At the end of every fly fishing trip I take, whether domestic or abroad, I find it usefull to take notes on the experience so you'll be better prepared the next time you make a similar journey. After a 10 day trip to Northern British Columbia, here's my list of DO's and DO NOT's when chasing fall run steelhead:

1. Canada is very cold in October, bring LOTS of clothing.

2. When it is really cold out, beer tastes good, but whiskey tastes better.

3. Fly rods have a propensity to break when struck with large, weighted flies. As such, it is a good idea to have more than two rods with you for a week of wilderness fishing as a novice spey caster.

4. Your chances of catching a steelhead go up dramatically the more time you keep your fly in the water. Don’t get caught up in making this process too complicated, keep it simple and your fly wet.

5. Fires are fun, but really big fires are a lot more fun.

6. Lodges filled with crotchety old men can be very boring. See point 2 and 5 for good solutions to this problem.

7. Steelhead are very, very cool fish.

8. When fishing for steelhead, all you need is 15lb Maxima tippet.

9. Jet boats are BADASS, although I wouldn’t want to see any on my home rivers in Colorado.

10. Just like any destination salt water trip, the key to making your trip more enjoyable and fruitful is to practice your casting regularly before your departure. Trying to learn to cast at your destination only means less time your fly is in the water. See point 4 why this is not a good thing.