Steelheading and friends in Smithers BC

1) Kispa checkin' out late season steelie 2) Lisa and Will on the Kispiox 3) Hudson Bay Mountain view from Lisa's cabin 4) Dogs givin' er 5) Kispa and Will on one slippery Babine logging road

Kispiox River BC: images from 07 season

Images: 1) Todd Hooked up 2) Kispa Checkin' out the battle 3) Simon on the net 4) black 'n white of Kispa 5) nice Kis doe in the net

steelheading BC-a look back to the fall 07

images: 1) Busy on the beach, Kispa chilling out while Will makes one last cast and Larry rolls in the rope (Gary Flagel image) 2) !2 year old scotch arounf the fire at camp Roaring Grizzly 3) Kiss the cook 4) Serious portage, Kispa took care of sticks 5) Will and Kispa with Morice steelie

PHOTOS: Ila Graham...walkin' and talkin'

Here are a few shots of my little niece Ila and her mom and dad. She is growing up so quick and I can not wait to see her.

PHOTOS & WORDS: Babine River

It is late November and too dark to re-tie a new fly on. It's only 4:44. Dusk in the north comes early, sneaking in around 3 and by 5 it is too dark and cold to fish. Dropping temps also force their opinions. Well, maybe just one more cast.

At this point I'm pretty much in desperate need of warm fingers, a thick steak and a warm cabin. No problem, just 110 kilometers back to town. Sure glad the logging roads I'm sliding down are glazed in ice and traveled hard by logging trucks.

images: Babine Buck, -5 is a lot better than -15, Kispa on my pack, full moon in BC

Winter in BC

Black and white at Morning Glory run. Kis BC

Winter has kicked in here in BC, however the temps are perfect for fishing, skiing, boarding, tobogganing and other fun out side activities. But not cold enough to freeze the lakes so pond hockey is out. Shinny hockey at the Smithers Ice Arena has been a blast however. I've been lacing up the skates as much as I have been pulling on the waders. I'm looking forward to a couple more adventures before I head back south. 2nd week of December? We'll see. Cheers for now.

Smithers, b-days, new and old friends!

Last night was a fun and rowdy affair. It was costume night in Smithers and Smithers does it up big time. Town was in full swing with two dances, a Smithers Steelheads hockey game, birthday dinner and good times with old and new friends alike. It was simply a great day. Jim and Marie Ziegler cooked up one of their fantastic b-day dinners of moose steaks, prawns, potatos and home made red wine. The b-day dinner was for David, who turned 23 yesterday and his girlfriend Anna who turns 25 today. (she is such a cougar). The party shifted to David and Noelle's house, then to a dance, then to another house party, then off to the Twin Bar for more dancing and Tom-foolery. Thanks to you all for the laughs and good times. Big hugs and high fives to my late night crew of Josh, Lisa and Erin. Josh, good luck with your new buddy...call her! Lisa sorry Kispa left a gift in your ditch and jumped up with muddy paws. She loves ya and just wanted to say Hi. Thanks for the smiles and hospitality. Wish we had more photos, but here are a couple from last night. Cheers.

Simon, Todd, Kispa and monster steelies

Kispa checking out the action on the Kispiox with Todd and his son Simon. Todd found a couple nice steelies right in the deke that day. The second steelhead we landed proved to be a monster. I think it was 42 x 22. I will need to double check the numbers with Todd. Regardless it was in that 28 to 29 pound range! Fun day for sure.

BC Adventures

The roar of a boar grizzly punched hard into the ink black night. The haunting sound echoed down the river corridor...my watch said 3:12 am...sure glad I had the fabric of my ultra-light tent between us and them. To hear a grizzly bear growl is one thing, to hear them roar 50 yards away will make the hairs on the back of your neck just fall out. And that was just the first night.

Had the pleasure to set up a four day three night river trip on a trib of the Skeena River in north central BC. The trip was made up of Larry Falk, Gary Flagel, Kispa and myself. The name of the river you ask? Sorry, no can do. I'll just say the trip was full of adventure: mild white water, eagles, ravens, steelies, trout, bull trout, salmon, grizzlies, black bears, great camps, friends and the pure feeling of wilderness. Good fishing was interrupted only by the scenery and wildlife. Kispa proved to be a great bear dog in camp as well as on the river. She informed us a number of times of creatures that were working up or down the river bank, just off our camps. One night a griz growled to let us know it was there, Kispa responded and we could hear the bear charge away up river. We even heard the bear bump into one of the rafts. Just another night in the bush eh?Enjoy the images from this wicked trip.

Don Hall, Will and Jen Ross on the Rio 2007

Will and Don with a nice OxBow cutbow. photo: Jen Ross
Jen Ross on the sticks. photo: Will Blanchard
Will and Kispa look on as Don hooks up. photo: Jen Ross

Trout Shot-Will and Steve Wells on the Upper SJ

Fished the upper San Juan near Pagosa this past spring with Steve and Carol Wells of Durango Colorado. Great day on the water. Thanks for the photos Carol.

Kipiox Steelhead-the Kis is a trib of the Skeena

image: Male Kispiox Steelhead from the 06 season. This fish hammered my fly late in the day. photo credit: will blanchard (self timer)

Ila Graham turns 1 on Sep 20th and she rocks!

My little niece is turning one entire year old on September 20th! She is wicked cute and as you can see in the photo, wicked cool. Gotta love the Dropkick Murphys bib, a gift from her god father, Kevin Grady. She shure makes her mom and dad, Beth and Bill Graham proud, as well as her grandparents Ralph and Jan Blanchard and Dickey and Toppy Graham. Rock on little one.

PHOTO: Bud's Brown Trout on a Popper

image: Rio Grande brown on a big ass red/black popper. Bud Callahan had two big-time days on the Rio this past August. 200 + fish to dries, streamers and poppers. photo: will blanchard fly fishing guide

20 days and counting...BC wilderness and steelhead

image: Kispiox tuckered out at Root Pond near Dolores Colorado. photo: will blanchard

Welcome to the blog. This will be a place for friends, family and those who are interested in checking out my adventures, photography, guide service and other random goings-on.

As of right now my focus is on the rest of the guide season and gearing up for British Columbia. I'll be finishing up the main push of my 15th guide season on the 22nd of September. I'll be back to guiding in early December. The 23rd of September will be a day full of packing and snugging up loose ends for the business. As for now, the 24th will be the day we depart for Hazelton BC. My self and Kispa (my 9 month old black lab) will load up in my over-packed 04 Dodge Ram 2500 pick-up and head north for another fall adventure in the wilds of north-central BC.

Check list will include: 12 fly rods, 6 reels, fly lines, flies, fly tying supplies, passport, dog papers, shot gun, ammo, shot gun papers, camp gear, blankets, gloves, hats, Simms waders, clothing, cooler, grub, extra fuel, chainsaw, GPS, cameras, tripods, computer, dry boxes and dry bags, raft, frame, repair, pumps, bike, down jacket, guide jacket, fleece, fleece and more fleece, socks, boots, two-four (the way Canadians say 24 pack of beer) of Ska brew for my buddy Todd Stockner...you get the point.
Stay tuned for more...

Cheers,

Will Blanchard