The Bulkley is the heart of Skeena steelheading — a wadeable, even-tempered freestone that holds big sea-run fish through the fall and, blessedly, often stays fishable when the glacial rivers around it are out. Fish move in from late August, the fishing builds through September and peaks into October as the river drops and greens up. It's swung-fly water in the classic sense: a floating line and a skated dry on bright low days, a light sink-tip and a sparse wet when the light goes off the water. The fish are large and the takes, when they come, are the kind people drive across a continent for.
The Bulkley is the steelheader's river — a big, wadeable freestone running down the Smithers–Telkwa valley with long, even runs of cobble and boulder that seem built for the swung fly. It carries a famous run of large summer steelhead that come in from the sea through the Skeena and climb the river through the autumn, and it has the rare gift of often staying in shape and at a fishable height when other Skeena rivers are blown. It clears to a teal-green in fall, holds fish in classic taking water, and rewards the patient down-and-across swing.
Wading: Strong current, slick cobble, cold autumn water
- Glacial till
- Partly confined
- Pool riffle
- Large river