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[fishingIsCool]

Hi all,

I've recently started fly fishing, and I was wondering if there are any trout streams or small rivers for fishing. I know that there are small trout at the Capilano, but the only ones I have seen are very small. If there is anywhere within a 2-hour drive of Vancouver that would be great.

[sbc hris]

Hello,

Most streams that aren't an extremely steep gradient, or extremely polluted will hold some trout. Be sure to check the regulations though, as many are closed or have restrictions.
As a general rule, the farther you get from town, the better the fishing will get. The Skagit (currently closed until summer I believe) would be close to 2 hours from Vancouver, and is the most well known trout stream around, but with the washouts on the road it may be inaccessible for quite some time. There will be plenty to explore though, within 2 hours of Vancouver, and the exploration and discovery are half the fun!

Cheers

[fishingIsCool]

Thanks! I will definitely check it out.

[RalphH]

Pacific Angler - A Tackle Shop on East Broadway, issues a fishing report each Friday. Past reports are archived here:

https://www.pacificangler.ca/category/fishing-reports/

if you peruse these you will find reports on some streams such as the Skagit, Squamish & Cheakamus, Birkenhead, Stave and Harrison that will give you information on timing and what to use.

There is also general information on this website: http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/region_two/index.html though some may be out of date since it was compiled several years ago. Most trout fishing happens in spring and fall with some streams being good summer or winter bets.

Within 2 hours of Vancouver (say to about Hope or Pemberton) most trout fishing focuses on lakes. That's mostly true for BC with some notable exceptions.

I hope that helps.

[fishingIsCool]

That helps a lot,

I never knew that the Cheakamus was fishable after that chemical spill.

[Roderick]

The chemical spilled was sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which killed the fish downstream of the spill pretty fast.  But once it's diluted enough it's totally gone and there are no lingering effects.   

[Blood_Orange]

Personally, I love the Stave in the spring and summer. Good access, lots of parking, new outhouse bathrooms, clear water, fishable in the rain, good swimming/snorkeling, not too far from town, the dam looks cool, lots of quiet spots and islands to swim to. The fishing is fair and can get quite good in the spring when the larger trout come up to eat the salmon fry.

Stay away between Sept and Dec if you value your sanity though. The salmon fishery can be quite... intense.

[RalphH]

That helps a lot,

I never knew that the Cheakamus was fishable after that chemical spill.

the 2 to 4 km directly below the dam can be good for trout in the fall, once the the water drops and clears and again in the spring before the runoff starts. I haven't fished it in years but I recall very good dry fly fishing for trout up to about 12 inches. There were and may still be some sizable bull trout as well. The lower part will have bull trout as does the Squamish and even the Mamquam.

[Speyfitter]

I would definitely get out to try the Skagit. It's a true trout stream fishing experience. It opens on July 1st til October 31st but most years it's too high to really fish until at least around Mid to late July due to the Spring freshet.  You can fish it in two areas - Park at Sumallo Grove which is the confluence of the Skagit & Sumallo rivers and walk down the trail til you find a spot or drive down the Silver-Skagit valley FSR til you hit the 26 mile bridge and you can park and then fish out of one of the day use sites (some require a longer walk via trail then others). The only issue is the latter option, apparently the road was washed out during the November floods in places and who knows when it will be repaired (anyone know?). So keep that in mind.

As far as fish you have rainbow trout which are smaller (10-14") or bull trout (2-6 pounds with the odd one bigger).  If you had to have one rod I'd say a 6 weight. If you have a 3-4 weight (rainbows) and a 6-7 weight (bull trout) you will be covered more appropriately.  The bugs can be REALLY bad at times so keep that in mind.

Search this forum and others (flybc) and you will find reference to all kinds of past discussion and info on the Skagit.  And watch for Bears!  Best of luck.

[fishingIsCool]

Has anyone tried lynn Creek? I hear there are some small trout there.

[Fish Assassin]

Has anyone tried lynn Creek? I hear there are some small trout there.

Really small trout

[RalphH]

  You can fish it in two areas - Park at Sumallo Grove which is the confluence of the Skagit & Sumallo rivers and walk down the trail til you find a spot or drive down the Silver-Skagit valley FSR til you hit the 26 mile bridge and you can park and then fish out of one of the day use sites (some require a longer walk via trail then others). The only issue is the latter option, apparently the road was washed out during the November floods in places and who knows when it will be repaired (anyone know?).

the condition of the trail from Sumallo Grove to 26 Mile Bridge is also an unknown. Very possibly that some sections have been washed away.

[Speyfitter]

Just so you all know - there is now a BC river levels gauge on the Skagit river above its confluence with the Klesilkwa river which I presume is somewhere near Silvertip campground/ 26 mile bridge. For those wondering if the river is too high in early to late July this will give you an idea of the height and discharge of the river so you can see when it starts to drop to more friendly fishing and wading conditions.  Since this gauge hasn’t been there very long take note of the height and discharge if you go out and take note of how fishable and wadeable you feel it is.

Currently the Skagit headwaters are showing snowpack to be 126% of normal but we are only about 2/3s done the snowpack accumulation season according to the river forecast centre so this could change depending on how precipitation pans out this Spring.