Bill Shearer Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 I was extremely fortunate to be invited on a Steelhead trip to Terrace B.C. by Stu from Kingpin Reels. We stayed at West Coast Fishing Adventures, and were guided by Gil and Gord McKean. Two of the hardest working individuals I have ever had the pleasure to fish with. The extent to which they would go to provide the best chances to hook up with fish was far beyond what I expected. A cold front came in overnight on our arrival, and the first day saw 4” of snow to contend with. The rivers were dropping and clearing the whole time we were there. The trails we used were mere logging tracks, and were lined with 10'-15' tall Alders, which folded under the snow load. Breaking through that for 5km, was a nightmare! We had to stop every 100m to clear the snow off the hood, so Gord could see where to drive. Gil has a CanAm which filled with the remaining snow that was left on the trees. It took an hour and a half to cover the route! The river that the trail led to was a postcard perfect Steelheaders dream! Fishing was tough because of the cold front, but we did manage a few fish. I have to say that walking these high gradient streams was tough on my old knees, but thanks to Ibuprofen and anti inflammatory drugs, I coped. The scenery and fish helped as well! We caught quite a cross section of species on the different rivers we fished. Steelhead to 18 lbs, Dolly Varden to 4lbs, Rainbows to 4lbs, Cutthroat trout to 2 lbs, Bull Trout to 6 lbs, and small whitefish. There were only a couple of Coho caught. The ultra clear water in the streams where we found them made them very wary and difficult to interest in our offerings. For those interested in what bait we used, All the streams with the exception of one, restrict the use of organics. My go-to after much experimentation was yarn, while most of the others used the pink worm. Pink was by far the best colour choice. Beads were not productive, which was very puzzling to me, to be honest. I had taken spinners and Kwikfish, but never had the need to use them. Wildlife in the bush was varied as well. Lots of moose tracks, although we never did see one. A mother grizzly and her two cubs were startled when we were navigating one of the tracks to the river. No time to get a photo, as she took her brood to safety. That was fine with us, since a mother bear is nothing to take light-heartedly. Diesel the Golden/Shepherd cross was our guardian Angel. Whenever there was bear around, he let us know with a deep growl and loud bark. We also saw Golden and Bald Eagles, as well as a beautiful Tundra Swan. Besides going for the great fishing and beautiful scenery, we really wanted to try out the new Kingpin rods. I can tell you they handled the high gradient streams, and all the fish we caught on them with ease. Of interest to many on this forum, is that Spiel was my 'go to' builder to do not only the custom builds for myself and Stu, but also provided the builds that Century Rods in England used for a template on how we wanted the factory rods built. The guides are Titanium/SIC, the cork is flor grade, and all factory rods come with a Kingpin machined brass butt cap insert and winding check. These rods are excellent for Steelhead in any Steelhead environment east to west. The 5-10lb was our first choice to use because of the size of the flows, and the fish that swim in them. I used 14lb main, and 10lb leader the whole time I was there. I never broke off a fish, although many came unbuttoned in the strong flows. The barbless hooks and the rocks took their toll for sure. The 4-8 rods were used in the smaller flows, and provided more than enough power to land any of the fish we caught on them. Here are a few of the 100s of photos we took. The nicest photos were taken by Kevin Diederen, a Dutch photographer, who was part of our group. He is a top notch carp fisherman in Holland, and uses Kingpin reels as part of his equipment for fishing the margins of the lakes and ponds in Holland. A search on Google will provide shots of many of his monster carp caught. Here's a photo of Kevin with a nice hen. Now a word about our hosts. http://westcoastfishing.ca/ Gil McKean and his partner Mandi McDougal run West Coast Fishing Adventures. They have a beautiful home which is set up with accommodations for up to six anglers, and provide transportation and all you will need to get to the rivers each day. Mandi is an excellent and imaginative cook. The 3 meals she provided each day were superb!
solopaddler Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Awesome trip Bill, wow! Kingpin made a fine choice using Spiel as their builder. I'm looking forward to trying that stick out myself.
Joey Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 WOW is all I can say. A trip of a lifetime. Those are really great pictures
TJQ Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Of interest to many on this forum, is that Spiel was my 'go to' builder to do not only the custom builds for myself and Stu, but also provided the builds that Century Rods in England used for a template on how we wanted the factory rods built. Awesome reports, and congrats Spiel!!!
Joeytier Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Incredible stuff. Those waterways blow me away.
lew Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Fantastic trip and excellent photographs to go along with it !! Thanks for posting the tale.
Roy Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Just a fantastic report, Bill. Beautiful pics of breathtaking scenery and clean, wild fish. Using Spiel's expertise and talent in rod building as a benchmark for your production rods gives me a great deal of confidence in the Kingpin product. Thanks for posting. I'm certainly looking forward to more of your adventures.
Joey Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Awesome reports, and congrats Spiel!!! Yes, I meant to say something about that, that is really fantastic Chris
Ralph Field Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 I never get tired looking at these photos.
Slop Posted October 30, 2012 Report Posted October 30, 2012 Extremely fortunate? I'd say. Very nice pictorial and post. Diesel looks wise and had his 'lions' share of the adventure too.
Twocoda Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 Thanks for the adventure..Great photos!
S.M.05 Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 The river that the trail led to was a postcard perfect Steelheaders dream! All around an awesome report.
Spiel Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 Great stuff Bill, I'm glad you and your company had a great trip and that the rods performed well. I'll have to get my ass out that way some day, looks to good to miss seeing and fishing it at least once in my lifetime.
Bill Shearer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Report Posted October 31, 2012 I'll be back! Hopefully in the spring. They do a tent camp out in the boonies for 5 days in May. Of course all the food is trucked in, and maybe even a bottle of Forty Creek! From the photos and the discussion around the table, ridiculous numbers and all the fish are aggressive to anything they perceive as food. Sounds like a hoot!
ChrisK Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 Excellent BC report. Going to have to get out there at least once or twice before I croak. Congrads to Spiel for being the benchmark of Kingpin's new float rod builds. I want one even more now than ever. How about it Spiel
Bill Shearer Posted October 31, 2012 Author Report Posted October 31, 2012 Chris is the preferred builder for Kingpin, and both blanks are available through him.
aplumma Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 While I do not use a float rod I have 5 other Spiel creations that I treasure they were made with special sized grips and matched to specific reels for my use down here in the States. I have been following the design and build on the Kingpin Rod and can appreciate the excellent mechanics that went into the design and build of this Fishing art work. I am glad you all got to test them on such a pristine waterway and some really nice fish. Art
spincast Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 wow - awesome report and this amazing. What a testament to Speil and what a trip of a life time
misfish Posted October 31, 2012 Report Posted October 31, 2012 This pic,really had me at AWE. The report was even greater. I have read this report twice and wondered,what would it cost?COULD IT BE A DREAM TRIP? Beautiful waters,back ground,and the fish are so, BEAUTIFUL. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Harrison Posted November 1, 2012 Report Posted November 1, 2012 Thanks for posting Bill. A trip I would love to do at one point in my life!
Moosebunk Posted November 1, 2012 Report Posted November 1, 2012 Fantastic account of your trip. All the pics are MINT, but the dog takes the bone man!! It's a gem! Spiel rods for President!!! Good work.
mirogak Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) Been a while since I have seen a report of this quality. Beautiful pics - just loved it. Thanks for making my Friday. Edited November 2, 2012 by letsgofishing
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