Lillooet River Fishing
Fishing the Lillooet River in British Columbia is any anglers dream. Whether you are an avid fly-fisherman or you prefer spin casting, this is the river that guests from other counties have in mind when they think about the wilderness of British Columbia. We fish this river system from late August to the beginning of June.Salmon are running during the fall, trout and char year round. During those fishing trips we run rapids, some of the mild and some of them wild which only a handful of experienced guides can run with their high powered jet boats. That is what we do for a living and we invite you to join us into this magnificent wilderness area.
15th Anniversary Special in 2011. Click here for some incredible packages.
"Wilderness fishing at it`s best".
The best fishing takes place once the run off has completed the annual work or melting down the snow on the many tributaries and valleys that feeds this river system. The area effected by the run off is larger than 500,000 acres. This happens during the months of June to mid August. We go, where nobody else goes. Our boats have extra large tanks in order to push deep into this remote river system. We know every channel.
The Lillooet River carries rainbow trout, ocean going cutthrout trout and bull trout as well as dolly varden char year round and salmon from October to mid November and some salmon and steelhead runs in the spring. We typically fish all areas of the Lillooet, from the main stream all the way into tributaries where we hike in.
"A nicely colored rainbow trout took our fly just after the winter".
In March and April we fish for Chinook salmon, also known as Tyee, spring salmon or called king salmon by our American friends. We fly fish the water where those strong salmon move by. During the fall we again fish for salmon, this time for Coho salmon, also known as Silvers as well as for strong fighting chum salmon.
The area was known in the last century during the caribou gold rush as a pathway for the thousands of unfortunate gold miners, but also for the fortunate few who made it to fame and fortune and returned home.
Today, there is nothing left but pristine and untouched nature. We access the river by jet boat by crossing the 44 mile long Harrison Lake, the largest lake in south western British Columbia. When we start the journey on the south side of the lake, you can see weekend homes and signs of civilization but the further we head north-west, the sparser the sign of humans gets. Once we have half the lake behind us you start wondering what is behind the next “corner” of the lake.Waterfalls, snow capped mountains, glaciers and water fowl, in fact the largest congregation of ducks in British Columbia and bald eagles are there for you to see. Some logging camps are located on the shore of the big lake - a sign of the past glory of the once biggest and now fading industry in BC. Bobcats, cougars, black and grizzly bears, black tail deer and turkey vultures are calling this area home.
There is an old and dangerous logging road winding it`s way along that river valley for the few brave who dare to access that area by 4x4 on a journey that takes all day and perhaps longer to get back – if at all.
Bring your partner, even if he or she is not into fishing. Being a nature lover is enough to get your heart beat up a few notches during this incredible journey. Don`t forget your sun protection as well as your camera, because these are memories that last a lifetime. And we mean it.
