The Elk River, BC

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The Elk River, BC

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The Elk River, BC

Country: Canada

District: East Kootenays

Type: River

Location size
River: 100 km

Distance from
Calgary: 285 km
Cranbrook: 98 km

The Elk River is located in the Eastern most part of the Province of British Columbia, Canada. The River runs through the Elk Valley, and is surrounded by the beautiful Rockey Mountains. FlyFishing is the big Draw in the Summer time, while Skiing is the big thing during the winter months.

World famous Elk River surrounded by the beautiful Rockey Mountains.

How To Get There

The Elk River is located in the Elk Vally in the Eastern part of B.C. and there are many towns that can be used as central points. Fernie is the most central, but the town of Elko (South) and the town of Sparwood (North) can also be used depending on the part of the river being fished.

Best way to get there would be to Fly into Calgary Alberta (3 Hours North East of Fernie), and drive from there. The other option would be to Fly into Cranbrook (1 hour South west of Fernie), BC and Drive from there but the Airport in Cranbrook is small and flights are limited.

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Location Details

The Elk River is a long River that can be fished at MANY locations, and each location has different characteristics.

The River is a Freestone River and the size of it changes from town to town. In the Northern section (Up Stream from the town of Sparwood) the river is a smaller river or even a Large Creek. There are many great places to fish up stream of Sparwood with very rugged scenery surrounding the flyfisher during his day on the water.

Between Sparwood and Elko the river is the best, many places to fish, easy acsess. The town of Fernie is located half way between Sparwood and Elko, and is the most central spot to stay when fishing the Elk River. As for water type, you will have many different types of water in a very short distance on this wonderful river. Within a few kms, you will have tailouts, runs, pools, whitewater, seams, etc...

Access to the river around Fernie is very simple and can be accessed from the main road (Hwy #3) from MANY spots with only a short walk to get to prime fishing spots. There are also some spots where you can park and walk many miles, the choice is yours.

Flowing into the Elk River in the Town of Sparwood, there is a GREAT little Creek called the Michelle. This creek holds large Cutthroat that eagerly take to the dry fly, if you fish this area, the Michelle is a MUST!!!

Species

Elk where you will catch in excess of 50 Cutthroat Trout, and you can have the chance of catching Bull Trout up to 16lbs! Most of the cutthroat are in the 15-20" range and fight well.

Equipment

Fly Rods in the 3-7wt class are what are needed on the Elk. For the Larger Bull Trout, you will need rods in the 6-7wt class, but for the Cutthroat 3-5wt rods are perfect.

Floating lines are all that are needed here, no sinking lines are used.

Tippett in the 3-6lb range are needed as some of these fish are large and do fight hard and will use any kind of structure to hide and tangle your line.

How To Fish

FlyFishing is best on the Elk, even though you can use gear as well. The Elk River is known throughout the world as a top class dry fly river, so make sure to have Dry flies with you.

The best flies in the summer months are Grasshoppers, BWO, Black Ants, Stoneflies, PMD's. Grasshoppers in sizes 4-12 are best, while the BWO, PMD's and Ants should be smaller in the range of size 12-20. When chasing the Big Bull Trout, LARGE (Size 1-4) Bunny leech's, Clousers, etc.. are what are needed.

Practical Info

The Season Runs from June 15th thru until October 31, but the best times are Mid July to the end of September.

During the spring, run off from the Mountains blow the river out and it can rise by as much as 4 feet in one day, so it is best to avoid the Spring run off that is usually done by late June/Early July.

Most of the river is C&R, but there are sections that are catch and keep, so make sure to check out the local regulations before you fish.

The Elk River in clasified water, so you will need a special license to be able to fish it.

The 2009 Canadian National FlyFishing Championships were held in Fernie, on the Elk River and on nearby Simmit Lake (On the BC/Alberta border). This area can be great for all Flyfishers.

The beginner will have fun chasing the wonderful Cutthroat trout, while the more seasoned Flyfisher will have a challenge in hunting down the monster Bull Trout that are present in the system.

There are several fishing stores in the town of Fernie, so you will be able to pick up a fishing licence and all the tackle you need right in town.

Accomodation in the Fernie area is easy to find. The town is a Skiing destionation in the Wintertime, so there are several Hotels, Motels in Town as well as some Mid-High end condos, and cabins. Try the Best Western, Park Place Lodge, The Stanford Resort, these are all within 5 minutes of the River. For Condo's, Townhomes, etc... contact Fernie Central Reservations.

Guiding service on the Elk river
elkriver.ca
Official website for the City of Fernie
www.fernie.ca