Steve Morrow
Steve grew up in southern British Columbia and has been fishing from a young age. Eventually he moved to the British Columbia interior to pursue an education in fish and wildlife management, journalism and environmental science. Over the last 15 seasons he has had the pleasure of working on rivers near his home like the Harrison and Fraser, on fabled trout streams like the Chilko and even in Patagonia. After a decade guiding on the Dean he now has the good fortune of working on the creeks of Haida Gwaii, up and down the coast of British Columbia and the Skeena region each fall with Epic Waters Angling.
Steve is an FFF certified two-handed casting instructor (THCI) and in his spare time he can be found slacking off on the banks of his favorite steelhead river the Thompson. Steve resides in Smithers, BC with his wife Dana.
He has been a part of Epic Waters Angling since the beginning and excited to move forward on all the future adventures!
Blog posts
BC's Ongoing Herring Plunder
The BC Herring Fishery
The BC government divides the coast herring population into 5 categories and defines only the Straight of Georgia population as healthy. Despite closure on the rest of the coast, the commercial fishery there is still permitted a 20% harvest annually, a number in heated contest. In 2018 the fisheries minister famously permitted a similar harvest...
Stevie's Bucket List
So as a fishing guide people always assume I must have lost my passion for the sport along the way. While I don’t race out to fish the water I guide I still have major passion for the sport. I'm in no need to punch numbers off my bucketlist but in the event I'm well prepared!#5- Prince of Wales, Alaska steelhead- As a guide in Haida Gwaii the thought of even more, remote, tea colored rivers...
5 things NOT to get Anglers for XMAS
So in keeping with my reputation as cheif tackle critic I figured I’d make a quick guide in response to Dereks Christmas Gift blog. These are things you might think are a good idea to get the fishing person in your life but you couldn’t be more wrong.Disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are only a result of many years of verbal abuse, head trauma, rejection and personal failures and...
Fishing for Downstreamers??
This is always an exciting time of year online. Late spring marks the arrival of some amazing fisheries and big chrome steelhead pictures are soon to follow.I love seeing people out there getting after it, especially friends. Mixed in Instagram feeds though are a generous smattering of pics with people hoisting up beat up kelt after kelt.
What’s a kelt? A kelt or a downstreamer is...
The Mathematics of Catch and Release
Chinook Mortality- Help me… I was never good at math
Disclaimer: this is lacking proficient calculation, scientific fact and likely intelligence. It is however heavy on opinion…mine.
I recently had the pleasure of observing a meeting of the Sportfish Advisory Committee in Smithers. DFO head office was on conference call while local representatives made the...
Big Pine Key- Tarpon 2018
Irma descended upon the Caribbean in early September with relentless waves. A class 5 hurricane, it left a trail of destruction and despair in its wake. It was hoped that it might avoid landfall in the southern states but by September 10th was barrelling down on Cudjoe Key packing a 130 mile per hour punch. Irma grinded her way up the Florida panhandle before setting...
Coast to Clouds Conservation Foundation 2017
In 2016 preparations for a conservation arm of Epic Waters Angling began. Armed with the successes of previous environmental organizations and already with focus on some core conservation concerns we set out to hone our activism. We felt that that the best way to affect change was wade right in – excuse the pun.
Anglers from all over the world travel to the Skeena region every year...
Fishing the Frog Water
To be a better steelhead fisherman you need to find an approach to fish the less than ideal pieces of water. Any novice can walk up to a run called “Gett’n Em 9000” and put on a show but elite anglers fish more water, better.
Soooo the frog water… steelhead typically don’t mind being around it but MAN steelheaders do. Some people just flat out refuse to fish near it and...
Epic Waters Fall 2016 #PhotoEssay
This fall was as predictable as picking lottery numbers. The weather came in constant waves, boats died en masse, fish were there one day and gone the next and each day brought some new set of problems around the lodge. We often found ourselves on the @epicwaters instagram account using #seasonfromhell or #soyouwanttobeaguide to describe the onslaught. That said, we...
2016 - An #EPIC Year
2016 has been really good to Epic.I’ve had the privilege to be involved with and spend time at every operation Epic owns, manages or represents. Over the past 8 months I’ve travelled to some of British Columbia’s most amazing gems and spent time with the incredible Epic crew and our loyal clients.
Some of the highlights this year include…
- ...
It's Okay to be Drifter... but Nobody likes a Creep!
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From somewhere deep in my twisted mind is the best shirt design ever! It reads "it's okay to be a drifter... but nobody likes a creep."
It would have the "drifter" face of Tom Hanks from Castaway months, NO years after a haircut and beside, a close up of creepy Anthony Hopkins from Silence of the Lambs or that guy playing a banjo in Deliverance. People would probably...
Best New Thing: OPST Commando Heads
Best New Thing is a new section dedicated to products and services in our industry that switch up the game, make things easier or are just sweet!
OPST Commando Heads- How Shorter Than Super Short Isn't Too Short
So here it is... time for another installment of stuff I thought would never work... skagit heads that are shorter than already short skagit...
Fisherman's 5 with James Reid
James Reid is a highly respected bamboo rod builder from North Vancouver, British Columbia. His rods have been described as "the closest feeling to graphite out there" which despite them being all wood and proudly so, is a testemant to the ongoing research and development he has put into hollow built bamboo. We are no longer surprised at the number of his rods...
HOW THE MOW SYSTEM CHANGED THE GAME
I’m guilty of being a little opinionated. When I'm guiding its not a my way or the highway thing just confidence in what works and it can make everything else seem fruitless. Sinktips are no exception.
When I started swinging for steelhead, like most people I learned with “those RIO tips” and the system was so ingrained in me water was often referred to as a “type 3 spot” or a “type 8...