Fly Fishing the Upper Columbia River. Rod Zavaduk

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      Upper Columbia River (British Columbia, Canada)

       Location: British Columbia, Canada, a 3-hour drive north of Spokane, Washington; 7 hours east of Vancouver, BC; or 7 hours west of Calgary, Alberta. Both Castlegar and Trail have airports with service from larger cities such as Vancouver. There are 42 miles (68 kilometers) of free-flowing water draining from Hugh Keenleyside Dam (on Arrow Lake) starting the Columbia River, with the added bonus of a mile (2 kilometers) of the Kootenay River from Kootenay Lake, below Brilliant Dam off Highway 3A or Highway 25 from Spokane to Highway 22 at Trail, BC.

      Both rivers join in the small city of Castlegar. The flows in summer vary between 30,000-150,000 cfs. In 2012, high-water flows reached 230,000 cfs; fishing was fantastic for those willing to brave the currents. There are four places to launch boats in the Castlegar area: one at Genelle and three in the Trail-to-border area. Currents are quite swift in places and not for the amateur boater. The river has a wide variety of shallow runs, small pocket eddies, and big backeddies, some over 100 feet deep. Yes, this is big water.

      The most impressive change over the past 30 years has been the cleanup of the water and shorelines by the big industries. The hatches have responded, as well as the size and quality of fish. The other draw to this fishery is the lack of fishing pressure. You can pick your spot any day or evening and seldom be challenged for the water you want to fish. It’s a fishery you will want to fish and cherish all your life.