Quite Possibly Haig-Brown's Favourite Little Stream

On Fishing the Heber:

   When it comes to commenting on the nature of steelhead in the Heber I have always maintained; that because the water is so clear, and the summer-runs in the Heber are so wary, they can see you coming the moment you turn out of the driveway at your house. Anyone who knows what I am talking about will agree I make only a slight overstatement.

   For steelheading purposes the Heber is regulated as a "Fly Fishing Only, Steelhead Release" water. There is a short closed to angling section from the junction with the Gold River upstream to boundary signs above the lower canyon, near the village.

   By many standards, the Heber is a small, intimate stream. Most of the steelhead lay close in, many times literally right at your feet, under the foaming white water at the head of a pool or run. Short, accurate casts, and well-controlled drifts are the norm. A well-presented fly kept under careful scrutiny during its drift, deft line mending where necessary, and hook setting reflexes alert to the surface take will result in a solid hook-up.

   Find a concealed vantage point to observe the water and locate fish before making your approach. A pair of good quality polarized glasses and a wide brimmed hat will assist your through-water vision. Move cautiously and quietly, staying out of the water if possible. Dress in muted earth toned clothes with as few as possible "flash points" i.e. shiny doo-dads hanging off you, watches, exposed jewelry etc. Stay in the shadows if you can and limit your alarming false casts over fish holding areas. Be stealthy.

   Waders will be necessary for crossing the stream to get into best viewing/casting position. Wading wet is OK if it suits your constitution, but the water in the Heber remains quite cold throughout the summer, so be prepared for a chilly encounter. The bottom is composed mainly of many large boulders, which can make for strenuous wading, though; they don't tend to be overly slippery. The flow is brisk and can be deceptively strong, but not usually dangerous.

   The river courses over a steady, but not precipitous gradient. Having mountain goat genetics in your family history is not a requisite to comfortably hiking and scaling most areas of the Heber River.

   The many convenient access points to the river allow one to return to their vehicle quite handily. You may find, however, once you are down along the stream it is more of a chore to leave than it is to carry what is needed with you. A handy supply of high-energy munchies, and some fluids will help keep your blood sugar level in the optimum range for stamina and enjoyment. Too, having T.P. and other creature comforts on hand should not be overlooked.

Tackle, Technique, and Flies:

  The Heber presents a delightful conundrum for the fly fisher; do you use a light rod in keeping with the intimate size of the water, or do you use a heavier rod in keeping with the anticipated size of the fish?

   If a choice has to be made I'd opt for a fly rod in the six or seven-weight range. A rod of this weight usually has enough backbone to take the fight to the fish, and quickly play a steelhead to a lively release.

   Full floating lines will be the most useful. Whether presenting dry flies or weighted nymphs the floater is the easiest to use in these close quarters. In the deeper pools a short -- three feet or so -- piece of lead core line, or sinking leader attached to the end of your fly line may help you tickle the steelhead's chin if so desired.

   Leaders and tippets are another conundrum; heavy enough to hold a big fish, light enough to remain all but invisible? In the fast water turbulence at the heads of pools eight-pound test is OK. In the slower, smoother water of pools and some runs, four-pound test may be required. Fluorocarbon monofilament material is a boon on the clear waters of the Heber; it combines strength and invisibility.

   Summer-run steelhead are quite active takers and seem to rise to almost any fly pattern. . . sometimes. If they get spooked, or have been "pricked", or the stars are out of alignment, they may refuse all offerings. A big, bushy dry fly plopping onto the foam often elicits an immediate smashing take. But, if the fish misses it may sulk under the bubbles for a while without rising again. Or it may just come back up on the very next cast. Steelhead risen and missed in pools tend to simply go back to the bottom, and sulk in plain sight. Or, they may bolt for the bubble stream and bury their head under a boulder. They know the game you want to play and want none of it. Best thing to do then is to move on to new water and find an active player. Though, do sneak back later.

           Haig-Brown's Steelhead Bee

Hook Wilson Dry Fly, size 6 -12 Thread Brown, 6/0 Uni-Thread Tail Red Fox squirrel tail hair Body Wool, wrapped in three segments: brown, yellow, brown. Wings Red Fox squirrel tail hair, upright, slanting forward, divided. Hackle Natural brown or Cochy Bondhu saddle hackle feather, 3 or 4 turns behind wings. Head Brown tying thread

Three Great Fly Patterns for Sea-run Cutthroat Trout

The Blue Ninja:

     My good friend and oftentimes fishing companion, Dr. Hiro Imai from Tokyo, is an astute observer of the fish's world. He has a home along the banks of his beloved Oyster River where he stays while on visits to Canada. Hiro loves to fly fish for Cutt's in the river. He saw there are some big stonefly nymphs in the river, which the cutthroats seem to relish. These particular nymphs seemed to exhibit a bluish cast about their exoskeleton. In about 1986 Hiro came up with a simple and very effective rendition of those nymphs. He started with a pale blue body and wrapped it sparsely with a poor-grade hackle feather. He wanted to give the fish the bare impression of one of these stonefly nymphs. As well, he wanted an easy to tie cheap pattern that could be lost to a snag on the bottom without too much grief. The Blue Ninja is not meant to be a pretty showpiece tie. It is meant to be an effective, though somewhat ugly, fish catcher. The Blue Ninja has gained local acceptance as a must have pattern for many of the sea-run waters of Vancouver Island.

     Hiro likes to fish during the low-light hours particularly in the evening. During this dusky period sea-runs probe boldly into shallow waters searching for these nymphs. Hence, he named his creation in deference to those mythical martial arts warriors of his homeland who operate best under the cover of darkness -- the Ninja.

The Blue Ninja Hook Mustad #9672, size 8 or 10 Thread black, 6/0 Uni-Thread Tail black hackle barbules, sparse Body light blue wool or chenille Hackle black, palmered sparsely

The Golden Needle:

     Juvenile needlefish -- a.k.a. sand-launce -- share the same near-shore coastal beaches with sea-runs. At times these small 1"-1½" long baitfish are a prime food source for cutthroats. As they mature, the needlefish move into deeper water further away from the beach, they become a less available food source for the shore hugging cutt's. Exploring needlefish nurseries provides good opportunity for exploiting the sea-run's penchant for eating baby needlefish.

     One such area, situated along the North shore of Tsapee Narrows in Clayoquot Sound on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, is a good place to witness this piscatorial interaction. Tsapee Narrows separates Meare's Island from Esowista Peninsula at Tofino. The tidal current rages through the centre of the Narrows at about 7 knots. Ramparts of rock jutting from the northern shoreline create a long -- about 100 yds. long, by 40 wide -- near-shore, slow-water, back-eddy; the nursery. My years of guiding cutthroat seeking fly fishers highlighted the importance of intimately knowing such areas.

     When sea-runs key-in on the baby needlefish "hatch," they can become stubbornly single-minded in their preference for a suitable imitation. The makeup of the pattern I use when exploiting this phenomenon has evolved from the works of two great masters: the "Candelfish" by Letcher Lambuth, and the "Lord Iris" by Preston Jennings. The melding and blending of various hues of dyed hair in each of these patterns coalesce to impart a spectral, luminous impression of a tiny baitfish. For the most part, I find that impressionism stands head and shoulders above precise imitation when it comes to duping sea-run Cutthroat trout.

     Other than the proportion of dyed polar bear hairs used in the makeup of the Golden Needle, the main deviation from the traditional dressing is my reliance on a gold-plated hook, which endows the fly with a cunningly effective aura.

The Golden Needle Hook Eagle Claw 1197G, size 8 Thread black, 6/0 Uni-Thread Tail none Body none Wing dyed Polar bear hair, mixed blue, green, red, yellow, white Head black tying thread Eye painted on, black on white

The Crystal Mickey:

     Originally tied as an Eastern Brook trout fly, the Assassin -- renamed the Mickey Finn by renowned author Gregory Clark -- is a venerable fly pattern, which I had used for sea-runs for many years. It is a simple attractor fly pattern, which works most of the time. However, most of the time was not good enough. I wanted to fiddle with the pattern to improve its allure.

     With the advent of numerous fine, ribbon-like, synthetic flash materials, the door was opened for creative tinkering. The first I tried was pearlescent Flashabou®. I kept the overall theme of the Mickey Finn -- silver tinsel body, yellow and red hair-wing -- with a topping of this pearly synthetic. Although it looked great in the water, it was an absolute dud as far as sea-run cutt's were concerned. But, much to my delight, the "Pearl Mickey" as I christened this improved version turned out to be an Ace fly for Coho (silver) salmon. That, however, is another story.

     Then I turned to playing with Crystal Hair® as a topping over the basic colour scheme. That was it. The usual somberness of the original hair only fly pattern gained an aura of sparkling beauty as the synthetic lit up and highlighted the Polar bear hair beneath it. The silver tinsel body reflected the faintly glowing hair-wing in a concert of warm hues. The overall effect was exactly what I was looking for -- not the garish flash of a chrome-plated spinner, more the twinkle of distant alluring stars. It was bound to be noticed by the fish at a greater distance than was the plain original.

     The sea-runs approved of my tinkering. I find that the Crystal Mickey attracts the interest of Cutt's throughout the season and has become a bona fide first choice searching pattern for both the salt water beaches and the larger upstream pools of the sea-run's home streams.

The Crystal Mickey Hook Mustad #9672, size 8 or 10 Thread black, 6/0 Uni-Thread Tail none Body silver poly-braid Wing dyed Polar bear hair, sparse, ¼ portion red over ¾ yellow Over-wing pearlescent Crystal Hair

Provincial Steelhead Survey

     It's that time of year again. The Provincial Fisheries Branch wants to collect data from steelhead anglers regarding their steelhead fishing activities during the past year. The above forms arrived in my mailbox recently, and you may have received a copy of them too. Apparently, data collected under this scheme is a useful tool for Provincial steelhead managers.

     This annual census helps give a clearer picture of what activity takes place and how widely the angling effort is spread. The numbers reported in the various columns often provide some interesting fuel for many heated debates. Certain factions are noted for trotting out statistics such as those given above to bolster their arguments in favour of garnering more recognition for the plight of steelhead and recreational angling in general. Others use the numbers to demonstrate that the downturn in steelheading effort is a reflection of the downturn in steelhead numbers and the availability of streams on which to fish. And the debate goes on. 

     On a more curious note, however, we see the difference between the number of steelhead licenses sold and the number of folks who actually went steelheading is quite great -- ranging from about five to eight thousand; or about twenty-plus percent. Who were those people? Why didn't they get out fishing? Are these the same people each year? Does anyone make a practice of buying a license knowing they won't use it? Do steelhead care?

Wolf Lake Chart