Destination Highlight: Frontier Steelhead Experience, British Columbia
Posted by Steve Schmidt on Sep 16th 2025
It was nearing the end of a long fishless day, which is nothing unusual in the steelhead world. Fall light was fading, the warm day cooling as evening approached. I had been dropped off on a long glassy tailout. The last run of the day. A fresh set of grizzly tracks trailed off on the beach at the waters edge that momentarily distracted me. Before tying on a new fly, I surveyed my surroundings; a practice you do with regularity here due to the presence of these impressive apex predators. I chose with confidence a small black Bulkley Mouse, a pattern that I was introduced to here in 1986. I started short before eventually sending a cast to the outer edge of the main current seam letting the small dry fly wake softly into the mirrored waters of the slick tailout. I shivered in anticipation even after going the day without the faintest hint of a steelhead being interested in my flies. There is a reason they call this game an exercise in hope and after playing this game for over three decades I understood this better than most.
As I approached the end of the tailout a massive log jam of bleached cottonwoods would come into play ending what room there was left to swing the fly. At this point with just several casts left my mindset was just to “fish good water well”. A push of water appeared behind the fly followed by the dark silhouette of a steelhead gently rising to take the fly. My heart jumped. I noticed I was holding my breath as the line came tight. With my 12'6" 6wt it was hard to tell initially, but it felt like a good fish. Then again they’re all good fish. It fought like a buck and to my good fortune after its initial lengthy surge into the heart of the run it stayed away from the ominous log jam. There it sulked, shaking its head violently, yet holding its ground. After a lengthy standstill I started to slowly gain some line back working the fish into the shallows, but it wasn’t easy.
I eventually landed that fish. It was a beautiful two striped buck, big, one that made me rethink fishing my 6wt on the Morice in the future. It was a magical ending to the day, but at this point just being in BC on these rivers fishing for these wild fish is magical. Back at the lodge we gathered on the porch and shared in the day's experiences; fish caught or encountered, empty opportunities, bears, and other memorable occurrences while sipping a beverage of choice and enjoying a delicious spread of appetizers before retiring to our cabins to prepare for the evening meal. Not a bad way to end a day in paradise.
This recollection and those who I have been fortunate enough to share them with for decades now, like these fish, return annually to share in this experience with our good friends at Frontier Steelhead Experience Lodge; one of the finest steelhead operations anywhere. What they can control they do a tremendous job of: food, staff, guides, accommodations, and logistics. From their impressive base operation, to the more traditional Morice River Lodge, it is truly a unique experience. What they can’t control is the fishing. Mother Nature holds the key to that part of this equation.
There are few places in the world that I have fished where a lodge and its staff go to the extent that they do to get you into fish. If you’ve ever chased steelhead you know that it can be an exercise in what, at times, may seem futile. Their beautiful base lodge ideally sits on the Bulkley River, a river that has a considerable amount of water to fish. So much so that it’s rare to fish the same piece of water twice during your stay. In addition to the Bulkley you’ll spend half of your week staying and fishing out of the Morice River Lodge, on the upper Morice; a remote Bulkley River tributary. Both of the rivers are considered two of BC’s best dry fly steelhead rivers. From the time you arrive till your departure your hosts Derek and Andrea Soto will go out of their way to help you get the most of your steelhead trip. Their operation will truly leave you with an epic experience.
Availability
We’ve been hosting and booking trips to Steelhead Paradise with our BC partners long before they morphed into Epic Waters Angling. We have two weeks at their lodge, Frontier Steelhead Experience, that we book each year. Since 1989 we have had 6 spots for both the first and last weeks of September. These are prime weeks, especially for catching these incredible fish with dry flies and dry lines and are in particular very hard to get in to. Rarely do we have openings (and for good reason), but once in a while we do have opportunities and space for someone to experience some of the worlds best steelhead fishing on the Bulkley and Morice Rivers. If you are truly interested in possibly joining us, we’d like to hear from you and put your name on a wait list should there be an opening. 2026 would be the first chance to possibly join us. Again, space is very limited, and being on this list will be your best chance for filling one. Stop by, call, or drop us a line at info@wrflyfisher.com. Steve is the best person to reach for more details on this adventure since he’s been doing this trip for so long. Since he’s not in the shop all the time, an email to info will get to him.
Thank you…we’re excited to discuss this amazing trip further with you.
CLICK HERE to read more about the Frontier Steelhead Experience.
All photos courtesy of and property of Steve Schmidt.
