By Afshin Shams

Having had the bounty of living in Prince George and fishing the Prince (George) to Prince (Rupert) corridor for close to 6 years I thought I would share some of my experiences and relay some info. that has been passed onto me over the years.

I will start with the Stellako River, which is approximately 1.5 hours west of Prince George on Hwy 16. The Stellako flows from Francois Lake (great trolling for Rainbows and Char!) to Fraser Lake and can be difficult to access. The best way is to drift it with pontoon boats or rafts. There is a particularly large set of rapids on the river, but you can see it coming up and can walk around, or go over if you are experienced. One of the best pools is below these rapids, it is known as millionaires hole and it holds HUGE rainbows. If you can't drift then take the exit towards Francois lake from Hwy 16, you will cross a bridge after 20 minutes, that is the Stellako below you. Fish downstream of the bridge, or directly below the bridge for beautiful wild rainbows that will go up to 22 inches+. There are some very steep and deadly trails that lead to the river off the road to Francois lake, but they are difficult to find and most cross private property, so I won't discuss them. I have never seen another river as beautiful as the Stellako, it is just like a scene from "A river runs through it" and is one of the most productive dry fly rivers I have fished. On bright sunny July days, drift a humpy, black gnat, or anything brown and fuzzy and hang on!!! Fish it with a 5 weight and you will be in for a great time. In the fall a large sockeye run comes into the river to spawn and egg patterns are deadly at that time of year. There are many restrictions on the river so be sure to check your regs.

Our next stop is the Morice River near Houston. All flyfishermen must make a pilgrimage to Houston to see the world largest fly rod and the Morice. Although due to logging and fires the Morice is not the world class Steelhead river it was 20 years ago, it is still a spectacular river. Funny enough some of the best fishing is right by the forestry sites on the side of the road. This is about the only place I have seen dry flyfishing for steelhead out produce gear chucking. The fish are not huge (20 lbs is very large) compared to the Bulkley fish (30+ lbs) but they are bright and eager. Drifting with wool or gooey bobs etc. should produce (no bait!). It is a very easy river to fish, lots of room for back casting, and it is very rarely crowded. I have only fished the Morice in the fall (Sept - Oct) so I can't really comment on summer runs, although I have heard they are great.

From Houston we head to New Hazelton. En route be sure to stop in Moricetown and watch local band members catching salmon. They catch with large nets on 15 foot poles and also with gaffs. It is amazing to see the size of some of the fish that are yanked out of there and the balance and coordination of some of these guys to keep from falling in! There is a few spots to fish the river. There is a campsite and parking for those who use the site. The owners are a little cranky about people fishing in front of their sites, so either go upstream or down (better from my experience). This area is also one of the spots that you can usually retain Coho in season.

Just outside of New Hazelton is the Kitiwanga river. This is a great small river to fish which gets a very nice run of Coho and Steelhead in the Fall (mid-late Sept is probably the best time). Note that it is on reserve land and the fishing spot is a little tricky to get to. You take the right turn at the gas station off the highway, cross the bridge (that's the Skeena below you) if you look at about the 10 o'clock position as you drive across the bridge you will see some campsites and the Kitiwanga running into the Skeena. You cross the bridge, take your first left, and another left, very rough road going in, then you are on the Skeena and the mouth of the Kitiwanga is to your right. Most people fish right at the mouth but if you go a little farther down there is great fishing at the bend of the Skeena. The Kitiwanga itself has great pools and is very easy to wade and fish. I have found small Coho lures (reds, blues) and Vibrax (reds and blues as well) spinners to be the ticket here. Both of these rivers also have a lot of Dollies and they are great fun on a medium action rod! The Skeena is one of the few places you can retain Dollies as well. There are some campsites there for use.