Bulkley/Morice

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In terms of angler opportunity, the Bulkley/Morice river system is the most significant Skeena tributary. The drive from the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena rivers to the outflow at Morice Lake is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) by road, but the winding river follows a much longer route. The Yellowhead Highway and adjacent logging roads provide plenty of river access, particularly in the Smithers vicinity, but the river often meanders away from the road to provide a rural or forested landscape with a backdrop of snowcapped Hudson's Bay Mountain. At the junction of the Bulkley and Morice rivers, the highway turns northeast and follows the Bulkley River, but the steelhead turn southwest and follow the much larger Morice River. For angling purposes, the Morice is the upper Bulkley.

The Bulkley River is the most popular and accessible steelhead river in the Skeena drainage. Its wide, broad pools are perfectly suited for spey casting as guide Denise Maxwell (above) demonstrates near Smithers.

Local anglers find early returning steelhead bound for the Morice in the Bulkley system in August, but visiting anglers can't count on good fishing for summer-run steelhead until after Labor Day. By October, the river is full of steelhead. A 1999 tagging survey estimated the steelhead population that year at 27,000 fish between Moricetown Falls and Morice Lake. There were no nets at the mouth of the Skeena that year, but the study implies what most anglers already suspected: The Bulkley/Morice system has more fish than any other Skeena tributary. These fish are also distributed along a larger, longer river.

The Bulkley system has a reputation for small fish because it has a greater percentage of one-salt steelhead than other Skeena tributaries. In some years up to half the fish caught on the Morice are 4- to 5-pounders, while on other Skeena tributaries, this size is uncommon. There are also many two-salt, 8- to 12-pound fish and a smaller percentage of larger fish. There are trophy steelhead in the Bulkley system, but its most loved attributes are the broad, soft runs and surface-oriented steelhead. You can fish skating surface flies on this river through the most of the season and, if you have clear water, usually do as well as a companion fishing a heavy sinking-tip system. Providing that temperatures drop gradually, a floating line is still effective after water temperatures reach the low 40s in mid to late October.

If you plan to fish the Morice, stay at Pleasant Valley Motel (888-311-7766) in Houston or camp at ByMac or Aspen campgrounds along the Morice River Forest Service Road. Smithers is the epicenter of Bulkley angling and offers a wide choice of accommodations and restaurants. My three hotel/motel recommendations are Hudson Bay Lodge (800-663-5040, $100 per night), Sorrento Inn (250-847-2601, $30 per night), or Stork Nest Inn (250-847-3831, $65 per night). Stork Nest Inn is my favorite because the owner gets up well before sunrise and cooks a free, made-to-order breakfast for fishing guests. Full-service fishing lodges include Driftwood Lodge, (250) 847-5016; Frontier Farwest Fishing Lodge, (250) 846-9153; and Bulkley River Lodge, (250) 287-3256. For guided angling on the Bulkley, call Denise Maxwell, (604) 552-2181; Robert Hull, (250) 847-1847; or Gordon Wadley, (250) 847-5933. Ray Makwiechuk guides on the Morice (250-845-2982).

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