A few things to remember when getting ready for your Steelhead trip.
This post got away on me a little. Seems like I’ve been talking about layers a lot lately. . . . .. but I guess there is a lot to say.
Clothing- Whether your trip is in the spring/Fall/ or winter months, I am packing the same clothing. I want to say “don't go too crazy.” but at the same time, I'd hate to see someone come up short on layers because of what I said. Think of it this way, if it's -10 C, most rivers will slush up and there's likely slush rolling down the river anyway. I wouldn't personally fish with significant slush. I don't mind a little bit of ice in my guides, but I want to know that that's just a morning thing and that it won't be going on all day. -5 is about my limit and sometimes that is even too much. Some may scoff at this, that's fine. I am fortunate enough to live in Mecca and I can pick my days for personal fishing. I've got lots of other things I like to do and I will wait for more favourable conditions. If I were on a trip, that is a different story. On a trip, you fish the conditions that you get. Let us call -5C our the worst-case scenario. On a day like that (from the bottom up) I am wearing
Oversized Boot foot waders.
Medium weight merino sock w Bama sock over it.
Base Layer merino bottoms
Patagonia Puff pants overtop.
Base layer Merino T shirt
My Patagonia R1
Patagonia Puff Vest (Vests are an extremely versatile tool for raising and lowering core temps quickly.)
Patagonia tough puff hoody or regular puff hoody.
A windstopper soft shell of some type.
My Goretex wading jacket.
That's it. . . . this setup will cover me while fishing from -5 (my cutoff) to +5/7.
When wearing layers its easy to shed items when the sun comes out and it warms up.
The first thing to go is the Windstopper from 5/7 to 10 degrees (Depending on the wind.), then any warmer and I may ditch the tough puff and vest as well. If I'm fishing early summeruns, August/Sept, I likely wouldn't be wearing the second bottom puff pant layer either as I'm likely wading shallow and the water temps are warmer. If you know that you are wading deep and cold water, you could amp up that bottom layering a bit w a heavier puff of another layer.
Long boat rides or long periods of activity, all bets are off, put on all the clothing you have.
Upper core layers are easy to add and shed. It's your pants that are the problem. Doing a bit of a hike to get to your run? That changes everything. I like to walk in a little chilly, so I'm not a ball of sweat when I get there. This is another distinct advantage of bootfoot waders. Bottom layer changes are much more civilized.
Senor 2 snowshoeing in on the Skeena In March. He was not so happy he wore his waders for the hike in
Hats, gloves, face-coverings
I am a baseball hat guy. Unless I am wearing some sort of helmet and I am outside, I'm wearing a baseball hat.
So Baseball hat 5/7C and warmer depending on wind.
Little cooler pull up R1 hood.
Little cooler pull up Mid layer puff hood
Cold AF or running in a boat, pull-up your Wading jacket hood.
Raining? Adjust accordingly.
With this system, I can always find the appropriate setup and I haven't carried any extra crap to lose, not be able to find, drop in the river or fill my pockets or bag.
My Bro bent on the Skeena in the spring. This fish was hard won, it was the last hour, last day of his trip.
Gloves- I avoid them as much as possible. If you see me fishing and I am wearing gloves . . . . . I really need em'. They affect your dexterity, no question. While guiding, I've seen a dozen different ways to lose a fish because of wearing gloves (which I won't bother going into.) Another huge pain in the ass with gloves is that makes line management and casting more difficult. There have been many attempts by fly fishing manufacturers to make a good fishing glove. Not many have been successful. Cloudveil made a fantastic two-finger glove (discontinued.) I am yet to see anything better than a wool-fingerless glove. Hobo glove, I call them. You can take them off and wring them out. They're wool, so they can keep you warm even when wet.
It is nice to have a big pair of preferably waterproof gloves or mitts (buy them oversized so you can wear your wools inside). Snowmobile mitts work great. This set is great for long boat rides or periods of inactivity. Boat rides are a great time to get out of the water and warm-up, but you've gotta have the tools.
My Amigo Ziggy bundled on the Babine.
As for face-coverings, I don't use them too much. Having a beard makes the elements a little easier on the face. If it's cold cold I'll zip my R1 up all the way, which can be a decent covering (to your nose anyway.) Having a buff around your neck that you can pull up couldn't hurt either to cut the chill.
This has gotten a little longer than I anticipated. It will have to become a multipart series. Maybe tomorrow or Tuesday I'll cover equiptment.