The Mighty
Columbia River
Wild
Rainbows in BC’s “Wild, wild West”
 The
Columbia River, in BC’s interior, is home
to one of the finest, yet unexploited, trout fisheries
in the world. Tens of thousands of large wild
rainbows swim these waters, just waiting to sip
on your fly! The section of Columbia R. that flows
from Castlegar, BC to the US border is one of
the last free-flowing stretches on this large
and beautiful system. The dams that feed this
river provide a year round fishery. This is a
large river that is best navigated with a jet
boat, which greatly increases your fishing success.
Dry Fly Fishing Times
 The
fly fishing methods used for these wild trout depend
on the time of year that you will be visiting. The
months of May - October provide dry fly action,
with the best fishing period being from the end
of June to the end of August. The caddis hatches
have to be seen to be believed! Other insects that
the fish target are mayflies, cicadas, flying ants,
and stoneflies. The dry fly game is best played
with a 9ft 5-6 weight rod, with floating lines,
and long leaders tapered to 5x. The sight of so
many large fish showing themselves so readily will
leave you shaken at first, but you will be challenged
as you start picking out the fish that you want
to target. This can be a very exciting time to fish,
as you watch with anticipation, as the large rainbows
rise to the surface to feed. This fishing is best
done with two anglers in the boat, as you will be
fishing the large back eddies and drifting in the
boat as you are casting.
Wet Fly Fishing Times
 The
Columbia, being a tailrace fishery, is fished from
August, through the winter months, and into May.
Many of the largest fish are taken during the spring,
when these bruisers, weighing up to 10lbs, are feeding
heavily on the baitfish and large stonefly nymphs.
You’re not going to catch 10lb fish every
day, but they do average a very hefty 4-5lbs! Even
the smaller fish will leave you breathless. Sometimes,
all you can do is watch your line disappear from
the reel as the fish swims for the other side of
fast flowing river. One of the favored techniques
is the use of spey rods, which help you, get a little
more distance on this wide river, and also aid in
the mending of your long line. You will be swinging
your fly as you would for steelhead…down and
across… and the take of these brute, fish
will surprise you every time! The lightest tippet
that you will be using for this type of fishing
will be 10lbs, as anything less will have you being
broken off. The favored flies are sculpin and baitfish
imitations, stonefly nymphs, and any of the popular
steelhead and Atlantic salmon flies, which can be
effective as well. Single hand rods can also be
used, but you must go up in size, with 8-9 weight
rods in the 9-10ft range being the most useful.
There are three main types of Trout
that reside in the system. Gerrad, Cutbow and Redside,
along with some triploids that enter from the US
side of the river. Our professional guide, Bruce
Kruk, is a very well respected Spey caster and an
equally accomplished single-hand angler. He will
guide you to the fish aboard his center-console
jet boat, which is perfect for fishing 2 anglers
in the large back eddies of the river. When swinging
flies from shore, we can comfortably accommodate
three anglers and the fishing gear. If you would
like some tips with your Spey casting, Bruce will
be more than happy to help, teach and explain!
 If
you like to fish on uncrowded and pristine waters
for wild, large and hard-fighting trout, then the
Columbia River is a fly fishing adventure that you
must experience. Not to mention the unbelievable
and breathtaking scenery.
For more information on booking
this Adventure with us or adding it to your existing
trip please contact us. we can arrange flights (approx.
1.5 hours) from Vancouver International Airport.
For the more adventurous and mobile angler, it is
a scenic 6 hour drive from our location in Chilliwack
BC.
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