Vancouver island Fly Fishing
Quality on the water
At Avid Angler we offer a top notch experience from start to finish throughout all aspects of the day. We offer full day drifts, and walk and wades. We guide many rivers allowing us to create custom multi day packages to suit any angler of any skill level. All our equipment is top end and well taken care of. We can supply rods, reels, and flies. We can provide a hearty homemade lunch. Some sizes of waders are also available. You'll be on the water with an experienced Vancouver Island fly fishing guide. Feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to answer any additional questions you have. Come fly fish Vancouver Island with us!
Full Day Cowichan Float
$600 - $650
Full day float in raft or drift boat for 1 or 2 anglers. $650 CAD Includes a hearty homemade lunch. $600 CAD doesn't include lunch. Prices include tax but do not include gratuities.
Walk and wade Streams
$675
Flat rate of $675 CAD for either 1 or 2 anglers on various systems. Walk and wades do not include lunch. Price includes taxes.
BC fishing licenses and gratuities not included in price.
Guided Cowichan River Fly Fishing
Swinging Perfect Steelhead Water
The Cowichan River is our home river. One of British Columbias first heritage rivers offering not only the best trout fishing on Vancouver Island but great salmon runs and a good winter steelhead fishery. A nutrient rich river that boasts a healthy population of Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout as well as the occasional Cutthroat. The Cowichan River Brown Trout fishery is the best in BC, giving you not only the opportunity to catch a British Columbia Brown Trout but potentially a good sized one. We have 3 different drifts we do depending on the season and target species. We drift with a top of the line Hyde Low Pro XL drift boat or a 13' raft depending on water conditions. Our season runs from November into June. Let one of our Cowichan River fly fishing guides show you this amazing river! The Cowichan as well as many other Island fisheries close during the summer due to low warm water conditions.
SEASONS
Our season starts in November when Salmon have fully filled the river. Trout fishing in November and December can be absolutely amazing. Fishing egg patterns and streamers can produce amazing trout fishing for both rainbows and browns. Resident fish as well as lake drop downs stage behind salmon to gorge on eggs. At no other point in the season are the trout in as incredible fat condition. Theres also often the opportunity to catch well conditioned Coho Salmon. This great fall trout fishing carries well into January.
The winter months of January, February, and the beginning of March offer some very interesting opportunities. We fish the middle/lower river at hopes of intercepting a fresh Cowichan River Steelhead. This season is from January to the middle of March. As of March 15th we leave the fish alone to spawn. These winter Steelhead are often chrome powerhouses that can give any angler a run for their money. Its not easy work but we put in the hours and work hard in hopes of finding one of these amazing fish. Chasing Steelhead with a spey rod is a passion of ours and we love every minute of it! However this doesn't completely draw our attention away from trout fishing in the upper river. Nymphs, egg patterns, and streamers are all utilized. Lake run and resident rainbow trout are very abundant in the upper river as they prepare for spring spawning. If your'e looking for a trout oriented trip we suggest before February 10th. The rainbows start to spawn mid February with spawning activity peaking mid March. However during this time we will do streamer fishing trips focusing on Brown Trout. This is best in March. We're blessed on the island to have a fairly mild winter. Trout activity often more closely resembles spring fishing. Never overlook winter fishing. It can be the quietest time on the river and quite often the fishing is great.
Spring time on the Cowichan is a fly fisherman's paradise. Salmon fry are hatching and the Cowichan River Brown Trout are on the hunt. We love fishing streamers and searching for these awesome fish. If thats not your game then spring brings other great hatches as well. The air can often be filled with Western March Brown Mayflies and Caddis flies. These prolific hatches bring eager trout to feed on the surface. This is our dry fly season! Everything is alive and the weather is often amazing. This is an all around great time to be on the water. It also provides the most consistent river conditions.
Cowichan River fly fishing is an amazing experience. It is by far our favourite Island fishery and we would love the opportunity to show you why!
Cowichan Lake Trophy Cutthroat
$650 - $700
Full days fishing for 1 or 2 anglers. $700 Includes a hearty homemade lunch. $650 doesn't include lunch. Price includes taxes but does not include gratuities.
During the winter and early spring months we love to fish the lake in search of large Cutthroat Trout. These fish can range anywhere from 16" to 26" with 20" to 23" fish not uncommon. This is a trophy fishery and results aren't always guaranteed. This is true hunting. We typically anchor and cast for these fish while sometimes utilizing trolling to search the fish out on tougher days. This is one of only a handful of places that hold coastal cutthroat this large. These trips are limited and I only do a few of these a season. We do this out of a 14' welded aluminum with a 25 hp outboard. Another great program we offer is late spring fishing for rainbow trout. During May the lake temperature rise and we often find good dry fly fishing for rainbow trout in the shallows of the lake. This can be a technical but fun sight fishery.
