Dream Trip 2010 —British Columbia’s Dean River
I’ve tried for 15 years to get an invite to the Dean River in British Columbia, land of giant steelhead and king salmon, reportedly some of the best fighting fish on the planet. And now it’s going to happen. I leave on Thursday to Seattle, then head to Vancouver British Columbia on Friday morning where I’ll catch a flight to Bella Coola.
I’ll overnight there and then head into the Dean on Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon I’ll be throwing a spey rod on a legendary river, probably feeling like the luckiest guy alive, even if I don’t get a pull.
Really, to stand in the Dean, to have a chance to throw on a river that is difficult to access, regulated thoroughly, and to have an opportunity to catch a fish fresh from the ocean, is a treasure. This is a lifetime trip.
I go into this with reserved enthusiasm though. I have to; these are anadromous fish and the Dean River, like any Northwest steelhead stream, can go from perfect to washed out overnight. But the odds are in my favor; today I spoke to Andrew Bennett, who owns B.C. West, and he said today six anglers caught 20 steelhead. That’s sick, snap.
I’ll be there with a host of experts and I plan on posting as often as I can, including all of you on the trip. I’ll try to draw insight from the experts, which I am not, and share that knowledge with you so we all become more savvy about spey and how to better our odds for steelhead and king salmon.
I’ll post a newsletter tomorrow with reports from the Rockies. Nex tweek the newsletter will be short on Rocky Mountain info and long on steelhead dimension. So, sit back, and get ready to enjoy a ride on one of the most fabled rivers on the planet.