Top 3 Fly Fishing spots near Vancouver BC
Are you keen on Fly Fishing? Well so are we! We’ve been fly fishing some of the Best places within a few hours of Vancouver since the early 1990’s.
If you've got the bug for the tug fortunately there are a myriad of fly fishing options quite close to the city of Vancouver.
In this article we’ll focus on freshwater locations. British Columbia has an endless supply of top fly fishing destinations so it’s no surprise there’s a ton of them near Vancouver.
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Top fly fishing destination #1 - Upper Pitt River
May 15 to July 7
Unbeatable Fly Fishing Experience!
Without a doubt this is the Best Trout Fly Fishing available in Vancouver, British Columbia. Why you ask? For us it’s the combination of a super scenic jet boat ride up Pitt Lake, into the upper Pitt River and a fly fishing venue that is comparable to some of the best places on Earth! Glacier capped mountains dominate the scene here along with some old growth rainforest settings. Sure the scenery is great but the fishing is equally as good if not better.
Getting Here
There’s only 2 ways to get here. Jet boat or helicopter. That’s unique as it’s only 70 minutes from downtown Vancouver. The lay of the land is the reason. Rugged coastal terrain that prevent road access.
The Fly Fishing
Now about the Trout fly fishing here. The upper Pitt River is host to a enormous Sea-run population of Bull Trout that start their journey into the river around mid May every year. This usually goes into mid July. Weather patterns play a key role here and late Spring to mid Summer offer ideal conditions for this. We limit our trips hre during this peak time.
Upper Pitt River Bull Trout tend to average 2-5 lbs but fish over 10 lbs are not uncommon. These Bull Trout are typically bright silver, indicative of the sea-run status.
Need a Guided Trip Here?
Our Pitt River fly fishing trips include all high end fly tackle, waders and a good offering of hearty organic food to fuel your day.
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Top fly fishing destination #2 - Squamish River Pink Salmon Fly Fishing
July 10 to September 1(odd years only)
This could be described as rather easy fishing. The kind where fish seem to jump on your line! Imagine a river stuffed with Salmon and your fly swings right in front of them over and over for hours.
Location:
Getting here requires a 55 minute drive northward from Vancouver on the scenic Sea to Sky highway. Like most fly fishing locations in the Vancouver region, the Squamish River is a typical West Coast setting. Surrounded by glacial capped mountains over 7,000 feet, rainforests and wildlife such as Elk, Deer and Black Bear. It’s no wonder that just being here brings new life to the soul.
The Fish and Method:
Pink Salmon will average 4 – 8 lbs but they can get up to 14 lbs. They are only hours from the Pacific Ocean and thus offer tremendous scraps on 7-8 weight fly gear. Swinging flies or stripping both work using floating line and sink tip. Any Pink coloured fly in sizes 2 to 8 can work.
All our fly fishing trips include the finest tackle available and we can provide hotel pickup from Vancouver.
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Top Fly Fishing Destination #3 Fraser Valley Salmon Fly Fishing
October 7 to November 7
The Fraser River Valley is on our list of Best Fly Fishing places near Vancouver because of one primary factor. Variety of locations and species within this region. There are 5 river systems in the area and 5 Pacific Salmon to choose from. Chum, Coho, Pink are the main salmon that are easy to get while flyfishing here. There’s also Chinook and Sockeye but they’re much tougher to get on the fly.
Location:
The Fraser River Valley encompasses a large area 1 hour east of Vancouver. It includes communities like Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Agassiz. The valley is surrounded by the Cascade range of mountains that are the source of many productive tributaries feeding into the Fraser River. 7,500 ft mountains can be seen in the backdrop on clear days.
The Fishing:
Salmon will be available to catch when they return from the Pacific ocean to spawn. Prime time is October and into early November every year. In odd years there will be Pink salmon in September.
With a jet boat we can access dozens of hot spots on the Fraser River and it’s tributaries. We will fish on the Fraser, Harrison, Vedder, Nicomen, and Stave rivers.
The art of fly fishing is complex at times, especially when you’ve got such variety here. What to use?, how to use it? Where? When? These are all questions that can be answered by a professional fly fishing guide or tackle shop staff.
Keep 'em tight!
Brian Mack - Silversides Fishing
