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TRIP REPORT -
FERNIE: RIVERS AND STREAMS
THE ELK RIVER
The Elk River originates from the melting ice off of
the glaciers in Elk Lakes Provincial Park. As it
makes its way down the mountains it flows into the
Elk Lakes and down the Elk Valley, where it is
joined by many tributaries that produce some amazing
trout of their own. With over 90 miles of fishable
water the Elk River is quite possibly the best dry
fly fishing river in North America. Largely
undiscovered and still only a three hour drive from
Calgary and a two hour drive from Kalispell, the Elk
River flows through one of the most picturesque
valleys in British Columbia.
Whether you are a novice or expert, a trip to Fernie
is something you'll never forget. Casting to rising
native Westslope from our fully-appointed McKenzie
style drift boats is the best ways to see the Elk.
The drift boat allows us to move freely on the river
and access many great places to stop and wade. We
also can arrange walk & wade trips to some of the
smaller streams which are all located just a short
distance from Fernie.
Probably the one thing that keeps our customers
coming back year after year is the variety of waters
in the area. We have about 15 small streams within
about a 30 minute drive of the Elk River. Many of
these streams are full of large bull trout and
native cutthroat trout.
SMALL TRIBUTARIES
Of course we are close to popular streams such as
theWigwam, Skookumchuck and Crowsnest Rivers, but
they are just the streams that get the most
attention. It is the smaller streams, the unknown
tributaries where trails do not exist. These are the
places that we take our clients.
We suggest you bring a 3 or 4 wt rod for these
streams. Most of the banks are very wide open and we
are generally using dry flies and light tippet. Some
of these streams do require some difficult wading
but we also have a few put away for those guys that
are not able to get around like they once did. Our
clients range in age from about 11 years of age to
several clients in their 90s.
Simply put, the tributaries in the Elk Valley are
wonderful and mostly untouched.
THE WIGWAM
Whenever one of the guides get a day off there is a
good chance that they will be found roaming around
on the Wigwam River. This is arguably the most
beautiful river in the west. The multi colored
polished stones on the river bottom shimmer though
the gin clear waters. As the stream cuts back and
forth it digs deep pools and creates a perfect
habitat for the large native bull trout and
cutthroat trout. This river is a tributary to the
Elk River, but on average has larger trout than any
other stream in the Kootenays.
Your day on the Wigwam will be spent walking between
pools, fishing riffles and often sight casting to
rising trout. The hatches on the Wigwam are
incredible and very reliable as well. The drake
hatch seems to last weeks and almost every day you
can count on something emerging regardless of
weather conditions.
The Wigwam River also has the largest run of bull
trout in the west with thousands migrating upstream
to spawn in the fall. As these monsters spend the
summer months in the river they are often caught on
streamers and even dry flies at times. Every year
several of our clients hook bull trout over 10
pounds on the dry fly. During the 2004 season Jeff
Mironuck actually guided 13 different anglers into
bull trout over 27 inches on dry flies. Since the
Wigwam is only a short drive from Fernie we run this
as a day trip.
ST MARY RIVER
The St.Mary River is located only about an hour away
from Fernie and this beautiful stream is a perfect
combination of spectacular scenery and great
fishing. We offer the St.Mary as part of our regular
package and have access to six different floats on
the river, which is more than any other outfitter
around. The fishing on the St.Mary is generally best
in August and September with dry flies working for
most of the day. Westslope Cutthroat are native to
the river along with bull trout but over the past
few years more and more rainbows have been finding
their way into the system. Since access is limited
on the river, only a few outfitters have access to
the water and very few private boats will be found
floating. The solitude of this river combined with
excellent dry fly fishing makes it a favorite for
many of our returning clients and friends.
KOOTENAY RIVER
The Kootenay River was once thought of as nothing
more than a mystery. Since all the major streams in
the Kootenay Valley empty into the Kootenay River
the summer is not the time to fish here. This river
is fished best in April and May before runoff when
we experience one of the best Mothers Day Caddis
hatches found anywhere. It is common to float down
this stream and see the banks boiling with rising
cutthroat. Even with all of the exciting dry fly
action the Kootenay offers, it is the bull trout
which most of our clients are really after. Since
the water level is low and clear many of these huge
trout are caught on small streamers and nymphs. Once
you spend a couple days on the Kootenay River you
will surely be hooked into returning every spring to
this unique fishery.
Fernie – The Rivers and Streams was written by Jeff
Mironuck to provide clients of Fly Fishing
Adventures insight into the many fly fishing
opportunities in the area.
TRIP REPORT
Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
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