Fishing trip to British Columbia — Canada

Ole and Carl — Chinook Salmon, Sturgeon and Rainbow Trout

A 2-week fishing trip to British Columbia — Canada can be so much more than just catching Chinook salmon. We were two keen anglers, Ole and Carl from Gladsaxe, Denmark, who joined the trip to Canada in weeks 41 and 42. Our goals were to catch plenty of big Chinook salmon and see a bit of Canada. Both goals were absolutely met.

Trip cost: flights + car hire approx. DKK 6,000, petrol + motel + B&B + insurance + food + everything else approx. DKK 9,000 — total approx. DKK 15,000.

Harrison River — British Columbia — Harrison River — flowing into the Fraser River.

Chilliwack River & Vedder River

The first week we stayed at a B&B in the small town of Chilliwack, just a few kilometres from the US border, and fished the highly productive Chilliwack River which flows into the Fraser River. All five species of Pacific salmon run up Chilliwack River, and since we were not interested in eating them, we mainly targeted the big Chinook.

Chilliwack River can be divided into three sections: the lower “Vedder Channel” from the Fraser River mouth, the middle “Vedder River” closest to Chilliwack town, and the upper “Chilliwack River” with a good gradient and fast-flowing water. The middle section had many good pools and plenty of large boulders. The locals are always very willing to share tips and techniques — and they catch a lot of fish.

Vedder River at Chilliwack — A weekend at the second bridge upstream of Chilliwack.

Chum salmon from Vedder Channel — A chum salmon from Vedder Channel caught on a small wool-ball fly.

Chinook Salmon

On the upper section we found many stretches suited to both spinning and fly fishing. We fished pools as well as very fast runs where the salmon held behind large boulders. On those spots we sometimes lost 2 out of 3 fish — but usually after a long and exhilarating fight that could end 500 metres downstream and 100 metres of line lighter. It was still great fun.

The best patterns turned out to be very simple: a small piece of red or orange wool on a bare hook. In good conditions the ideal size was a wool ball of about 4–5 mm — exactly the size and colour of a single salmon egg. After 3–4 days of fishing we each managed to land around 10 Chinook between 10 and 15 kg in a single day.

Carl with Chinook salmon approx. 12 kg — Carl with Chinook salmon — Chilliwack River.

Local angler with Chinook 10 kg+ — A local angler catching his dinner (10 kg+).

Carl with Chinook 13.8 kg — Carl with Chinook no. ? (13.8 kg).

Ole with the first Chinook of the trip — Ole with the first salmon of the trip.

Ole with another Chinook from Chilliwack River — Ole with another fine pair of Chinook salmon.

Ole fighting a large salmon downstream — Ole fighting a big salmon that has run downstream — this time the fish won.

Salmon eggs and wool-ball fly — Salmon eggs and above — a hook with a small wool ball of the same colour. This fly outfished everything else.

Tunkwa Lake — Rainbow Trout at 1,100 metres

Having come all the way to BC, you owe it to yourself to venture into the interior. We drove northwest and found a beautiful lake at about 1,100 metres elevation, packed with feisty rainbow trout. There are thousands of lakes where you can simply fish — ask the locals for suggestions in their area. In the evening we fell asleep to the sound of howling wolves, and in the morning woke to a woodpecker family drumming away, scolding squirrels and plenty of birds. We caught rainbow trout and ate them for dinner — the flesh was firm and dark red, just like the best advertisements.

Tunkwa Lake at −5 °C before sunrise — Tunkwa Lake on an early morning at −5 °C before the sun came up.

Tunkwa Lake from above — Tunkwa Lake — approx. 1,100 metres elevation.

Small bird at camp — A small bird helping itself to our overnight leftovers.

White Sturgeon — Fraser River

If you have the appetite and the budget for some truly large fish, there is a fantastic opportunity near Chilliwack — fishing for the large white Sturgeon on the Fraser River. We booked a full-day guided trip and landed 16 sturgeon between 100 and 180 cm. The two largest weighed around 75 kg and put up an absolutely thrilling fight — occasionally launching themselves clear of the water. A guided boat day costs around DKK 2,500 for a 10-hour session. All fishing is done with a single barbless hook and all fish are carefully released, as the sturgeon is a protected species.

White Sturgeon — close-up — The white sturgeon — a beautiful and powerful fish.

Ole and Carl with a Sturgeon approx. 75 kg — Ole and Carl with a sturgeon of around 75 kg — the big smiles are completely genuine.

Carl with Sturgeon on the Fraser River — Carl with sturgeon on the Fraser River.

All in all, two wet but enormously fun, exciting and productive weeks in Canada. — Carl :-)