Canada Travel Advice

Canada fishing is huge and varied: Atlantic salmon, pike, musky, BC steelhead, and a lot of timing-sensitive decisions.

Canada is no small place; it is bigger than the continental United States. Its fisheries are equally diverse. Here is our quick overview of Canadian fishing beyond our British Columbia steelhead resource.

Atlantic Salmon

Canada once had an Atlantic salmon resource similar to Russia. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has not done these great fish many favors, though there are still quality rivers and operations, most exceptionally remote and protected by isolation. More than anywhere else, call us for advice on these programs.

Timing is critical. Know ahead of time that much of this is private water, so you will be fishing beats, some less than a hundred yards, for a large part of the day. That said, there are quality fisheries out there, particularly some of the northern fisheries.

Pike and Musky

We love these fish. There is something about seeing a wake from thirty feet behind your fly coming to crush a topwater pattern that makes the heart go pitter-patter-boom-boom-boom. Look at Canada on Google Earth. When it comes to lakes and slow-flowing rivers, Canada has the world beat, and that is where these great predators live.

For musky on the fly, we have just the guy. For pike, there are roughly a half dozen venues with spectacular fishing. Note that most cater to gear anglers, but many are still entertaining and can work well for the right client. Joking aside, this is a great fishery for anyone who loves aquatic predators. The only downside is that the fishing can be so good that fly anglers may not find it challenging enough for a full week.

Spring Steelhead and Salmon

Say what you will, but our perspective is that there are far better places for spring steelhead and salmon. Alaska beats BC on rainbow trout, all species of Pacific salmon, and spring steelhead. Salmon returns on the Fraser and Skeena tell a difficult story. Vancouver Island spring steelhead can be spectacular, but the runs are not healthy enough for us to promote them as a fishery.

The Lower Skeena system for spring steelhead? Please. BC has the best summer steelhead fishery in the world, but when you catch them the following spring they are often pre-spawn fish that should not be targeted when the actual spring fishery is not happening. If you are not fishing heavy, fast water, you are more than likely targeting fish that have been in the river for months or spring fish that are already bedding. They come in and spawn in roughly three weeks, and two of those weeks they may be on beds. It is not our favorite target.

We would love to recommend this fishery someday because we love BC, but right now we cannot think of a reason to target BC for spring steelhead when Alaska runs are in far better health. As always, call us and we will give you the most honest read we can.