Elk Valley fly fishers are predicting a bumper season after a warm May increased snowmelt and quashed fears of a late start.
Anticipation in the fly fishing community was building as anglers waited for Kootenay waters to open on June 15.
Kootenay Fly Shop and Guiding Company owner Gordon Silverthorne initially feared the season would be delayed due to the long winter.
“The way it’s looking, shaping up it’s going to be a really good year, an earlier year, when everybody was thinking it was going to be a later year because of the snowpack,” he said.
“That’s how quickly weather can impact it.”
Kootenay Fly Shop and Guiding Company offers guided tours and accommodation packages, and its clientele include Europeans, Australians and Kiwis, as well as Canadians and Americans.
Silverthorne has been fully booked every season for the past three years and this year is looking no different.
“I’m almost fully booked before the season starts… The schedules are already mostly all at 90 per cent, probably 95 per cent booked,” he said.
The main freshwater fish species in the Elk Valley are cutthroat and bull trout as well as Rocky Mountain whitefish.
There are also kokanee and rainbow trout to be found further south.
But it’s the westslope cutthroat fishery that draws anglers from all over the world to the Elk Valley.
“This is the top cutthroat fishery in North America and one of the reasons for it is the strain of fish have not been compromised in any way,” said Silverthorne.
“In North America, a lot of these fisheries have been lost, in Idaho, Montana… It’s that last little realm where they’re still really wild and the quality of the fishery is the best in North America.”
“We have some of the largest cutthroat that I’ve ever seen recorded, of pure strain,” added retail clerk and avid fly fisherman, David Rebantad.
“Both the Wigwam and Michelle Creek offer above average sized fish, in about the 16 to 20 inch range, consistently, which is really special.”
A freshwater fishing licence is required to fish streams in the Kootenay region, which are closed from April 1 to June 14 with some exceptions.
Many East Kootenay rivers and their tributaries are Classified Waters and require a supplemental Classified Waters Licence.
Anglers must only use single barbless hooks and the industry strictly practices catch and release.
Silverthorne said fly fishing was a relatively inexpensive sport to participate in and fostered good land stewardship.
“It keeps people really aware of the environment and water quality and how it’s important to us all… This is a really great spot to learn,” he said.
“You honestly can’t find a better place to learn to fly fish. And it’s not a really challenging fishery, some fisheries are really hard, they get a lot of pressure, the fish get smart… Here’s it’s not like that, it’s relatively easy, so it’s a great place to learn.”
Rebantad urged anglers to follow freshwater fishing regulations and to practice good fishing etiquette, monitoring water temperatures and keeping any fish they catch in the water.
“If you’re going to do the Instagram social media picture thing then keeping them in the water is really important and I think looks cooler anyway,” he said.
“Making sure your hand is wet before touching the fish, they really need that coating on them to stay happy. There is a little bit of etiquette that people can practice that really increases our fishery.”
For more information, visit Env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations.
Fly tying key to luring young anglers
A passionate fly fisherman hopes to boost interest in the sport among younger generations through the art of fly tying.
David Rebantad was born and raised on the west coast fishing for salmon and steelhead before moving to Fernie for the winter.
“I came here like everybody else for a season about six years ago… and stayed for the spring and discovered the best fly fishing destination in the world just so happens to be this town,” he said.
“I never looked back after that.”
Rebantad landed a job at Kootenay Fly Shop and Guiding Company, and spends his spare time fishing local waters for trout and whitefish. He has noticed a big disparity in age among fly fishers.
“I see a big disconnect with the younger group… so I’m trying to fix that, I’m trying to figure out how I can connect, especially younger people, with fly fishing and I think fly tying is a really good way to do that,” he said.
“I’m trying to communicate with the high school and start a fly tying club, as well we’re trying to organize drop in fly tying.
“If you were never shown how to do it, where do you start? So just letting kids know there are people who would give everything to come here for a day and these kids get to see that every single day.
“Just getting people off their phones and connecting themselves with nature.”
Fly fishers use hand-tied flies that resemble natural invertebrates, baitfish and other food organisms, or lures to provoke the fish to strike.
Rebantad admits that while fly tying isn’t for everyone, he believes it enhances anglers’ connection with the sport and is the key to attracting more young people.
“I think it’s really rewarding to be able to sit down with your son or your brother and tie a few then go to the river and catch a fish with something that you’ve created,” he said.
“Personally, the reward of that is exponential… It’s all about just connecting yourself to nature, it’s relaxing, it’s therapy.”
Anyone interested in learning more about fly fishing or fly tying can contact the Kootenay Fly Shop and Guiding Company at 877-423-4483.
