Fly Fishing the Elk River

[mrluke1]

I plan on visiting a friend living in Sparwood, BC. He mentioned they have good fly fishing down there and I jumped at the idea. Can anyone tell me what kind of fish are in that river and give me some tips on spots and flies to use at this time of year?

[spinN'flyfish]

Cutties and big bulls. Stimies should work great

[Myles]

Chernobyl ant. Size 8. Tan or golden yellow. Fish it tight to the bank. There is good river access at the bridge crossings.

[nick0danger]

Originally Posted by mrluke1

I plan on visiting a friend living in Sparwood, BC. He mentioned they have good fly fishing down there and I jumped at the idea. Can anyone tell me what kind of fish are in that river and give me some tips on spots and flies to use at this time of year?

Expensive but worth it. make sure you read the regs carefully!

[mrluke1]

Thanks for the help guys!

[FlyTrapper]

If you are 16 or older make sure you buy your BC freshwater license (various lengths available) and you buy your Class 2 permit everyday for the water you are going to be fishing. If you get a chance to swing down by Fernie look for deep holes near bridges. Always had luck with a red and black fat albert, Cutties love them. Good luck

[Kingfisher]

Most of the streams flowing into the Elk are also "classified" waters. The Michael is one. Be sure to read and follow the regs. You will need a seperate $20 per day to add to your regular fishing license to fish each one of the tributaries. Plus remember this, if you fish 2 of the flows (say the Michael and the Elk) in one day you will need one for each. So just be careful.

I know some people have a hard time with the classified fees. I personally do not. But that's just me. I don't want this thread to get into a ****ing match about the fees. I know that it is a sensitive subjet for some. Just want MrLuke to be aware.

Now as for the fishing. There are several bridges along the highway. Each bridge will hold at least one big bull trout sitting and waiting to ambush a cutthroat. So chuck in a double bunny under any of the bridges. The Hosmer one is a good place to start from. Then work your way to Fernie and try the one by the Tims. Then head to the other end of town and try that one.

The cutthroat will not be far from the bridge. Some stupid one's stick around the bridges too. But walk up and down stream from the bridges and look for a change in current. They will generally hang around there. As for flies. As others have said a stimmy, chernobyl ant both work well. If they are fussy then try a smaller ant pattern or even a green drake pattern.

Hope this helps. Tight lines.

[GrouseRiver]

Just one brief comment to add, touching on the point made by Kingfisher regarding Classified Waters Licenses. There are 7 Classified River's in the East Kootenays and the tributary streams for each river are included in the Classified License for that river, meaning that an Elk River Classified License would allow you to fish Michel Creek without requiring an additional license. The only exception to this is the Wigwam, which is technically a tributary of the Elk but is considered separate for the purpose of licensing.

The Classified Rivers are: Elk, Bull, Wigwam, St. Mary, White, Skookumchuck and Kootenay (above the confluence with the White River).

All the recommendations for flies have been excellent. I would just add that because these fish see a lot of pressure over the course of the season, smaller patterns tend to do better later on in the year. The bigger issue in my opinion, is usually leader and tippet diameter. If you are fishing for cutthroat, I would use 5x for dries and 4x for nymphs (fish will eat with heavier line, but this will result in you seeing a lot more fish). If targeting bull trout, I would go with 2x tippet (heavier if the water is carrying a little colour).

Happy fishing! I guided on the Elk for 8 years and it is an absolutely remarkable fishery! Both shops in Fernie will be able to provide you with some good advise as well.

Best regards,

Justin Paterson - Community Ambassador

[mrluke1]

Originally Posted by GrouseRiver

Just one brief comment to add, touching on the point made by Kingfisher regarding Classified Waters Licenses. There are 7 Classified River's in the East Kootenays and the tributary streams for each river are included in the Classified License for that river, meaning that an Elk River Classified License would allow you to fish Michel Creek without requiring an additional license. The only exception to this is the Wigwam, which is technically a tributary of the Elk but is considered separate for the purpose of licensing.

The Classified Rivers are: Elk, Bull, Wigwam, St. Mary, White, Skookumchuck and Kootenay (above the confluence with the White River).

All the recommendations for flies have been excellent. I would just add that because these fish see a lot of pressure over the course of the season, smaller patterns tend to do better later on in the year. The bigger issue in my opinion, is usually leader and tippet diameter. If you are fishing for cutthroat, I would use 5x for dries and 4x for nymphs (fish will eat with heavier line, but this will result in you seeing a lot more fish). If targeting bull trout, I would go with 2x tippet (heavier if the water is carrying a little colour).

Happy fishing! I guided on the Elk for 8 years and it is an absolutely remarkable fishery! Both shops in Fernie will be able to provide you with some good advise as well.

Best regards,

Justin Paterson - Community Ambassador

Thanks for all the help Justin. I was wondering what kind of rod I should use for the Cutties and Bulls's. I have a 5/6 weight. Is that alright for this River?

[GrouseRiver]

Originally Posted by mrluke1

Thanks for all the help Justin. I was wondering what kind of rod I should use for the Cutties and Bulls's. I have a 5/6 weight. Is that alright for this River?

Hey mrluke1,

The short answer is yes, the 5/6 will be more than adequate for you, especially if you are on foot and not wanting to pack a dedicated rod for bull trout.

My personal preference was to have a 7 wt strung as a backup for bulls, just so I didn't have to strip my full set-up off my 5wt when I wanted to change from dries to streamers. If you want to minimize "down time" fishing strictly with streamers is probably your best bet, and will see you get both bulls and cutts on the same pattern. The only downside is that some smaller cutthroat can get beat up pretty badly on some streamer patterns.

Without knowing your preference for species, my suggestion would be to fish with dries or nymphs targeting cutthroat and only switch to streamers if you a) see a particularly likely piece of water for bulls or b) get a bull chasing the cutthroat on the end of your line. That method should see you catch the most fish overall, and is usually how I approach that river.

Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help where I can.

Justin Paterson - Community Ambassador

[mrluke1]

Originally Posted by GrouseRiver

Hey mrluke1,



The short answer is yes, the 5/6 will be more than adequate for you, especially if you are on foot and not wanting to pack a dedicated rod for bull trout.



My personal preference was to have a 7 wt strung as a backup for bulls, just so I didn't have to strip my full set-up off my 5wt when I wanted to change from dries to streamers. If you want to minimize "down time" fishing strictly with streamers is probably your best bet, and will see you get both bulls and cutts on the same pattern. The only downside is that some smaller cutthroat can get beat up pretty badly on some streamer patterns.



Without knowing your preference for species, my suggestion would be to fish with dries or nymphs targeting cutthroat and only switch to streamers if you a) see a particularly likely piece of water for bulls or b) get a bull chasing the cutthroat on the end of your line. That method should see you catch the most fish overall, and is usually how I approach that river.



Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help where I can.



Justin Paterson - Community Ambassador

Thanks again for all the help!