Story by Peter McMullan An historically important link with the early days of steelhead fishing in British Columbia is changing ownership. The Babine Norlakes Steelhead Camp, one of just three such operations on the famous 61-mile long river, is passing from the hands of Pierce and Anita Clegg to Billy and Carrie Labonte. Both families, the new and old owners, live in Smithers, and both have a strong connection to the wild land and wild rivers in northern B.C., so no major shift in attitude is expected. “Anita and I believe the Labontes are a perfect fit for the furtherance of  the steelhead camp, and for the continuation of stewardship efforts on behalf of wild watershed values,” says Pierce, who has long fought to protect the wilderness values of the Babine River. “Billy and Carrie have much experience in wild places and their combined angler/hunter-guiding skills well suit them for serving our guests.  They will create their own goodwill and legacy given time to learn the ropes and make their own strategies for stewardship.  Billy already has the benefit of many years of steelhead guiding at the Silver Hilton Lodge; Carrie, in association with her father, well-known guide-outfitter Ray Collingwood, has contributed to her family’s business for years.  Together they have the skills and connections to keep Norlakes a top rated steelhead destination for years to come. “ Pierce and Anita have run the fabled camp since 1986. Before then it was in the hands of Ejnar and Joy Madsen, a pioneering family that built the original rustic riverside steelhead camp around 1965,  12 years after they took over the Babine Norlakes Trout Lodge. The trout camp is on Babine Lake which, at 110 miles, is the longest natural lake in the province. In...

Book Review by Mark Hume Babine River – A 50-Year Celebration of a World-Renowned Steelhead and Trout River. By Pierce Clegg & Peter McMullan. Frank Amato Publications Inc. Perhaps it took new comers to see the true value of a great river that British Columbians had been taking for granted for too long. Everyone who has fished the Babine knows that it is a wonderful river, but it took Pierce Clegg, who moved to B.C. from Corvallis, Oregon in 1986 and Peter McMullan, who emigrated to the province from Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1971, to put together a book that brings the greatness of the river into focus. Pierce, who runs Babine Norlakes Trout Lodge and Steelhead Camp, and Peter, a veteran journalist and skilled fly fisherman, make a formidable team. With Pierce’s great knowledge of the river and a lifetime of contacts through his guides, guests and fishing companions, and Peter’s writing skills, dogged research talents and passion for rivers, they made a great combination and produced a richly detailed book that stands as a tribute to the Babine. Peter first went to the river to research a magazine piece, but as he fished the waters with Pierce, and talked about the Babine’s history and the threats to its future he realized he needed to do a lot more than knock off one piece. As they waded and fished together they plotted out the idea for a book, shook hands on the riverbank and then worked on it for years. The concept for the book really shouldn’t have worked. The idea was to get a whole bunch of different people to tell their stories about the Babine. But for a book to be compelling, it has to have a strong narrative arc, and...