Located in S.E. British Columbia, The Elk River and its tributaries are home to a wild and native population of westslope cutthroat and bull trout. The Elk River is renowned for its dry-fly fishing. The river flows through the sleepy ski town of Fernie. During the summer months, fly fishers turn Fernie into a “trout town” while discovering the awesome beauty of the area and the amazing dry-fly fishing the Elk has to offer.

The Elk River is the most easterly river in British Columbia. It begins at Elk Lakes and flows for 110 miles before entering the Kootenay River.

As it cuts through the Rocky Mountains, this mid-sized freestone river picks up nutrients and more volume from countless tributaries and has carved a spectacular valley. What draws anglers to the Elk River is non-stop dry-fly fishing for big, wild, native westslope cutthroat trout along with the chance of catching a very large bull trout.

Due to the river’s size, the Elk River is best suited to floating and has a classic make up of boulder-strewn runs, deep pools, riffles and numerous side channels. An angler can expect to fish attractor dry flies while floating and while working the various types of structure while wading.

During one of the many prolific hatches, coupled with your Elk River Fly-Fishing Guide’s vast knowledge of the river, anglers can count on plenty of head hunting … throughout the day. For anglers wanting to tangle with bull trout, prospecting deep pools and runs with weighted streamers is the norm. Some of these char can get quite large and it’s not uncommon to catch fish over 30 inches. Nymphing can also be productive and is used as a last measure during non-hatch periods.