Andre Laporte's

Bulkley Mouse

 
Creator of the Bulkley Mouse dry fly offers
Steelhead Guiding on the Bulkley River

History of the Bulkley Mouse

In 1977 a young and enthusiastic fisherman named Andre Laporte was asked to travel north from his home in Quesnel to fish the Morice River in the Bulkley Valley of British Columbia Canada. At the time Steelhead fishing was common on the Morice as well as the Kispiox and Skeena Rivers. The area was gaining attention as a destination for exceptional Steelhead fishing.

On that first trip Andre was introduced to dry fly Steelhead fishing using #2 sofa pillow flies. To say Andre was hooked on the experience would be an understatement. Over thirty years later and he still speaks with passion about Steelhead fishing in the Bulkley Valley.

Over that winter Andre started experimenting with dying Caribou hair to produce various colours of dry fly patterns. Finally he settled on a pattern that he would call ‘Laporte’s Caribou Heads’. This dry fly had a spun head and long thick wings that made a good surface wake.

The following season Andre returned to the area, this time to fish the Bulkley River. At this time the Bulkley River was under far less pressure from anglers, with most sticking with the more well known Morice, Kispiox and Skeena Rivers. It was on this trip that Andre met Jimmy Wright, the original owner of the Old Creamery in Telkwa British Columbia and future home of Far West Lodges.

As they drifted the Bulkley River it became apparent that Laporte’s Caribou Heads were a good producer of Steelhead. In the morning Andre fished first and did very well, but even in the afternoon, fishing last, this fly still attracted more than its share of Steelhead.

It’s worthy of noting that in the late 1970’s Jimmy Wright had a fly pattern that he referred to as a Bulkley Mouse. However this fly had no resemblance to what we know today as a Bulkley Mouse. It had a clump of deer hair around the front of the hook and assorted colours of sewing thread for the body. It was however the first use of the Bulkley Mouse name.

In the early 1980’s Andre and then friend Collin Schadrech made a trip to fish the Bella Coola River in British Columbia. On this trip they stopped to see Darryl Hodson, owner of the Upper Dean River Lodge. Darryl was a master boat fabricator and Andre and Collin returned with their first drift boat.

There really isn’t an exact date that Andre Laporte’s original Bulkley Mouse was born. It evolved over several years from the first Laporte’s Caribou Heads that he originally tied. It’s also unclear of how it became known by the same name as Jimmy Wright’s fly. One thing was for sure, it was becoming a top producing and well known fly on the Bulkley River.

In later years Andre would try to change the name of his fly, out of respect for Jimmy, but it was too late. The fly had a reputation and the name Bulkley Mouse was sticking to it.

Some time in 1983 Andre and Collin made a trip to an upper canyon on the Bulkley River. Here they found magical waters, with most runs filled with Steelhead. As they drifted, canyon after canyon had room to manoeuvre with Steelhead holding in each. It was the best fishing either had experienced. This trip is when they decided it would be a great place for guiding.

In 1985 Collin asked Andre to partner with him as an independent guide at a new lodge on the Bulkley River. The pair traveled to Oregon, bringing back with them 5 new Clackacraft drift boats. This was the beginning of their guiding careers.

In preparation of that first year guiding, Andre was asked by Collin to tie his Bulkley Mouse fly’s for the lodge. Over the cold Quesnel winter Andre spent countless hours tying 5000 flies to bring to the lodge for the season. He brought a good assortment of hook sizes and colours for the guides to use and give out to clients.  It was these fly's that helped to launch the lodge's reputation as a world class steelhead destination.

Perhaps in a turning point for the history of the Bulkley Mouse, Andre overheard Collin Schadrech handing clients Andre’s Bulkley Mouse and telling them it was his own fly and he had tied it.

Over the next several years Andre would return to the Bulkley River bringing with him 2000 to 3000 Bulkley Mouse fly’s every year for the lodge. Andre Laporte’s Bulkley Mouse was gaining a very large reputation as a top producing Steelhead dry fly.

In 1990 Andre met a writer by the name of Trey Combs. Trey would become the author of the book ‘Steelhead Fly Fishing’ and wanted to do an interview with Andre about his guiding on the Bulkley River and more importantly the history of the Bulkley Mouse dry fly. In anticipation of the interview Andre prepared eleven pages of notes on the history of the Bulkley Mouse, much of which this article was extracted from. As well Andre tied 4 presentation grade fly’s for the illustration portion of the book.

As it turned out Trey would be late in traveling to the Bulkley River and Andre had to return to Quesnel. The 11 pages of notes and presentation fly’s were left with Collin to present to Trey for his book. In a follow up phone call with Collin weeks later, Andre was told that “you were represented well and will be happy when the book comes out”. After years of guiding and tying thousands of Bulkley Mouse flies, Andre was excited to see his fly in the book.

A year later when the book was published Andre was disappointed to read that Collin Schadrech was given credit as the creator of his fly. Immediately Andre called Collin and was assured that his notes and fly’s were given to Trey and that Trey must have made a mistake. However when Trey was contacted, Andre was told that no such material was ever given to him and the entire interview was done with Collin.

Trey Combs has promised Andre that when he writes a follow up book he will right the wrong that has been done to the history of the Bulkley Mouse dry fly.

Today the Bulkley Mouse is widely regarded as one of, if not the top producing Steelhead fly. It is widely used on rivers such as the Dean, Kispiox, Morice, Skeena and Bulkley Rivers in British Columbia Canada. It has also been fished as far away as Norway and Russia.

Despite the inaccuracies of its history, Andre is proud to have been a part of the creation of the original Bulkley Mouse dry fly. He beams with pride with the knowledge that so many fishermen have used the Bulkley Mouse for their own enjoyment. For Andre it somehow makes those countless hours sitting tying thousands of flies worth it.

Knowing Andre’s passion for Steelhead fishing, I’m sure he has a few Bulkley Mouse fly’s left to tie. It wouldn’t be a surprise if there’s one in his vice right now.