Lillooet River Fly Fishing
Fly 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. Salmon runs during fall and spring as well as a variety of trout species 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 during your stay for a trip into this magnificent wilderness area.
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 hold enough fuel to push deep into this remote river system. We know every channel.The Lillooet River carries a large variety of fish. Rainbow and bull trout as well as dolly varden char can be caught on a daily basis, unless the system is totally blown out through sudden rainfall or an extreme heat wave which carries a lot of melt water into the river. We typically fish all areas the Lillooet offers us, from the main stream all the way into tributaries where we hike in.
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 did find the yellow metal and made it to fame and fortune.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 and glaciers, a huge variety of 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 British Columbia. Bobcats, cougars, black and grizzly bears, black tail deer and turkey vultures are just a few species 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.
