Winter on the Yakoun River, Haida Gwaii

By Jeff Kormos

I’m a pretty lucky guy. Whether you believe we make our own luck, or whether you think that things just happen for better or worse, the fact remains: I’ve experienced my fair share of good luck, especially on the river bank. I’ve only ever caught steelhead with flies, and specifically, flies I tied myself. 

However, it appears more impressive than it actually may be. It took me a long time to get that first tug, and then longer before I got one in the net. It was longer still before I had multiple fish in one season, and then in one day. My journey to catching a steelhead actually began long ago, while watching early YouTube videos of these magnificent long and beautiful casts made by anglers with double-handed rods, from my then home in Edmonton during the early days. Perfect loops unfolding on the water, screaming reels and violent bursts of acrobatic energy breaking through the surface, while anglers squealed with glee at their predicament. I wanted to do that.