Early on in my now 25 year fly fishing career I went on a lot of expensively disappointing fishing trips. Then in 2006 I discovered Tracey and his Steelhead Heaven outfit in beautiful British Columbia and have been going back ever since. The main rivers he fishes, the Kitimat, the majestic Skeena, and the Kalum are beautiful and abundant. Tracey and his guides are knowledgeable and well equipped and I advise you to listen to what they tell you (although many guests don't). You can fish single or double hand but there’s no double that a Switch or Spey rod is more effective and energy efficient. Tracey’s mission is to get you into the best fishing runs - then it’s up to you! I also recommend staying at the Kitimat Lodge where there’s often same day caught crab on the menu.

“HOT” best describes our trip to Steelhead Heaven. We caught a fair number of rod-jerking salmon and the weather was more like Mexico than Canada. We spent four days on the river in all with Tracey Hittel and had a blast. All of the staff had incredible and humorous personalities; surely among the best in Terrace if not BC. Tracey clearly knew the rivers well, and Harley and Mickey (the lodge hosts) have been well versed in delicious home cooked meals and spending quality story telling time with the guests. The accommodations were excellent and spacious composed of two bedrooms and a large combined kitchen, dining and living room (far superior to hotel room stays). The fishing/lodging/food were perfectly catered and allowed us to fish early and stay late (this might explain the wicked sunburn….). The only negative was having to go home! I’m looking forward to my next trip.

BEST DAY OF MY LIFE; to mention the truth, I have never paid anybody to take me fishing in my life, except to help with gas and food. yet if I had fished the first day he offered me I would have given him a deposit on the river for the second day without a thought. To anybody that has read this, I hope it puts a different prospective on life for the fisherman that is learning to fish and to the fisherman that has a back ground like mine, the value of a good guide in an area you want to fish is extremely important if you want to have a day you will never forget. I hope a few people will learn a lesson from my mistake. I have never fished with someone so open to knowledge that is shared for you to learn. As for the fishing trip Tracey helped me fill a complete roll of film on my digital camcorder to watch at home, and took pictures on his digital camera, burnt them on a CD to show and use. As I watch my video, I will be planning the trip back as now I have something to work hard for to have the pleasure to fish with Tracey Hittel.

Our first day was a slow day but Tracey assured us the action would be hot and heavy on the Kitimat fishing for pinks and chums the next day. We went out with a guide friend of his Mark Guiliano. After about 15 minutes into our drift Angela had hooked and landed three nice pinks. I was hooking fish but was having trouble landing them. Angela suggested I was “horsing” the fish and maybe I should slow down my retrieve. I guess that was my problem because after that we caught and landed over one hundred pinks. Also, seven chums in the 20-25 pound range. That night Tracey invited us to his home for a wonderful seafood and steak dinner. Next morning, Tracey picked us up for another day upper Kitimat. We drifted a beautiful stretch of river and saw numerous bald eagles and had an encounter with a grizzly trying to bring down a bull moose. We caught several more salmon including a number of doubles. The morning after we left with memories of one of the best fishing trips we have ever taken!

It's hard to believe how quickly time passes when you are enjoying the quality time spent at the lodge. We had great guides that made this year even better than the last. It didn’t matter how many drifts or jet trips you took, it left you wanting just one more. To maybe catch that one that got away the last time. Thank you for the peace and solitude that he gave to this day. We believe you have a great staff. Campfire was fun as always because of the stories shared.  The whole time we were there all we wanted was a good view of her and her cubs. That picture of Barkley chasing his dog toward the bear is forever etched in our mind. We love the feel of your lodge and that is why we choose to stay there rather that anywhere else. We also don’t fit the cookie cutter shape of the average American family. We work hard and there for play hard. We like to have fun and are not afraid to admit it. We are now ready for salmon and sturgeon fishing here since most of the chores at home have been caught up.

If you are looking for a real Canadian salmon fishing experience and a serious chance to land a steelhead and five species of salmon on the fly in one week, you need look no further than Steelhead Heaven at Kitimat Lodge in British Columbia. During a recent guided fishing trip with my father in July, we were treated exceedingly well in what we described as “Chinook Heaven” and boy was it ever heaven. Good river fishing is dependent on many factors; weather and the resultant water conditions probably being the most important. Having four rivers within an hour drive of the lodge afforded us the ultimate flexibility each morning of being able to decide which river we would fish. In my opinion, the guide will either make or break your trip. You will be very hard pressed to find a more dedicated and professional guide than Tracey. This was easily the best value for money fishing trip I have had the pleasure to take.