Canadian Rockies

You can almost step back in time when visiting the Canadian Rockies, where native cutthroat, bull and rainbow trout devour dry flies, nymphs and streamers under some of the most spectacularly rugged mountains in the world.

This is wild country with fish-filled rivers that remind U.S. anglers of simpler times—meaning Montana’s glory days, before boat-launch lines, crowded fly shops, and an army of trout bums came on the scene. But here, in the Canadian Rockies, untouched rivers offer big, wild fish and prolific hatches to match . . . in a landscape where you can still find room to roam. Maybe that’s why Montana’s fishing guides usually head north on their days off.

From the mountain peaks at Banff and Jasper, to the foothills and wheat fields in southern Alberta, this region offers something for everyone. In the south, big brown trout and rainbows stalk the Bow River and other waters. The Fernie area offers what may be the planet’s best dry-fly fishing for native cutthroat trout, along with a prolific bull trout fishery that boots out 10-pounders with regularity. You can catch big bull trout on the Kootenay and Columbia rivers, too, and you can listen to some sweet “reel music” as you enjoy nonstop action on the stillwaters around Golden and Kamloops, where a unique strain of rainbows put you into your backing in seconds. For the serious trophy trout hunter the Cariboo region hosts numerous lakes that put out rainbow trout in the 20-to 30-inch range, fish that slurp down dries during summer and crush nymphs and streamers during spring and fall.

To experience the best of the Canadian Rockies, we offer day trips, heli-camps, jet boat adventures, and traditional extended stays at well-established and elegantly rugged Canadian fishing lodges.