About The Fish

Coho Salmon:

The most sporting of all the Pacific Salmon, Coho remain bright long after they have entered freshwater and are very quick to attack a well presented fly. Known for their aerial acrobatics and strong runs they are a wonderful fish for the fly angler. The Coho in our area average around 8 pounds with a few fish reaching over 20 pounds
SEASON: August-December

Chum Salmon:

Averaging 12 pounds Chum are known for their brute strength. These fish take a fly well and return in very strong numbers making them readily available to the flyfisher. The Chum Salmon of the lower Squamish are some of the brightest and largest Chum on the BC coast. SEASON: October

Pink Salmon:

Pinks are the smallest of the Pacific Salmon averaging around 5 pounds. The Squamish river gets a run of ocean bright Pinks every second year (only odd numbered years). These fish are very good biters and often fairly easily taken on the fly. Their numbers are such that Pink Salmon fishing is a great introduction to fly fishing for Salmon. SEASON: June-August

Chinook Salmon:

The most prized of the Pacific Salmon, Chinooks are also the largest, Whistler area fish average 15 pounds with a legitimate chance of hooking a monster over 30 pounds. We are fortunate to have unique runs of Chinook that arrive in our rivers ocean bright and are incredibly aggressive to the fly. SEASON: March-August

Cutthroat Trout (Coastal Cutthroat):

We are fortunate to have Cutthroat Trout in some of our lakes as well as sea run Cutthroat in many of our rivers. Incredibly beautiful fish the Cutthroat are known for their voracious feeding habits. Cutthroat generally range between 12” and 16” with the odd fish reaching 24”+. SEASON: year round

Rainbow Trout:

Found throughout the world Rainbow Trout are synonymous with fly fishing. The Whistler area has healthy populations of Rainbows in most of our lakes and rivers. The river Rainbows are all wild fish and are some of the prettiest and strongest fish found anywhere. Our Rainbows are built for speed with slender bodies, big shoulders and huge tails. These are truly beautiful fish that have to be seen to be appreciated. Size ranges from 8” up to 7 pounds with an average around 16” on most rivers and about 12” in most of the lakes. SEASON-year round

Dolly Varden:

One of the oldest native fish populations in BC these fish are actually Char not Trout. Bulls and Dollies are actually two different species though very closely related and not distinguishable by most anglers. These fish are very strong swimmers and voracious feeders. The Whistler area is home to some of the largest populations of these wild Char in the world as they seem to do very well in our cold glacial waters. We are fortunate to have these fish in both our lakes and rivers where anadromous Char move freely between the river and the ocean. These fish range from 12” to 12 pounds with an average of about 3 pounds.
SEASON: year round

Bull Trout:

One of the oldest native fish populations in BC these fish are actually Char not Trout. Known for their large size, these fish are very strong swimmers and voracious feeders. The Whistler area is home to some of the largest populations of these wild Char in the world as they seem to do very well in our cold glacial waters. Bull trout can be found in many of our rivers and a few of our larger lakes. Fish size usually ranges from 3 pounds up to 12 pounds. Bull Trout have the ability to move freely from fresh to saltwater so some of our rivers are home to tsea run populations which are easily identifiable by their more silver colouring and larger size.
SEASON: year round

Steelhead:

The most prized of all freshwater fish, the Steelhead is actually a sea going Rainbow Trout. Known for their beauty and strength these fish are incredibly aggressive to the fly. All of our Steelhead are wild fish and they average between 10 pounds with the odd fish near 20 pounds. This is not a numbers fishery, as with Steelheading anywhere, any fish caught should be considered a trophy. SEASON: January-May