CHRISTIANA WIENS ROB BROWN t's the second day of 1999. My fishing log says 1 was standing in the Kalum at the place I call Beaver Plats a year ago. There was almost no snow and only a breath of wind; so warm that, for the first time in any January I can remember, I fished without gloves, Beaver flats is beiow Digger’s Pool and above Deep Creek. It's nat a destination run, but the kind of water you fish on your way out if the an- gling has been poor on the Snake, the Stumble Ren or at MacDonaid’s. Once, late in the year, Richard Eckert and J found the place crowded with dolly varden char and whitefish; another time Webb and 1 found some shiny new coho there and in the riffles below it; and one time, years ago, with the river unusually high for De- cember, I made the kind of wade.one should only have dropped most of the alders on river right. I don’t attempt this kind of bravado any more. In the days when I made that macho wade I was so comers cn more occasions than [ like to admit. As I stopped and caught my breath on the far side, after nearly being swept away a couple of times I should have pondered: the fact that if the tiver had carried me off, and I'd avoided ‘the sweepers below, ] would probably have died of hypothermia anyway. I didn’t just as I hadn’t con- sidered the fact that a return wade was mandatory. As soon as I'd caught my breath, I strode past the slow section of the run where the still fishers like to soak bait, and began casting. Beaver Flats is not the kind of run where you'd expect newly arrived steelhead, but some hovered in the tail of the glide that day. They were ferocious. I fost two because ] couldn't follow them across the riffle tumed rapid and around the sprawling log jam be- low that, but I’ did beach two others. They were muscular and shaped like footballs, and uniquely coloured like Kalum winter steelhead often are. All of this activity quickly ate away the remain- der of the short winter afternoon, A curtain of fog was descending and it was getting awfully dark. My hands were cold. The sweat I’d worked up wrestling fish was now cooling. 1 had to go, and . go quickly. I grabbed up my rod and loped up the bank. If the wade over had been tough, the wade back would be tougher. ] knew it would be better to start high, so I made my way upstream, clam- bering over black logs as slippery as oiled buck- skin. ] grabbed a beaver gnawed limb, slipped the rod into the back pocket of my vest, then slid into the water. The current grabbed my legs and attempied to pull them out from under me. I leaned hard on the stick, grabbing it with botl hands. I pushed a foot forward, jammed the pole into the substrate, then repeated the process. Log jams, water-filled waders, these and other morbid images elbowed their way into my mind; I forced them out rivet- ing my attention to each step, each thrust with the pole, and the contour of the bottom uatil my uni- verse consisted of the water a foot in front of me, and the roar of the river. As the river pulled harder and the wade became more difficult, ] slowed down, A couple of minutes passed in an hour. I made the far bank then made my way down river and scrambled up the bank to the trail. Next to the river it was dark. In the bush it was black. I turned onto what I was sure was the path to the slough, and proceeded to get lost. It was a regulation hour before a beacon .in the form of a truck eiigine ’s roar helped me find the road. The day afier last New Year's Day was less dramatic, I didn’t catch any steelhead, but I did catch a cutthroat. It was an unexpected fish: a har- vest trout long after the harvest; against the winter backdrop it seemed out of contexl. Now, two days into 1999 I’m back to see if I can find another. Today the skis stick to the snow, The sky is close to the ground in the form of mist that wraps the the sound, but I appreciate their trails. defines the pathways. Because ] have my. single hander, I’m forced to Jook for trout. This has mé over the last of the red cohoes, still spawning and dying in the Kalum in January. And, where there are ripencd salmon there will be wolf tracks on the banks and trout or char or whitefish, or pos- sibly all three nearby. I spot a solitary bird atop of an old hemlock presiding over part of the side, channel that Lows through Beaver Flats, and, sure enough, there are line with an Improved Partridge and Orange I de- veloped this winter —- and I wish Finlay were alive to appreciate —are all that is needed for the. slow cold flows, I spend 20 minutes on the probe . before | catch'a beautiful tittle 12-inch. cutthroat that proves last. year’s is to anomaly. It’s. a fine ; way to begin a Year attempt with a buddy. Beaver Fiats fishes only - from river left because the eponymous rodents - drooping trees like gauze. In the distance there is - the insect whine of snow machines. I don’t like focused on fishing that I painted myself into tight . Packing a rod gives a person direction; it. looking for eagies, because eagles stand sentinel © coho in the dark water below the tree. A floating - g Happy New Year! NOW THAT'S AN ANNIVERSARY: Ten years after the first soccer in the snow on Terrace's fields, lacal’ ‘players pose during a half-time break (above). This year's game was 2-1 at the half with players plowing through knee-deep snow on Skeena Junior's fields. Martin Sterner, who played in the first New Year's game, lands in a snow adrift after tighting far the ball {right). “SCORE! Kitimat Bantam rep player scores a goal-at 16:01 In the third period ofa final game here on New Year's Eve, Kitimat and, Terrace, batiled for. first and sec- .ond spots in the tournament. MINOR HOCKEY Lions beat Bantams in year-end tourney IF TERRACE’S Bantam rep coaches have one hope for the new year, it might be to beat Kitimat. They’d — consider it payback for the whipping their team picked up in the championship game of the Bantam toumament’ beld here Dec, 31, After 20 minutes of the game, Terrace Inland Ken- worth was down by. one goal after the Kitimat Lion’s Doug. Higginson ~ scored: twice in the first period. Terrace’s Josh . Murtay then scored a goal on a pass from. Ryan. Beaulieu’ and - Jess Bone with six and a: half minutes: left in the first. period. |. Terrace. tied - the "game: quickly in the second period when Gary Kerbratz scored after one minute and 43 sec- onds of play on a pass from Jordan Kostelnik. Eight minutes later Kitimat came in with a tle- breaker with 11:20 left in the second pericd. Then Tyler Daum scored two goats within two minutes of each other to make the game 5-2 Kitimat after 40 minutes of ice time. " Terrace. just couldn’t find its strength in the third peri- od and Kitimat made. the game an 8-2 final. Tension erupted into fiy- ing. fists in the last 15 sec- onds of the game when Kilimat’s Justin Bogart atid Terrace’s Ryan . ‘Hallam dropped their sticks and: started slugging. Both players were handed game misconduct penalties. Terrace’s teams played well against Kitimat which usually stands in a class of their own — a fact many Tertace coaches and minor hockey organizers accredit ta their second sheet of ice. The tournament featured four Bantam rep teams from Prince Rupert, Terrace, Smithets and Kitimat. Ter- race’s Peewee B team also joined in the tournament and posted some gocd _first- period scores, -Whitehorse .was. to have played in the tournament bul “eaticeled close to the tourna- ment date. _ 638-7283 Sports Scope Youth soccer IMPROVE YOUR skifls and get ready for the 1999 outdoor soccer season by heading to Centennial Chris- tian School. Organizers will host four-hour indoor skill building sessions and games for youth 8-13 years old on Satur- days from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Jan. 9. and ending Feb. 27. The courses will be taught by long-time Terrace coach, Nick Koiias who recently finished his level one, two and three teaching licence. Interested youth must have been registered with the Terrace Youth Soccer during the 1998 season to be eligible. The cost is $15 per month, payable when youth register at the arcna office, No refunds will be given. For more information call Nick at 635-9231. Lake race SKIING enthusiasts will appreciate the 10 centimetres of fresh white powder dumped on Onion Lake’s ski trails this Christmas. The trails should be fast and firm for the Kilimat Open race this Saturday, Jan. 9. Racers will ski on a solid 20-centimetre base and organizers say that blue wax and waxless skis are working great, Skiing at the Creek HIRSH Creek Golf and Winter Club’s trails are set and raring to go. The trails are open all day and night owl's will ap- preciate the club’s three kilometres of lit trails that stay lit until about 10 p.m. Snowmobile season UPCOMING Skeena Valley Snowmobile Club events inchide a January Avalanche course and a family fun day at Sterling Mountain on Jan, 24, Valentine’s day brings the club’s annual Snowarama, a money-mnaker for disabled children. And then watch out. because on Saturday and Sunday. March 6-7 the club hosts it’s annual Shames Mountain Mogul Blaster ‘Hill Climb.