Last week I fished a few streams in the Grand Forks and Fernie Sparwood area. Our trip came close to being smoked out and of 9 days we had maybe 2 with some limited visibility. A planned day in a boat on Christina Lake was cancelled due to lack of visibility. The beautiful mountains around Fernie were mostly obscured.
The fishing was pretty good. The amount of available water and the lack of anglers amazes me. Around Grand Forks I spent 2 days out encountering maybe 2 anglers the first day. Not a one the 2nd. Stream levels were very low, a contrast to last year at nearly the same time when they were higher. Hatches were sporadic and most of my luck was on soft hackles and some fish taking a Royal Wulff.
Here's a photo of a typical Kettle Watershed rainbow:
It is beautifully marked and in splendid condition. If you look closely you can see the fly just below the hinge of the jaw. These fish are so vigorous, often jumping several times and even a 12 incher runs line off the reel.
At the end of that day I encountered a fish rising in water no deeper than 3 ft to a sporadic hatch of large mayflies. After 3 of 4 refusals it took the fly in a lazy head and tail rise and immediately vaulted into the air. A number of similar jumps followed;
I taped this fish at 18 inches. In superb condition, I guess it at 2lbs or better. Not my best from this area as some years back I landed one about 3 lbs. Larger fish are present. Last year I hooked & lost 3 fish that I never saw and suspected they were in the 3 to 4 lb range.
One thing I have learned about fish in the Kettle Valley watershed is that they congregate at the head of deep pools often created where swift water pushes against sheer rock or roadside rip rap. If hatches take place they move up into the riffles above the pool. Otherwise they can be caught on wet flies and small streamers from the inflow at the head of the pool.
After GF we moved on to Fernie. I fished the Elk 2 days and 1 afternoon on Michel creek east of Sparwood. The Elk was spotty though I took fish each day it wasn't stellar. The first day many people were drifting the river and I encountered another bank angler. He did only slightly better than me. The next day I didn't see a single angler. A #8 wooly bugger got me my fish the first day and small dried in the evening got me a couple on the 2nd. These were my first Westslope cutthroat.
In between those days I drove to Michel Creek and enjoyed fishing a hatch of some very small bugs (like a #18). I took some very nice cutties. This one was fairly typical:
What a little football! All the Michel Creek fish were in this condition. While westslopes don't match rainbows for fight and stamina they seem to be superb dry fly fish focusing on hatches and required all my skills to hook.
Fernie is a great little town with some good restaurants & shops. The Fernie Brewing Company makes great craft beer and ale and if you are inclined the local distillery offers tasting and some superb craft cocktails!
Our last day we drove up Fernie Park road to Island Lake Lodge. They have many km of hiking trails there so enjoyed a modest walk of about an hour beside the lake and through the Red Cedar forest. Then we had lunch at the lodge bistro. It was delicious.
Our trip also included a bit of wine tasting detours on both the drive up and back including a stop at our long time favourite Seven Stones. Owner & Winemaker George Hanson offers true vintage wines from his cellar for a not unreasonable price ($25 to $40) considering the quality.
https://www.sevenstones.caVanessa Winery right across the Highway is also a worthwhile stop.
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Topic: B.C. Southern Interior Stream fishing (Read 7197 times)