Important — Freshwater Bookings
All freshwater charters are booked exclusively through Coastal Wilderness Adventures.
Justin guides these trips as an assistant angling guide with their team. Please visit their site directly to enquire and book.
VISIT COASTWILD.COM
Freshwater Fly Fishing Charters
We regularly fish over a dozen river systems in the Campbell River area, all within a day trip from the city. Depending on the time of year and conditions, our days will be spent rafting, jet boating, or accessing the river on foot, and the techniques and target species will shift accordingly. We target all five species of Pacific salmon, along with Cutthroat trout, Rainbow trout, Dolly Varden char, and both summer and winter Steelhead. We fish essentially year-round, and at the right time it’s entirely possible to land multiple species in a single day.
SPECIES & SEASONS
What We Fish For
Rainbow Trout May – July
Resident rainbow trout inhabit the mountain streams and lakes of Vancouver Island, often in remote, hard-to-reach water. These wild fish live in some of the most scenic river valleys we fish. Clear, cold water and surrounded by temperate rainforest and towering mountains. The most notorious dry fly targets. Spotting a rise, selecting the right fly, and watching it disappear in a sip is one of the purest experiences in fly fishing.
Pink Salmon Late July-Sept
Our primary freshwater target through late summer. When the pinks return they arrive in massive numbers — the rivers fill with thousands of these feisty 3 to 7 lb salmon, and on a good day there are fish in every run. They take a drifted or stripped fly well and fight hard on light tackle, making for some of the most consistent action of the entire season. Primarily walk-and-wade, unless summer rain brings the rivers up enough to float.
Summer Steelhead May-Oct
The region’s classic sport fish — the fish of Roderick Haig-Brown. Summer steelhead ascend our steep mountain rivers from late May through October. In the low, clear water of summer we stealthily fish with single-hand rods and floating lines — skating and dead-drifting dries, swinging the classics, or dead-drifting nymphs. After the rains of early fall we can swing sink tips with two-handers in some of the larger systems. Catch rates are low by design — a fish per day is a genuine success — but the pursuit is well worth the work. This is walk-and-wade fishing, and some of the pools we access require a reasonable level of physical fitness to reach.
Chum Salmon Mid Oct-Early Nov
Chum arrive in our river systems with a clock ticking. Fresh from the salt, they ripen quickly once in the river, trading their silver flanks for dramatic tiger stripes — a transformation that makes every fish a striking catch. Don't let the name fool you. Chum are aggressive, hard-fighting fish that will confidently smoke a swung fly, making them a favourite among anglers who love the classic swing and pull of a tight line.
We fish Chum with single-hand 10-weights or 8-weight Spey rods — gear that can handle the power of a fresh fish in big water. Access is by jet boat and raft, putting you on the best water the river has to offer.
Cutthroat Trout May – July, Oct
Sea-run and resident cutthroat are present in nearly every system we fish. Aggressive, meat-eating fish that are anything but picky — they'll eat dry flies floated through riffles, chase down stripped streamers, or hammer a swung pattern with surprising violence for their size. What they lack in selectivity they make up for in attitude, making them one of the most enjoyable species we target on the fly.
Coho Salmon Late July-Oct
Entering the rivers from late July through October, Coho are targeted from the raft or shore. These fish — ranging 5 to 15 lbs — will chase down and attack a stripped fly and are the most acrobatic fighters in the area. Sight fishing from the boat and watching the chases, refusals, and takes is one of the most rewarding fisheries we have. In certain conditions there are also opportunities to fish two-handed spey rods for these fish.
Winter Steelhead Dec-April
Winter steelhead enter nearly every drainage on the island from November through May, though we focus from December to mid-April — with favourite windows in late January to mid-February, and mid-March to mid-April. In most cases we will be swinging flies with two-handed fly rods, though on some of the smaller creeks we can target them with single-hand rods. This is a highly condition-dependent fishery where water temperature and discharge play a huge role. As with the summer runs, an encounter a day should be considered a huge success. Winter weather here is variable, and that’s part of the adventure. Most fishing is accessed by raft and jet boat, with anglers fishing from shore.
Dolly Varden char and Chinook salmon aren’t primary targets on our freshwater trips, but when the opportunity presents itself we take full advantage. That’s part of what makes every day on these rivers different.