Eagle River, British Columbia

[Fingerling]

I am wondering if anyone tuned into this forum knows anything about the Eagle River in BC. It parallels Hwy 1 for quite a stretch between Revelstoke and Sicamous. Can it possibly be as juicy as it looks? I didn't see a single angler on it but it appears to be ideal trout/salmon habitat. Any information regarding this would be helpful. Thanks.

Fingerling

[eagleflyfisher]

I've seen spawning salmon , it has to be 400 k from the salt ?
Looks brutal to wade.
It does look juicy.
We have always stopped off highway at that huge boulder and watched fish.

[Mr Flyguy]

Salmon fishing prohibited in the Eagle.

Trout and char release.

No bait downstream of Griffin Lake.

It's all in the BC regulations guidelines.

Probably a good bet in the fall/late fall with an egg fly!

[Darren N]

I'll be heading there next week - I have pre read the regs with getting my BC lic...

Where it says Salmon fishing prohibited - does that mean you are not "supposed" to just target the salmon alone? If you happen to catch one fishing for something else what does that mean?

[ÜberFly]

As long as you are not specifically targeting them. You will inadvertently hook them, but you'll have to break the line...

[professori]

Originally Posted by ÜberFly

As long as you are not specifically targeting them. You will inadvertently hook them, but you'll have to break the line...

You can try to break off, but it is permissible to land them and properly release them.

[Darren N]

I would prefer to do that rather than cut my line. You are not going to cut your fly line and cut the tippet anyway- but if your that close to the fish I would quickly unhook him.

I guess holding him up for a photo and posting it on these threads with all my fly friends would be unethical. Kidding - just kidding. relax

[Jayhad]

I've been fishing that area in the fall since '92. The river isn't great with resident trout population, but when the salmon come in you will find large rainbows that follow the salmon from the lake up the river. I know a couple of guys that have drifted the eagle and they do well in the fall.

Flesh flys and eggs

As for "catching" salmon, well you will probably snag some but they aren't feeding and so you typically won't "catch" any, sometimes you will you floss them. I just point my rod at them and bust them off it is a far better option than turning your 4wt into tomato sticks

[Flieguy]

as long as your not flossing or fishing really flashy streamers nobody in their right mind is going to accuse you of targeting the salmon. Just use an egg pattern or egg sucking leech.

if you do happen to hook a salmon, just land and release it as quickly as possible

[Fingerling]

Thank you all for this clutch of responses! In the early 80s, I watched salmon in the stream from that boulder by the road, as well. Now I just want to catch and release a few trout or char. Next time (next year?) I'll know what to anticipate.

[Darren N]

Originally Posted by Flieguy

as long as your not flossing or fishing really flashy streamers nobody in their right mind is going to accuse you of targeting the salmon. Just use an egg pattern or egg sucking leech.

if you do happen to hook a salmon, just land and release it as quickly as possible

So if I do see Salmon at this time of year then an egg pattern would be first choice. If I dont see Salmon still good to use an egg pattern? sorry a bit of a newb to interior BC fishing...

[Flieguy]

Originally Posted by Darren N

So if I do see Salmon at this time of year then an egg pattern would be first choice. If I dont see Salmon still good to use an egg pattern? sorry a bit of a newb to interior BC fishing...

you CAN use an egg pattern with no salmon and it often works. you could also use a fry or smolt pattern, or any other flies you'd typically use in a river might work just fine

[Darren N]

Originally Posted by Flieguy

you CAN use an egg pattern with no salmon and it often works. you could also use a fry or smolt pattern, or any other flies you'd typically use in a river might work just fine

Cool thanks - I even got some leach sucking patterns.

[professori]

Fry patterns aren't particularly effective in the fall. If there aren't spawning salmon around yet, the same nymphs and dries as you would use on Albert streams will do just fine on BC waters. Remember though that you can only use 1 fly. No hopper/dropper set-ups west of the Rockies. (I think it sucks too)

[Bhflyfisher]

Bulls.