Nass River Valley, B.C.
Wild Steelhead in a Valley of Splendor
By Rich Culver

It was barely October, but autumn comes early in the Nass River Valley in northern British Columbia. Against the emerald stands of mixed conifers – embroidered between declivitous rock-walled canyons stained with lichens - deciduous trees glowed like fire. High in the horizon on both sides of the river, untamed peaks unveiled the season’s first snow, boasting beneath pewter skies. The air felt heavy yet crisp, and along the river’s edge, golden leaves nipped by frost shimmered and danced.

It was 6:30 a.m., and I’d already fished through two pools without a tug. I was fishing a tributary of the Nass River that a friend had suggested. I remember him saying, “Give it a try, eh?” while marking an X on a map, then tearing it out of the atlas and handing it to me. Excitedly, and in haste, I grabbed the map and noted the X.

“Here?” I said, looking up. “Trust me, dude,” he nodded. Naturally, I did. So here I was.

In a race to beat the morning light, I entered the next run – a 100-yard-long, low-gradient glide of ideal fly water. At the bottom end of the glide the river’s mood shifted radically. No longer smooth and gentle, the river became a mixing zone of jumping water, washing over mounds of prodigious boulders before funneling into a series of Class IV rapids. “Perfect!” I muttered while peeling line off my growling Hardy. “They have to rest here.”

By 6:45 a.m., I was talking to myself – even coaching my fly as it drifted. “Take it, grab it,” I begged mentally, as if to dare any resting steelhead that might possibly be lurking behind any rock or distant shadow to pounce on my offering. With each drift, I waited patiently for my fly to come around completely on its swing, letting my line drift slowly in the current like a lethargic serpent until it was directly downstream of me. Then I continued to pause, leaving my Spey fly dangling in the current for a second or two longer, sometimes three, before lifting and casting again.

Sliding my feet two steps downstream – carefully and quietly, over melon-size boulders, some as slick as polished ice – I initiated my next cast, a spiral roll Spey that sent my fly back across the river, bursting from a cloud of vibrant mist. And once again I pleaded to the heavens, “Take it, come on, grab it!” but this time I echoed my feelings out loud. As quickly as my fly landed, it disappeared. I watched in vain as it faded briskly into the dark opal water of the far bank. Two-thirds into the drift, my fly line became heavy in the current – bowing my 15-foot Spey rod in a staccato cadence of erratic yet familiar throbs. Suddenly, there was a small swirl midstream, then a pronounced silver flash – immediately followed by a reckless explosion of water. Astonished, I watched, frozen in the moment, as the steelhead wasted no time exiting from the scene of the crime. Ten minutes later I carefully escorted the 16-pound chrome, hen steelhead to the shore. My cold and wet hands were still shaking as I held her tail securely, facing her bullet-shaped head into the current for release. Once more, I admired her. I couldn’t help but smile as she slipped slowly out of my hands, vanishing like a ghost quietly into the restless shadows of the river.

The Nass System

Pick up a map of British Columbia and close your eyes. Next envision an enormously large, robust steelhead, evolved for speed and survival in “big water,” stunningly bright, with scales that shine of mother-of-pearl. Now open your eyes. It’s not surprising that you most likely find your casting arm twitching, your heart unfolding, and your index finger drawn to the Skeena River drainage – and for very good reason. With such famed waters as the Kalum, Copper, Kispiox, and Babine all spilling into the Skeena, the Skeena River system is often labeled, with very little to no debate at all, as the granddaddy of all steelhead waterways – period.

I do not mean to imply that other regions of British Columbia outside of the Skeena system do not offer superb steelheading opportunities. In fact, many regions in British Columbia host magnificent steelhead runs, and any one of these may contain watersheds that, once understood and fully explored, could someday rival or complement the legendary Skeena. One particular system that immediately comes forward is the wild and spectacular Nass River Valley. If you’re the type of angler who lives to explore, or someone who prefers being the fish report instead of hearing of it, or simply a fly fisher who has a deep passion and drive for adventure, I encourage you to trace a course northward from Terrace through Kitsumkalum Lake and drop over to the next major river valley, the Nass. Don’t be fooled or discouraged by the smoky gray water that is born from glaciers that rest high in the heavens, cradled within distant mountain ranges. Instead, grab your fly rod, several boxes of your favorite steelhead flies, throw in a sack lunch, and seek out some water. The Nass River and its family of tributaries offer spirited, world-class steelhead fishing, mile after mile of rarely touched fly water in an adventuresome setting that is second to none.

The Nass River originates deep in remote northern British Columbia. Falling from its mountainous source south of Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park, the Nass River melodically carves its way to the coast, maturing in size and character before emptying into the salt water at Nass Bay along the Portland Inlet north of Prince Rupert. Influenced by glaciers and the silt that they generate, the Nass River flows like liquid smoke throughout most of its course. Because of this, the Nass River “proper” does not yield the best fly water. Fly fishers are well advised to concentrate their attention and angling efforts on the numerous tributaries flowing into the Nass. These tributaries run the gamut from small, short, gentle, and steep to large and intimidating. Many of the larger tributaries are essentially river systems themselves, draining their own picturesque and unique valleys, and can easily offer a lifetime of adventure filled with steelhead secrets.

When I evaluate which tributaries to target, I examine two fundamental characteristics first: water clarity and the speed of the river. I save all the other subtle features such as “reading the water” for when I am actually fishing or on the river that I have selected. Water clarity is important because I am a firm believer that steelhead need to see flies as they drift in order to grab them. How much visibility they require, however, is up for debate. In my opinion, a river with restricted or reduced visibility due to glacial silt or other drifting debris serves only to limit one’s angling success. Still, on numerous occasions I have caught steelhead – and many of them – in water conditions that were less than ideal, with visibility on some days being less than 2 feet.

Second, as much as steelhead need to see a fly in order to grab it, they also need to feel comfortable and secure while resting. Water that is too fast, or drainages that possess too much gradient, do not provide steelhead with comfortable areas where they can lie and relax. Such waters are not encouraging to steelhead, especially during the fall or winter months, when the lack of oxygenated water is not an issue. There are no reasons for steelhead to hold and rest in such water and waste energy. As a result, these two abiotic features, water clarity and water speed, are crucial elements – both for steelhead and for prospecting anglers – and play an integral role when I select drainages to fish or explore.

Because glaciers in one way or another influence watersheds in British Columbia, most drainages in the Nass River Valley (the Nass included) show some signs of glacial effect. This glacial effect may be reflected as silt, increased water levels, or both, and when pronounced have an adverse effect on fly fishing. Fortunately, glaciers are dynamic and are affected by seasonal changes in weather and temperature. During the hot summer months, glaciers slowly melt and cause severe siltation. They also add volume to watersheds as they melt, further compounding the problem. However, these negative features are quickly reversed as temperatures drop during the fall and throughout the winter, and this is the time when Nass River steelhead enter the system. In fact, many drainages that were once heavily affected by glaciers in the summer months become fishable in the fall and winter; visibility increases as siltation diminishes, and water levels drop considerably, leaving gentle lies for steelhead to hold.

Timing

Nass River steelhead begin entering the lower Nass region in late July, with their numbers gradually building through August and peaking in September. By early September, bright fish can be found throughout the Nass and most of its tributaries. As water levels drop and become fly-fishable in the fall, tributaries of the Nass from Meziadin Lake upstream all contain pods of fresh fish. This usually occurs by early October, but may be delayed by up to several weeks depending on river conditions in the lower river. Conditions such as Native subsistence netting, high water from early fall storms, or unusually warm weather can affect the arrival of steelhead upstream. In normal years, one can expect to find and catch mint-bright steelhead throughout the Nass River system by mid-October and on through November.

Access

Access into the Nass River system requires some planning. Only two access roads enter the scenic valley: the Nisga’a and Cassiar highways. The Nisga’a Highway, or Highway 231, ventures northbound from Terrace and is paved for approximately 30 miles before yielding to dirt and loose gravel for the remainder of its length. This windy highway meanders through heavy forests and mountains and provides rugged access to a few tributaries before dropping into New Aiyansh and Camp Nass near the Nass River.

The Cassiar Highway, or Highway 37, branches from Highway 16 at Kitwanga and parallels a major portion of the middle Nass River and several of its important tributaries over the next 152 miles. During this stretch, the Cassiar Highway provides fairly good access to a number of Nass River tributaries, particularly the Meziadin, the Bowser, and the Bell-Irving. Most, if not all, of the access areas along Highway 37 are not marked or not considered legitimate access points. For the most part, a few pullouts here and there or an old abandoned logging road are all that one will come across. Because of this, hiring a local guide is highly recommended; unfortunately, there are only a few. Local guides know the waters of the Nass Valley intimately and can save you hours of lost time and frustration, if not your life. Much of the water in the valley flows in large rivers that drain massive side valleys and mountain ranges. The rivers are wild and cold, and although they are seemingly tame in some areas, they flow recklessly over rapids, funnel into blind-alley waterfalls, and swirl and crash into scattered logjams, some higher than a three-story building! An adverse encounter with any of these river obstacles can be life-threatening. An experienced and knowledgeable fly-fishing guide is cheap insurance for a safe trip, and at the same time will most likely get you into plenty of chrome steelhead.

Additional access into the remote backcountry of the Nass River and its tributaries is mainly by helicopter. Although they are pricey for their flight time, helicopters provide some of the only access to many of the Nass River Valley’s most scenic and virtually unfished drainages. A trip into the Nass backcountry can easily spoil any ardent fly fisher. The watersheds are not only spectacular and breathtaking, but also arguably some of the last unblemished steelhead drainages remaining in North America.

Tackle

Nass River Valley steelhead are still steelhead, albeit larger than most. They adore swinging flies and readily hammer them during the swing, and when conditions are right they will aggressively rise to the surface to inhale a surface bug or skated dry fly. Most of the waters of the Nass River Valley are large and broad (including most tributaries), and locating eager steelhead can be a chore. Two-handed fly rods give fly fishers a tremendous advantage on these big waters as they enable fly rodders to routinely cast over long distances with very little to no effort at all while covering the water efficiently throughout the duration of the drift. For these reasons, when fishing the Nass River system, I almost exclusively fish with double-handed fly rods. I choose to fish with 15-foot, 9-weight Spey rods.

I use a custom hybrid Spey line that allows me to easily attach various interchangeable tip sections to my fly line depending on the water type or technique that I am fishing. These tips vary in length from 10 to 20 feet and in density from simple floating-tip sections to 650-grain sinking-tips for fast, deep runs in cold water. I believe that versatility is one of the key elements for success when fly fishing for steelhead, regardless of geographic locale. Unless I am specifically fishing dries or fishing greased-line methods, the tips that I most commonly use in the Nass River system are a 10-foot chunk of coated lead core or a 15-foot section of 10-weight Type IV. Fishing the Nass is much like fishing the Skagit River in Washington state. I believe it is more important to get one’s fly near the bottom so that the fly can continue to swim and swing during the drift – tumbling over rocks and boulders and suspected lies – instead of on the bottom, constantly hanging up. Nass Valley steelhead are highly aggressive grabbers and will not only follow a swinging fly and then grab it, but also take it high in the water column.

Single-handed rods work fine also; I recommend lengths of 9 to 10 feet for 9-weight lines. Because single-handed rods are not capable of covering as much water as two-handed rods, they tend to limit anglers to some extent when fishing British Columbia’s large river systems. When fishing a single-handed rod in large water, I recommend breaking the water down into sections and identifying or creating grids and quadrants or smaller seams in order to efficiently and effectively cover the stretch of water. In other words, take the large water and dissect it into a series of smaller, more manageable sections, and fish each of these sections thoroughly, independent of the main river and the other individual sections. I employ a hybrid interchangeable sinking-tip line when fishing with my single-handed rod and change tips to match the varying water conditions.

All reels for British Columbia steelhead need to be stout, strong, and tested. They should have a smooth, reliable, and adjustable drag system or, at the very least, have exposed rims for palming. Reels should be capable of holding at least 200 yards of 30-pound backing, and should balance well with the fly rod that you use. My leaders vary in lengths from 4 to 15 feet, depending on the technique that I am fishing. I use shorter leaders when fishing sinking-tips and fish long leader systems when working full floating lines for waking flies or using with greased-lined techniques. My tippets are never less than 15-pound test and must be highly abrasion-resistant and able to withstand the severe stress loads common to steelhead fishing.

Flies

The flies that I use when fishing the Nass River system are not a secret. Although I have a passion for fishing full-dressed Atlantic salmon patterns and elaborately tied Spey flies, for the most part my flies are large, wiggly patterns that move and undulate as they drift through the water. My fly boxes contain as assortment of leeches, Woolly Buggers, tube flies, a few select dry flies, prawn patterns, and a host of traditional flies in sizes 2 through 4/0. The exceptions are my dry flies that are all considerably smaller in size, ranging from size 8 through size 4. I tend to use larger flies when fishing through a run of water for the first time or when water clarity is not the best. I want steelhead to be able to see my fly, so I go large. I readily change to slightly smaller flies (dropping a size or two) when probing a run for the second time, when water clarity is good, or while fishing in thin water tailouts. In terms of fly color, I tend to fish dark patterns – Blue Moon Marabou Speys, for example – in low light conditions, and brightly colored flies when the water becomes dirty or off-colored.

The specific type of fly I choose ultimately depends on the water that I am fishing. In fast water, I believe it is not necessarily imperative for my fly to possess a lot of movement, although some movement is always good. In slower water and in deeper, softer lies, however, I almost exclusively fish those flies in my box that will give me the most movement and action while in the water, such as marabou spiders or marabou and bunny tube flies.

Travel Considerations

Fly fishers venturing into British Columbia need to understand and be fully aware that British Columbia is part of a foreign country. All visitors are required to show appropriate documentation of their respective country’s citizenship in the form of a current passport or birth certificate accompanied by a picture I.D. when passing through the U.S./Canadian customs in order to both enter and leave the country of Canada. For those traveling by air, especially those flying Canadian Regional Airlines, be well advised that most fly-fishing gear is now considered by the Canadian government to be a dangerous weapon by their standards and will not be allowed to be checked in with one’s carry-on baggage. I know all too well from personal experience that benign items such as flies, hemostats, thermometers, and nippers can and will cause an uproar – with the possibility of refusal to grant personal entry at the security booths. Be forewarned.

A trip into British Columbia can be the trip of a lifetime, and the Nass River Valley is no exception. The Nass River Valley and its steelhead are special, unique to this majestic land of rivers and mountains. This is a place of wilderness and wild rivers still flow unchallenged to the sea. It’s a place of enchantment where small, silvery smolts – which we all pray will someday return home as chrome adults – dart for safety in shallow, sweet-water riffles where their ancestors were also born. And it’s a place that sooner or later captivates the soul, a place where spirited steelhead lurk quietly in jade-colored pools eagerly awaiting drifting flies.

NASS RIVER VALLEY NOTEBOOK

Appropriate gear: 9-weight rods in lengths of 9 to 10 ft. for single-handed rods and 15 ft. for double-handed rods. Reels should be stout, with excellent, adjustable drags with 200 yds. of backing, minimum. Full variety of lines should include full floating, and sinking-tips in all densities. Leaders of 4 to 15 ft. constructed of monofilament with the best abrasion-resistant qualities.

Useful fly patterns: All standard steelhead patterns, or personal favorites in sizes 8 to 4/0. My personal favorites include the Blue Moon Marabou Spider, Left Bank Express Tube Fly, Metal Detectors, and Collin Campbell.

Necessary accessories: Waders, wading boots, warm clothing, an excellent raincoat, proof of U.S. citizenship (birth certificate and photo I.D. or current passport).

Nonresident licenses: $74.90/8 days, $101.65/annual (Canadian).

Guides/outfitters/lodges:

Terrace: River’s Edge Guide Service, (250) 635 – 1514, www.riversedgebc.com, riversedge[at]telus.net; Fish Tales Tackle Shop, (250) 635 – 5667.

Bell II Lodge (888) 655 – 5566, www.steelhead-fishing.net;fishing[at]bell2lodge.com, has lodging located directly on the river.

Maps/books/videos: British Columbia Recreational Atlas; Steelhead Fly Fishing by Trey Combs; Fly Fishing for Trophy Steelhead (video) by Lani Waller.