The Nitinat River: A Stream For All Seasons
There are many rivers on Vancouver Island. Some are more popular than others and attract a greater number of fishermen. The reasons for their popularity vary. Some will argue that they hold bigger fish or have larger runs but I tend to think that the prevailing factor for their popularity is accessibility and convenience.
Rivers like the Cowichan, Stamp and Somass, Qualicum and Campbell are undeniably great fisheries and I have often sought them out and stood shoulder to shoulder with like minded fishermen and enjoyed the experience. But for one who seeks the river less fished and the logging road less travelled, who seeks serenity, beauty, and solitude, while enjoying great fishing all year round, then seek out the humble Nitinat; it is well worth the experience.
The River
The Nitinat River begins in the Alberni watershed and flows nearly 60 km to Nitinat Lake, a tidal salt water fjord, 23 km long, that empties into the Pacific Ocean through the infamous Nitinat gap. The fishing is generally good and often it is spectacular. Thanks to the Nitinat River Hatchery, the Nitinat runs are very healthy.
How to get there
From Victoria, travel to Duncan then up the Cowichan valley past Youbou to the end of Cowichan lake. When you reach the end of the lake take a right (just past Heather campsite) onto the Nitinat mainline, there should be a sign designating the 26km trip to Nitinat village.
Don't be in a rush. I have never seen the road in a condition that would be called anything other than rough and there are still massive logging trucks crawling along it; if you get behind one just follow the impenetrable cloud of dust, because you won't have a choice on the pace.
At about the 20 km mark you can see the Nitinat river from the road, where Parker Creek enters. The road continues following the stream until the junction to Ditidhat village, left, and Bamfield/ Pt. Alberni, right. If you take the right fork you will immediately cross a wooden bridge that spans the river. It is possible to camp along either bank although there are no facilities.
One can also access the area via Port Alberni and the road to Bamfield via the Franklin mainline. At the Nitinat/Bamfield junction take a left to Nitinat instead of right to Bamfield.
Where to stay
There are accommodations (motel) at the village which also has a gas station, store and restaurant. Just past the village is the Nitinat Provincial campground where the windsurfers conglomerate like lemmings. I generally try to avoid the crowds so I either camp down by the river or on the other side of the lake at Knob Point Provincial Campsite. To get to Knob Point just take a right at the junction, cross over the bridge and take the first left that also leads down to the fish hatchery. Continue going straight for 10 km until the road ends and there you are. It is a wonderful wilderness camping spot. Leave your vehicle in the parking area and carry your tent and gear into a pristine glade surrounded by giant cedar, Sitka Spruce, hemlock and fir. Amidst the beautiful trees are solid picnic tables and ample room for tents or camp out on the point overlooking Nitinat Lake and the mountains of the Carmanah and Pacific Rim.
The Fly Fishing
From January to April there is a good winter steel head run. The water is generally very high and therefore a river boat or power boat makes it easier to fish. Put in at Nitinat Village or campground and speed up the mouth of the river. Float fishing is the most popular method, with bead, rubber worm or roe sac common choices.
The summer, after the water subsides, is my favourite time of year to fly fish the Nitinat river. It allows for easy wading or drifting for the river and weather are generally benign. In June and July there is a modest run of summer steel head that can be very exciting. You can see the ghost like forms cruising through crystal clear waters and often you cast desperately placing the fly in front of their noses only to be ignored. But once in a while they'd take and all you can do is hold on, and hope your tippet doesn't break. I used a variety of popular steel head patterns but my favourite was the purple peril pattern, not because it was more successful than others but mainly because I liked its alliterative name.
In July and August the sea run cutthroat are abundant as are the resident cutts and rainbows. Often I would set my canoe into the stream just below Parker Creek, stop and fish different runs and pools generally taking two or three nice cutthroat from each. They are fun to catch and will readily come to a dry fly but I found the largest ones liked to hang on the bottom. For these I would often drift a stonefly, caddis pupa, or egg pattern and at times they would take it softly, often imperceptibly, just a pause in the drift of the line but at other times they would hit swift and hard and many times break me off from the ferocity of their strike. 14 to 16 inch cutthroat are common but at times I would hook up with cutts that were pushing 20 inches. Fishing them on a six weight rod with floating line or sink tip provide great sport.
In late August and September, the Spring Salmon migrate up the Nitinat river to spawn. The first time I encountered them I was wading over a shallow rapid, crossing the stream in pursuit of a more productive pool. Half way across I heard what I thought to be a helicopter hovering above me but the sound was too close. As I surveyed the surrounding landscape I still saw nothing. It was only when I noticed a frantic wake of white water shooting over the shallows and a mass of similar wakes following the first that I realized I was caught in the path of a spawning salmon stampede. Massive Springs frantically gyrated their way over the shallows, shooting between my legs, and bouncing off my ankles in a desperate effort to reach the safety of the deeper water.
I would fish the deeper channels of the Nitinat river for the early coho and spring salmon, with an eight to ten weight rod and, again, either a sink tip or dry line with a long, ten pound leader and wet fly. I found that any fly that had red/ orange on it worked well, such as a red butt skunk. The fish we caught that day were all very fresh and bright and were like miniature freight trains. They would make long, line screaming runs, then leap somersaulting into the air, acrobatic and powerful. We were broken off many times; a stronger leader may have been wise but I also have never experience such incredibly violent runs. We were wearied and our arms were numb by the time we left the Nitinat river that day.
That year the DFO opened the salmon fishery and allowed a retention of two but I could hardly justify imposing such an ignoble consummation on a salmon that had travelled thousands of miles in order to mate for the only time in its life. Somehow that just didn't seem fair. I gladly released those I landed.
In late September and into October, as the Nitinat river continues to rise, the Coho and Chum begin their own pilgrimage up river. It is difficult fishing the river when it swells its banks and the current rushes fierce and free but with a river boat one can navigate it and enjoy very exciting sport. I once tried to fish from the shore and found it almost impossible. Being too deep to wade, I was forced to fight my way through the thick rain-forest and undergrowth. I was eventually able to find a pool I could fish without being swept away by the current. There aren't many, and knowledge of the roll or steeplecast is essential in order to avoid hang-ups. In any case, I was successful in landing a nice five pound Coho and a few cutthroat on chartreuse and green streamers.
It poured rain from the time I arrived to the time I hauled my soaking carcass into my truck. It generally continues raining until April. I do not mind the rain and to spend a day on the river I would endure a hurricane. It was refreshing and a delight to see the vibrant forest gleam and drip with the rains of autumn, the fresh scent of cedar, mingling with that of decaying salmon. All around gulls squawking and jousting for position, eagles and osprey hovering above, blue heron, American dipper and sandpiper wading alongside a host of black bears feeding on the spent salmon, the Nitinat river heaving with life and death.
While it is not as recognized or as highly lauded as many Vancouver Island streams, the Nitinat is unparalleled in its natural beauty, its wildlife, and of course its fly fishing. If you're looking for a sometimes challenging but often rewarding fishery, at any time of year, check out the Nitinat River, it is a stream for all seasons.
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