small stream but saw no fish. It rained off and on most of the day. |
April 23, 2000 (landed/hooked) 0/0 We camped on the river so right after breakfast we fished our way downstream. We saw a few fish low in the system but didn't hook any. Most of the fish were bright and very hard to spot. They are so bright that they reflect the colors and shadows of the bottom making them appear almost clear. The rain yesterday was the first rain a little while according to the people we spoke to. We tried another stream but didn't see any fish. After not hooking any fish we headed over to Klawok for a shower. We camped by the Klawok river. There was a lot of traffic on the river because it was Easter Sunday. |
April 24, 2000 (landed/hooked) 0/0 We went to Thorne Bay and talked to Jon for a while. Then we went to city to see a plot map of Brent's new property (where the lodge is located now). After spending some time in town we went over to see Jon's new cabin on the south side of the bay. He's still working on it. We drove up to the Thorne and camped. |
April 25, 2000 (landed/hooked) 0/2 We fished a lake with the canoe this morning. The weather was nice and the trout were biting. We had some trouble finding the Steelhead, but the trout were biting. Brent finally hooked a small Steelhead when we least expected it. After that we drove over to Staney and camped by the bridge. |
April 26, 2000 (landed/hooked) 7/11 45 degrees. After a great breakfast we walked down from the bridge. Brent hooked 3 Steelhead and landed 2 using spinners. Further downstream I landed one on a bobber and jig in a hole that Brent also got 2 more on spinners. After hiking back to the truck for some lunch we drove downstream a ways. From there we fished downstream and found some nice water. We finished the day hooking 5 more Steelhead on a bobber and jig. After the long hike back to the truck we tired so we just ate dinner and camped there. |
April 27, 2000 (landed/hooked) 3/4 We were woke up by someone coming down to fish. He was fly fishing and hooked at least one that we saw. Brent and I took our time and had breakfast and relaxed. Since the fly fisherman was fishing there we decided to drive to another stream. The creek we decided on was way too low and clear to hold any fish so we headed back to Staney Creek. We arrive just as three fisherman are leaving the river. They said they hadn't hooked any but who knows if they were telling the truth. We went down and hooked 4 Steelhead and landed 3. In need of shower we headed to Klawok. After getting cleaned up we went over to the Thorne River to camp for the night. |
April 28, 2000 (landed/hooked) 1/3 44 degrees. The hole we started at had a few guys fishing it so we went downstream to find some different water. Brent soon hooked 1 Steelhead on a spinner but didn't land it. We hooked 2 more Steelhead on a bobber and jig and landed 1. We decided to head north and we camped at a lake. |
April 29, 2000 (landed/hooked) 7/8 We fished a small creek for while and hooked 6 Steelhead and landed 5. Brent hooked most of them on spinners but I got a few on jigs. Thinking that the water would be rising and back to a good level we headed back to Staney Creek. With just and hour of light left we hooked and landed 2 Steelhead on jigs. It rained all night and all day so the river will be on the rise. It was the kind of day that makes other people wonder why Steelhead fishermen like the rain and the cold. I did get all wet but I also caught some beautiful fish. |
April 30, 2000 (landed/hooked) 0/0 It rained all night again so the river was up. It had raised about 14 inches and was ripping. Being a Steelhead fisherman caught up to me and I was also getting sick. Brent was nice enough to take it easy today. We drove around and explored the island. |
May 1, 2000 (landed/hooked) 1/1 Brent and I fished upstream from where we were parked. We saw a bunch of fish but only got 1 on a jig. The water was still high and they were on the move. |
May 2, 2000 (landed/hooked) 7/12 We decided to fish some new water today so we drove quite a ways to a new creek. Fishing new water is exciting because you never know what may be around the corner. You might come up on a nice hole holding 20 huge fish. We worked each spot on this small creek and found Steelhead in a few pockets. Further downstream we came up on a nice turn hole that had enough depth to hold some fish. My first pass through the hole with my bobber and jig was exciting. The water was smooth and medium speed. Brent watched from a high bank as my gear worked down the hole. My bobber started to pop and quiver and that's when Brent started yelling that there were fish swirling around my jig. It seemed like forever but it probably only took a few seconds and my bobber went down. I landed a nice bright hen. We proceeded to hook several more fish in that hole. Brent hooked one that swam right past my legs chasing his spinner. It was the kind of day that brought us to Alaska. Fishing a new stream with small water and native Steelhead. |
May 3, 2000 (landed/hooked) 2/4 After yesterday we just spent some time enjoying the last day of the trip. We fished over at Staney Creek hooked 4 Steelhead and landed 2. It has been a great trip!!!! This was a great trip. It was why we came to Alaska. We got to explore some beautiful streams. We caught a lot of fish overall, hooking 45 and landing 28. The most fun is figuring out the rivers and how they fish at different levels. Fishing in the rain, exploring new water, catching native Steelhead. I have died and gone to heaven. ~ Kenji King |