RIVER FISHING
Dry Fly Fishing for Elk River Cutthroat
Leave your nymph box at home and float through one of BC’s finest Westslope Cutthroat fisheries
Flowing through the thriving town of Fernie, the Elk River has long been regarded as British Columbia’s premier fishery for Cutthroat trout on dry flies. These Westslope cutthroat are plentiful in the meandering waters of the Elk River, and incredibly surface-oriented. Their willingness to chase a dead-drifted dry fly is what makes this fishery so desirable for anglers all over the world. The Elk River experiences over 20 different hatches throughout the duration of a season, many of them coinciding with the next. This adds up to spectacular cutthroat fishery that remains consistent from June until the end of October. Another great addition to the Elk River are large bull trout which anglers can target using large, articulated streamers.
RIVER FISHING
Fishing The Bull River
With origins high in the southern Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, the Bull River is a classic mountain stream with a healthy, thriving population of wild westlope cutthroat trout, as well as the odd bull trout in the river’s low reaches.
There is a dam several kilometres above the confluence with the Kootenay River, which divides the Bull River into two different sections. Downstream of the dam, the river can be floated and is guided by Fernie Wilderness Adventures. The long upper reaches do have a couple sections that can be rafted, but this section of the river is more easily explored on foot. Walking and wading is a popular efficient way to fish here.
All in all, there are at least 100 kilometres of wild river to explore.
RIVER FISHING
Elusive Bull Trout are a Special Kind of Trophy
Guided fishing in Fernie’s rivers can produce unique experience
Bull trout are big, aggressive fish that attack streamers with a ferocity that will shock many fishermen. They are unique and increasingly rare predators that thrive in pristine environments. The many rivers near Fernie offer spectacular opportunity to find and catch these once-in-a-lifetime fish, all of it set against the classic backdrop and magnificence of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.