So I'm going to Fernie and fishing the surrounding streams this summer and have never been before. Rumor has it the day licenses are now twenty dollars for every stream in the elk drainage. Is this so, and other than the elk tribs. are there any other good streams near there that just require the B.C. license? I'm only sixteen so I'm on a very limited budget, i.e. cheap food, pitchin' a tent, etc. I will pay twenty a day per stream if I have to, but would love some tips and inside information! Thanks!
If you're that close to the Elk, fish it. Worth the $20 per day fee - at least in my opinion. The Crowsnest is not too far but that is in Alberta and requires a license for that province. You can also post to one of the BC fly fishing websites and get further information. There are others on this site that head up that way too. Perhaps one of them has more information than me.
The $20/day is a surcharge over and above the cost of the nonresident license, which is pretty dear in BC to begin with. I'd suggest going a few kilometers east to Alberta. The surcharge was lobbied for heavily by the guides in that part of BC to reduce crowding on 'their' rivers by keeping nonresidents, mostly from the US, from coming up and fishing on the cheap (ie, camping and not hiring guides). That's not an attitude I find appealing. The folks who are most upset, however, are from Alberta.
They have the same fee up on the Blackwater by Quesnel, BC. I recommend you don't pay it either and fish somewhere else since the quality of the fish has really gone downhill in the past years.
Wow, I didn't know that. That's interesting and sad, but I'm not surprised it came to this. I started fishing the Elk in 2000 (?). Living in Kalispell, it was an easy drive up there, cheap rooms at the hostels, gorgeous college girls from around the world, and incredible 40+ fish days on the river. It was paradise that first year. The next year, two of the national FF magazines both published articles on the Elk, and it was "discovered". And like Richard said, it was mostly Montanans going up there for easy cutthroat fishing, bringing our own boats, camping, and crowding the small river. It wasn't long before stories of tires and boats were being slashed at put-ins and motels; I never saw it, but met a few guides who clearly didn't like me. I might have fished it one more year, but haven't heard about it since. As for the surcharges, I don't know what to think about that. It's always unfortunate to see another fishery "close" down. But at the same time, the Elk is a fishery so fragile just because the fish are so stupid. I have never seen trout with so many perforations in their mouths, due to being repeatedly caught over and over and over. And these aren't small fish, either. The average fish on the Elk (back then at least) is probably 15". But there are plenty in the 18" range. Not to mention the gigantic bull trout. . . Their size just adds to the allure. Oh well, at least I still have the Blackfeet Reservation. . .
$50 for an 8 day licence, $20 per day to fish the elk, wigwam, st. marys.... a week of fishing will cost you 100.00 or so (or less if you spend a few days on non-classified creeks)..... fish a different river/stream every day, the camping is free along most of the rivers. you dont need a guide. i fished fernie for a week in sept and walked all the rivers. world class fishing with few other anglers around.
Well thanks for all the information everybody, I think I'll research all the "unclassified waters" and walk and wade those, but I will have to at least check out the Wigwam.
There aren't too many 'unclassified waters' when you note that all the main rivers in the Kootenay region "and their tributaries" are on the list.
Care to expand on that? I would have thought a fee would have increased the quality not decreased it? Have they allowed more harvest or has the habitat been degraded to cause a decline in the quality of the fish or the fishing?
The Blackwater was overrated to begin with. It was a numbers river without much in the way of big fish. There's dozens of unknown rivers in BC for every classified river that are just as good, but people don't want to take chances on what might be a bust, thus the $20/day fee for "guaranteed" quality fishing on the rivers that have been written up in magazines.
Thanks AP for the response. Most of what I read on the BW stated that the fish were not large in size but numerous in quantity. CC, I have been to Fernie a couple of times and have sent friends there too. Each trip has been enjoyable and memorable. I was surprised to see them place classified status there as typically it is reserved for steelhead rivers, and a few trophy rainbow stream (of course there are a few exceptions). I personally don't mind the classifiction status but I would hope they use the additional monies for responsible habitat management.
the wigwam is tough fishing. you can see 10 plus pound fish but they dont bite. no lead or weight on the line or fly makes it tough to get down. bring the bear spray. i would go east to the castle or livingstone. less people and cheaper.mike w
Today is the day that you will need a passport to get back into the usa. Make sure you have one if you venture north.
I already have a passport from previous backcountry boarding trips up in Kelewna. So what streams are east in castle/livingstone?
Im from Kelowna here, a great option that has not been mentioned is the Skagit river on the Canadian side. It is a wonderful stream, full of good rainbows and bulls. No extra fees needed and it is entirely within a provincial park camping is easy. For extra info head to flybc.ca and read through older posts you will find a lot of information. http://www.fishbc.com/ianforbes/skagit/skagit.phtml Cheers, Jordan
The daily extra fee for the classified waters is steep, but if you're driving that far to fish it seems OK. What bugged me was that you had to specify ONE stream per day on your classified water license even though you could easily have fished multiple streams without going much out of your way. Para-adams
See, that's what I don't like, with so many places to fish and a limited amount of time, I wanted to find the productive waters and focus my time there, instead of ONE stream per ONE day.
