Blue Lake Resort Photos


well as expert fly-casters. Through late summer and fall, the Harrison teems with all five species of salmon returning to spawn — most notably its trophy white chinook salmon, which can weigh in excess of 20 kilograms. Harrison, Pitt, Stave, Chehalis,


BC Sportfishing Group Photos


impressive comeback in recent years. Hooking a really big fish will often offer heart-stopping aerobatic leaps, and sometimes even require tag- team efforts from all the anglers on board to bring the monster in. The tributaries of the Fraser (like the Chehalis and Chilliwack-Vedder) are renowned for their winter steelhead fishery. These streams can be busy throughout the year, when healthy populations of resident rainbow, cutthroat, and bull trout are supplemented by summer-run steelhead, and in autumn by mature coho, chum, or chinook. Smaller waters like Kanaka Creek, or the Sumas and Alouette rivers, are ideal for family-oriented angling. Arriving in mid-autumn, mature chum or “dog” salmon (up to 20 kilograms in weight, and named for the formidable canine teeth found in the hooked jaws of bucks) are strong, gear-busting foe. Find these aggressive, mottled purple-and- green battlers in the Stave River,


34 The SPORT FISHING Guide 2012


below the Ruskin Dam, or at its mouth at the Fraser River. Water levels below the dam can quickly rise to dangerous levels whenever power is being generated, so be aware of any sudden increases in current flow when fishing the Stave.


The Harrison and Pitt rivers, two big tributaries of the lower Fraser, also offer good fishing. With only limited boat- or air-access, the upper Pitt River experiences very light fishing pressure, and can present some of the finest wilderness fly- fishing in western Canada. You’ll find excellent chances of tying into a trophy Dolly Varden char, salmon, or trout (rainbow, cutthroat, and steelhead). During the spring, massive


schools of recently hatched Harrison River salmon smolts head toward the sea. These small fish are easy pickings for predatory cutthroat trout. The Harrison’s wide banks are accessible by road, and its wadable shoreline, with sedate currents, is perfect for beginning spin-casters as


and Alouette lakes lie north of the Fraser River. Trolling on these big lakes requires a seaworthy craft that can handle rough water conditions, which can come up whenever strong thermal winds unpredictably surge through. As an alternative, you can try your hand at spin- or fly- casting from shore at the mouths of feeder creeks for Dolly Varden char, cutthroat, and rainbow trout. Stave and Alouette lakes also contain lake char and kokanee, while Chehalis Lake also has whitefish. At a number of pretty, smaller lakes, you can fish from shore or from a float tube. Take the Harrison West Lake Road from Harrison to Echo, Morris, Elbow, Francis, Wolf, Erroch, Weaver, or Grace lakes. Northeast of Harrison Hot Springs, Trout, Hicks, and Deer lakes are worth a visit, along with Rolley Lake near Mission. There’s good fishing for cutthroat and rainbow trout at all these lakes. You can also catch tasty whitefish and catfish (brown bullheads) at Morris and Erroch. Chilliwack and Cultus are larger lakes on the southern side of the Fraser, and are home to rainbow, cutthroat, and steelhead trout, Dolly


VANCOUVER COAST & MOUNTAINS


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