HOSTED TRAVEL for the SEA-RUN ANGLER

JEFF BRIGHT
HOSTED TRAVEL for the SEA-RUN ANGLER
JEFF BRIGHT arrived on
the West Coast in 1988 to
pursue musical aspirations
and other California dreams.
He began exploring the
steelhead rivers of Northern
California with rod, reel and
camera in the early 1990’s,
initiating a lasting love affair
with wild steelhead and the
places they inhabit. Today,
he is an avid angler committed to the celebration, pursuit
and conservation of all wild sea-run fish, wherever they
swim. In service of this passion, Jeff is a writer, photographer, travel specialist and host. His published works include the book Found in a River: Steelhead & Other
Revelations and numerous articles in premier North
American and European flyfishing magazines. His photography has appeared in galleries and periodicals, and
fine art prints of Jeff’s works are owned and displayed by
collectors of angling art throughout the Pacific Northwest. He began his hosting career with Nicholas Dean
Outdoors on the Skeena River in 2005 and since then
has developed agent and hosting relationships with several lodges and outfitters in British Columbia, as well as
Argentina, Norway, Quebec, Russia, and in the United
States. When not off in planet’s far corners combing the
currents for a new, shining thrill, Jeff resides in San Francisco with his wife Clair and reminisces about the ones
that got away.
phone 415.317.9400 | email [email protected]
The Mission
J E F F ’ S M I S S I O N with Steelhead Flyfisher is to provide and create opportunities to
experience, celebrate and preserve the world’s great anadromous fisheries. In this pursuit, his
travel portfolio is developed to offer conservation-minded anglers memorable adventure on
the world’s best waters for wild steelhead, salmon, sea trout and char.
A Sea-Run Calendar
A N G L E R S D E D I C AT E D to chasing silver 24-7-365 view the 12-month calendar
differently than most; we see it in terms of fish migration. The year begins with spring
freshet and the arrival of salmon. In the Atlantic, this means Salmo salar, the royal Atlantic
salmon. In the Pacific, it means chinook, the
king of all sea-runs. Following the tyee come
coho, chum, pink and sockeye — and, with
much anticipation, steelhead, our keystone
species. For Oncorhynchus mykiss, summer
is only the beginning of a magnificent, nearly
year-long parade. Additionally, Arctic char
offer a unique, top-of-the-world adventure in
late summer, and giant sea trout in Argentine Patagonia provide anadromous fish lovers
ample incentive to visit the austral extremes in January, February and March. This is all to
say: On any given day of the year, somewhere on the planet, there is a big, bright, sea-run
fish, charged with the ocean’s relentless energy and deep mystery, pushing into a river, ready
and willing to ambush a well-presented fly. All we need to do is get there and make the cast.
Spring - Summer Chinook Salmon
FOR RAW POWER, no freshwater species can match the chinook. Sea-liced and
fresh from the tides, a bright king salmon is the ultimate speyfisher’s challenge and prize.
“Springer” chinook are available with the end of the
steelhead run in late April and May in the lower
Skeena region, while peak run arrives on the receding
freshet in June and July.
Outfitting partners: Nicholas Dean Outdoors (BC),
Kimsquit Bay Lodge (BC)
Target rivers: Kitimat, Skeena mainstem plus
Zymoetz and Kitsumkalum, Dean
Target months: late April through mid July
Visit steelheadflyfisher.com to see Jeff’s currently
scheduled weeks for this season and species.
Spring - Summer Atlantic Salmon
WADE DEEP ENOUGH into speyfishing for steelhead and you’ll eventually want to
experience and explore the roots of the sport — Atlantic salmon fishing. Many of the
conventions practiced today in swinging flies for steelhead were developed on the salmon
rivers of Europe over a century ago.
Today’s best salmon fishing is on
Russia’s Kola Peninsula.
Outfitting partners: Grand Varzuga
Camp and Umba Lodge via Salmon
Junkies (RU); Salmon Lodge (QB),
Norwegian Flyfishers Club (NO)
Target rivers: Varzuga, Umba in
Russia; Grand Cascapedia in
Quebec; Gaula in Norway
Target months: late May through
mid October
Visit steelheadflyfisher.com to see Jeff’s currently scheduled weeks for this season and species.
Summer - Fall Steelhead
STEELHEAD WILL ALWAYS be the sweetheart species for sea-run anglers in the
Pacific Northwest. And there is no better place to find your dream fish than the storied
waters of British Columbia. Summer offers opportunities to connect with these super
trout at their athletic best on the lower reaches of the Dean and Skeena rivers, while fall
months provide classic tributary fishing,
including exciting surface-fly action.
Outfitting partners: Nicholas Dean
Outdoors (BC), Kimsquit Bay Lodge
(BC), Steelhead Valhalla Lodge (BC),
Frontier Far West Lodge (BC)
Target rivers: Dean, Skeena mainstem
plus Zymoetz, Kitsumkalum, Bulkley,
Sustut, middle Nass tributaries
Target months: July through early
November
Visit steelheadflyfisher.com to see Jeff’s currently scheduled weeks for this season and species.
Winter - Spring Steelhead
BY NO MEANS does the British Columbia steelhead story end in fall. True winter-run
fish can be found in the intimate rainforest rivers of magical and mysterious Haida Gwaii
(aka Queen Charlotte Islands) — try a trip here for an
off-the-grid steelheading experience. Then, as winter
fades, the lower Skeena valley is the place to be for
the legendary river’s push of spring fish. Finally, as
days grow warmer, a rare opportunity arrives:
exploratory fishing on northern BC’s remote coast.
This late spring “adventure” program offers the
chance to fish steelheading’s undeveloped frontier.
Outfitting partners: Copper Bay Lodge (BC),
Nicholas Dean Outdoors (BC)
Target rivers: Yakoun plus small streams on
Haida Gwaii; Skeena mainstem plus Zymoetz and
Kitsumkalum in the lower Skeena valley; lower Nass
tributaries and not-to-be-named coastal streams
Target months: January through early May
Visit steelheadflyfisher.com to see Jeff’s currently scheduled weeks for this season and species.
Austral Summer Sea Trout
ARGENTINA’S TIERRA DEL FUEGO is the Land of Fire, and the land of
monster sea trout. The famous Rio Grande is the mother of the largest population of
these anadromized browns. Northern Hemisphere
fly swingers in need of a winter fix will find a trip
to the “uttermost part of the earth” a remarkable
and unforgettable adventure. Combine with a few
days chasing overgrown, cruising rainbows at
Lago Strobel for a seriously strong dose of
massive migratory trout.
Outfitting partners: Estancia Maria Behety
on Rio Grande and Estancia Laguna Verde
on Lago Strobel, both via The Fly Shop
Target waters: Rio Grande, Lago Strobel
Target months: January through March
Visit steelheadflyfisher.com to see Jeff’s currently
scheduled weeks for this season this species.
Late Summer Arctic Char
PERHAPS THE MOST PROLIFIC fishery available to the traveling speyfisher
today is in Arctic Canada. Here, in the Inuit-sovereign province of Nunuvut, the Ekaluk
River char grows to impressive proportions and, given the harsh reality of Arctic life, is
predisposed to attack most anything
resembling food. Of course, it’s not
always easy, but competent anglers
may have to occasionally pinch
themselves. The camp has only a
two-week season for 24 total rods.
Outfitting partner: Camp Ekaluk
via B&J Flyfishing Adventures
Target river: Ekaluk
Target weeks: late August to early
September
Visit steelheadflyfisher.com to see Jeff’s currently scheduled weeks for this season and species.
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In addition to offering international destinations, Steelhead Flyfisher has booking relationships with numerous
guides and outfitters in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Contact Jeff for information and to arrange a trip.