I have successfully negotiated 4 or 5 fishing days on my 3 week holiday to British Columbia this year with the missus, a holiday she insists on calling a 'honeymoon'.

I'll be on Vancouver island for 4 days, in Jasper national park for 4 days, and in Banff National Park for 4 days, I'll also be travelling via Prince Rupert sound by the Skeena river.

In short I'll be fishing in each place, and will be hiring a guide for each trip, as well as all the kit as I'll be bringing nowt. Can anybody recommend accessible fishing and guides in these 4 areas? Banff looks easy enough because of the Bow river, the other three aren't so obvious as most of the fishing is tied up with lodges, which I won't be staying at.

I've posted this in a few places, no apologies for that as I need info fast!

Thank you all in advance

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Darren,

I fished the Bow near Canmore a couple of years back with a guide called Jim Dykstra - http://www.flyfishingbanff.com/

He was a top bloke with a good knowledge of the Bow thereabouts. Don't forget that the Bow is more famous for its water away downstream. Up near Banff, it runs hard with that crappy glacial milky tinge for a good part of the summer and we had to employ some down and dirty tactics to find fish. Even then, we got plagued by whitefish which was ok by me, but the locals hate them!
There are plenty of lakes in the Banff area too, but you could do with a tube to fish them well. I caught a few at Jackson lake a few miles up the road.

I think Jasper is a bit thin on the fishing front, but the coast mountains are much better. There is a hell of a lot of good fishing in the whistler area.

On Vancouver, I briefly fished the Cowichan River - very low water, very spooky fish, but good access via a fisherman's trail. I believe the Campbell and Nimpkish are also worth a try but it's a big island and some travelling could be involved. Again, loads of lakes; I had a few from one called MacArthur.

I'm sure you'll have a great time, the place is magical!

Matt

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I have only fished briefly on VI and that was chasing salmon in the sea with bait [downrigging etc] Great experience in great surroundings. I was at Tofino on the west coast of the island and stayed at Weigh West. They have their own boat dock and have guides and boats available.
The sea experience was with Jack Bauer of Tofino Charters http://www.tofinocharters.com great character and excellent value.

Good luck

Where are you going to be staying on Vancouver Island? It's over 300 miles long so you'll be restricted in where you can fish if you only have a couple of days. In Banff and Jasper the best fishing is usually in lakes during most of the summer, due to the glacial runoff as noted. The Bow river between Banff and Canmore is floated regularly and can produce good fishing outside the snowmelt period (roughly June). The Green Drake Flyshop in Canmore is one contact for guiding in the area. In all three areas, having a rental car will make a huge difference in your ability to access fishing.

I'm definately staying on Victoria for two days, the rest of the time on VI I haven't decided, but I will be working my way up to the top to catch the inside passage ferry to Prince Rupert, so will probably stay somewhere midway.

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Perhaps you should contact Carl Hutchinson as I'm sure he will have fished the East coast of VI.

Hi Simon.

I have been to VI 2006-2007 and fished in courtney and cambell river. If you need any info give me a PM.


Cheers,

Josh

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I've fished BC twice over the last few years.
Guided in mainland BC on the Fraser River,loads of money, like Paddys market on a Saturday afternoon, hoyin bits of lead 50yds.Also guided on the ocean off Tofino on VI from a boat flycasting - guide preferred trolling flies.Best fun and the cheapest was off Campbell River in the ocean, on VI,standing on a big rock as the tide can in using a 5wt and some local bought flies hitting sea run cutthroats and salmon fantastic all for few dollars for the licence.
Family happy as I was only away for a couple of hours each evening.
Drop me a pm for more info.

Feed the fish flies

I've done a fair bit of fishing up around Campbell River the last few years. There are a good number of guides if you want to go that route, but few of them are used to guiding flyfishers. You can fish off the shore anywhere you can get access, which is what I do. Starting in late June - early July the pink salmon will start moving in on the beaches, followed by the coho sometime in August. Take some small (2") clousers in chartreuse and white, or hot pink and white. Small Mickey Fins will also take coho. A floating line is all you need off the beachs, but waders are needed to get out to the fish sometimes. If you want to fish for rockfish, ling cod, cabezon, kelp greenling, etc. take some 4" chatreuse clousers and 300 grain sinking head to dredge the deeper water. Tackle, licenses and advice are all available at River Sportsman and Tyee Marine in Campbell River. Beaches to try include Willow point, Oyster Bay, Oyster River Estuary, and Miracle Beach. If you see fish jumping, get a fly in the water. If you're out in late July, you might see me with my kids chasing the pinks. Good luck. If you're passing through Calgary, we may be able to meet on the Bow or one of the other streams, since that's home for me.