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[nicfillion]

Dear fishers with rods,

I'm new to the region (and to this website!) and, as the nice weather returns, I was hoping to be able to find a place to do some fly fishing within 60-90 mins drive from Burnaby. I'll do some exploration of my own when I have more time this summer, but in the meantime I was hoping some kind-hearted person here would be willing to suggest a place. Basically, I don't need it to be a dream fishing spot, just a place where you can comfortably fly fish, and hopefully can catch a few fishes (with two eyes only, if possible, so not a very polluted place). I like small streams, but it's pretty hard to find those online or from maps, since most of them are really hard to fish with a fly rod.

Thanks in advance!
Nic

[zap brannigan]

The reason their hard to find info on is because most are pretty quite about small streams and systems because most around the region are sensitive/endangered, so if you get a lack of info it's not because no one likes you it's because people choose not go talk about them, especially on an open forum.

[ALBA CHIEFISH]

any of the Squamish tribs should be good to though a fly over. a bit over your time limit but worth it for the scenery, even if the fishing can be slow. tight lines.

[Rodney]

Coquitlam River, Allouette River, Kanaka Creek, Suicide Creek on the North side of the Lower Fraser River. South of Lower Fraser River, you have Little Campbell River, Serpentine River, Nicomekl River. In North Vancouver, Seymour and Capilano River. Squamish River and Cheakamus River have plenty of braided channels where you can think of them as "small streams". Lots of options.

[Sandman]

All the streams in the lower mainland are within a 90 minute from of Burnaby, and most of them have small rainbows and cutties.  Most are a challenge to fly fish, as you are mostly high sticking/czech style nymphing due to small size of the flow and thick under story of the wooded banks, but persistence can be rewarded.

[RalphH]

Many of the streams mentioned above are closed to fishing from April 1 to June 30th (for the South side of the Fraser) or May 1 to June 30th on the north side. For much of the summer they generally offer very poor fishing - they are simply too low (these are spate streams) and too warm. If worth fishing at all you may need to be there for the early morning hours or close to dusk. Larger rivers like those in the Squamish system will be high and coloured with snow melt until it gets cooler in the fall. Fall is the prime time. The Vedder Chillwack system has an early summer fishery after July 1st for residualized hatchery steelhead smolts. Some smaller tributaries of larger rivers up the valley will have some trout fishing in summer if they are open to fishing. Farther afield the Skagit river accessed either south or east of Hope is a small river with a good trout and char fishery from about mid-summer well into fall.

Be sure to study the Provincial regs before venturing out to a body of water you have never fished before.

[HOOK]

OR you can venture to the Thompson and do some camping along with fishing. Scenery is good, trains are noisy 
scenery on the Skagit is also amazing, mosquitos however...............

[Ian Forbes]

Most of our small, coastal rivers are pretty sterile from lack of nutrients and an acidic base. They suffer from a flood-drought condition brought on by logging all the headwaters and lots of seasonal rain. The few cutthroat available are migratory and seldom around when what few insect hatches occur. There will be the occasional steelhead smolt available, but they are mostly protected by regulations during the prime April to June season.

That is why the Skagit is so popular. It is one of the few trout streams with resident trout. The Vedder-Chilliwack river has already been mentioned for its residualized steelhead. The sloughs and side channels along the Fraser are probably your best bet. Many fish just like a small stream, and occasionally you can find good numbers of feeding trout..

[nicfillion]

Thank you all of the many suggestions! I will go try some of them soon and I'll write back with results!

[nicfillion]

Thanks everybody for your help so far!

I have another question. I was reading the regulations about Coquitlam river and there's a thing that's not entirely clear to me. Before May 1st, is it allowed to fish above the Loughheed Highway bridge, say, as high as the gate on Pipeline Rd?

Also, if you want to add a bit of gravy to your answer, where/how/when do you fish this river, and is there anything to catch?

Cheers!

[RalphH]

No it is closed for all of May and June. I think some hatchery trot are released in early summer for in the city fishing. The river has a tiny run of winter steelhead, some cutthroat trout, coho and chum salmon.

[zap brannigan]

Hatchery trout aren't released in the coquitlam, can fish all the way up to the boundary signs, but there's only retention of hatchery fish between maryhill bridge and lougheed bridge from what I gather of the regs, have never seen a hatchery trout in there before but there's wild cutty and steel smolts after the river opens again so if fishing there be gentle on the little guys.

[RalphH]

Interesting - for trout I can't think of any stream in Region 2 that allows retention of anything but hatchery trout of 30cm or more whereas the Coquitlam has a slot limit for hatchery trout from 20cm to 30cm.

[jackie]

H

[nicfillion]

Stupid work kept me from trying your suggestions (I've only managed to go catch a few small rainbows in Como lake and Lafarge lake), but now I'll go work on that! Jackie I'll write to you later after I try the places already suggested in the public thread.

Thanks everybody!