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In most parts of the world, looking for the proverbial pot of gold takes a back seat to nothing. Thankfully that’s not true in Northern British Columbia, where a lucky few, including myself, have forgone the gold in favor of the rainbow.

No matter where you live, if you look toward the sky for one of these Springtime rainbows, you’ll likely see only an army of liquid drops – tiny pieces of a puzzle that pool to form where we should look for the world’s most beautiful and large rainbows – Skeena River country.

These piscatorial prizes, known affectionately as “steelhead” are actually sea-going rainbow trout – sometimes measuring longer than your arm. And it’s a well known fact that looking for these rainbows can be as addictive and frustrating to find as the proverbial pot of gold, unless you know where to look and you hire the right “prospector.”

A limited number of British Columbia guides provide the opportunity to help anglers prospect with rod and reel for these elusive sea-run rainbows. Noel Gyger, lead guide from Northwest Fishing Guides in Terrace B.C., the region’s premier guiding business, provides anglers with a unique opportunity to touch many of these rainbows. Those who’ve fished with Noel, me included, call Noel “The Lucky Guy” because he lives and fishes in steelhead paradise.

During late Winter, when snow still covers “Skeena Country” big, beautiful, crimson-cheeked steelhead work their way up several rivers, many of which are only fished by Northwest Fishing Guides. When the season finally opens in mid March and throughout the season, anglers have the opportunity to float a storybook setting, complete with rainbows around nearly every bend, behind every rock and at the head and tale of each precious pool of water.

And each year, this Steelheaders’ Klondike sees few anglers. Those who do follow their dream arrive with delicate tools of the trade, in the form of finely tuned graphite casting, spinning and yes, fly casting rods. Each prospector wears a smile, warm clothes and rainwear. Northwest Fishing Guides do the hard work of rowing their driftboats or piloting their jetsleds. All the while pointing out each area where the day’s treasure might be hiding. No matter where these visiting anglers hail from, each wears an angler’s smile, which reflects the area’s opportunity, beauty and finned fortune.

With so many strong native steelhead surging upriver, knowledgable Skeena Country anglers know they stand a very good chance of hooking the biggest steelhead of their life. Each year, Northwest Fishing Guide customers catch unbelievable numbers of high teen and low twenty-pounders. Occasionally monster steelhead pushing the 30-pound mark are landed and quickly released. Several area residents with whom I’ve spoken with, say world-record sized fish, weighing upwards to 40 pounds have been caught and kept secret in an effort to conceal the area’s unthinkable opportunities. I can honestly say, in Skeena Country you can never be sure just how large your next catch will be!

Since the area’s native steelhead are protected from harvest, anglers leave these prizes behind for future anglers’ enjoyment and the continued future of a special breed of fish.

This far north the skies darken early, sometimes revealing the Northern Lights. The arrival of each falling raindrop or icy cold snowflake echos in the silence of relative solitude. The river’s gentle flow would normally put you fast asleep – but not with the promise of a tug at the end of your line.

Once you experience this area’s wealth of steelheading opportunities, you will likely never view “ordinary” steelhead fishing the same way. Fellow anglers, this is the steelhead fishing equivalent to knowing exactly where each gold nugget lies within each precious vein stemming from the “Mother Lode.”

If you do have the chance to visit Skeena Country, the steelheaders’ Klondike, you’ll likely find yourself watching each cast with the intensity of a gambler watching a slot machine after plugging it with three coins. No longer will you wonder, “will I get lucky today?” You may however, continue to wonder with each cast, “how large will my prize be?” Each time you hear your reel’s drag play an angler’s favorite song and you witness that magic moment when your “line dancing” partner clears the water, you will find yourself staring skyward hoping to eventually touch the end of the rainbow. Each and every Skeena Country steelhead is a pleasant reminder of nature’s precious gifts, not steelhead myths.

If you’d like to enjoy a day, several days or a week of prospecting for sea-run rainbows and enjoying the river’s other awesome rewards of wildlife and scenery, call Northwest Fishing Guides at, {250} 635-5295.