Field Notes
International
Fishing beyond the US — destinations and how-to as we expand.
Terrace, BC
How to Fish the Skeena River and Terrace, BC: Steelhead, Chinook, Coho, and Every Technique That Works
The Skeena River system near Terrace holds wild steelhead, chinook over 60 pounds, and all five Pacific salmon — and the techniques to catch them range from Spey casting to float fishing to spin casting from the bank.
Ram River, AB
How to Fish the Ram River, Alberta: Backcountry Cutthroat Trout
Everything a fly angler needs to fish Alberta's Ram River — eager native westslope cutthroat on the dry fly, protected bull trout, the catch-and-release rules that keep it world-class, canyon access, and how to fish this rugged foothills gem safely.
Miramichi, NB
How to Fish the Miramichi River, New Brunswick: Atlantic Salmon Techniques from Spring Kelts to Fall Hookbills
The Miramichi is fly-fishing-only water for Atlantic salmon — here's every technique that works, from wet-fly swings for summer grilse to Spey casting for fall hookbills in the storied pools of New Brunswick.
Kenora, ON
How to Fish Lake of the Woods, Ontario: Walleye Jigging, Muskie Casting, Pike, and Everything That Bites
Lake of the Woods holds walleye, muskie, pike, smallmouth, and lake trout across 1,700 square miles — here's how to catch each species with the techniques that work on this massive Canadian shield lake.
Labrador, NL
How to Fish Labrador: Giant Brook Trout in the Last Great Wilderness
Everything to know about a Labrador fishing trip — fly-in, lodge-based angling for the world's biggest wild brook trout on the dry fly, plus wild Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, ouananiche, and giant northern pike.
Kamloops, BC
How to Fish Kamloops, BC: Trolling, Spin Casting, Bait Fishing, and Everything Beyond the Fly Rod
Kamloops is famous for stillwater fly fishing, but trolling, spin casting, bait fishing, and ice fishing all produce trophy rainbow trout on the hundreds of lakes surrounding this interior BC city.
Haida Gwaii, BC
How to Fish Haida Gwaii, British Columbia: Chinook Salmon, Halibut, and Coho at the Edge of the Continental Shelf
Haida Gwaii sits where the continental shelf drops into the deep Pacific, and the fishing matches the geography — chinook salmon that average 20 to 30 pounds, halibut over 100 pounds, and coho in numbers that would be unrealistic anywhere else on the coast.
Georgian Bay, ON
How to Fish Georgian Bay, Ontario: Smallmouth Bass Tactics, Pike, Lake Trout, and Multi-Species Strategies
Georgian Bay's 30,000 islands hold smallmouth bass, pike, lake trout, muskie, walleye, and salmon — here's how to catch each species with the techniques that work on this clear Canadian Shield water.
Dean River, BC
How to Fish the Dean River, BC: The World's Greatest Steelhead
Everything to know about fishing British Columbia's legendary Dean River — the world's hardest-fighting wild steelhead, the gorge that made them, the lottery draw and remote access, swinging flies on a Spey rod, and the wild Chinook of early season.
Crowsnest River, AB
How to Fish the Crowsnest River, Alberta: Dry-Fly Trout Paradise
Everything a fly angler needs to fish Alberta's Crowsnest River — wild rainbow and brown trout on the dry fly, the legendary hatches from spring salmonflies to fall BWOs, the accessible sections along Highway 3, and how to match the bugs.
Cape Breton, NS
How to Fish Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: Salmon, Stripers, and Giant Tuna
Everything a first-timer needs to fish Cape Breton — Atlantic salmon on the world-famous Margaree, wild brook trout, striped bass and mackerel in the Bras d'Or inland sea, and the giant bluefin tuna that make this island legendary.
Calgary, AB
How to Fish the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta: Techniques for Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Whitefish
The Bow River through Calgary holds 3,000+ trout per mile, and the techniques to catch them range from drift boat fly fishing to shore spin casting — here's everything you need to know about every method that works.
Algonquin Park, ON
How to Fish Algonquin Park, Ontario: Brook Trout and Lake Trout Techniques from a Canoe
Algonquin Park's backcountry lakes hold native brook trout and lake trout that respond to simple techniques — small spinners, dry flies, and light tackle fished from a canoe in some of the wildest water in Ontario.
Terrace, BC
Fly Fishing the Skeena River: Spey Casting for Wild Steelhead in Northern British Columbia
The Skeena River system near Terrace, BC holds the largest runs of wild steelhead remaining on earth, and the tributaries — Kalum, Copper, Zymoetz — are the proving ground for Spey casting and swung-fly steelhead techniques.
Kamloops, BC
Fly Fishing Kamloops, BC: Chironomids, Leeches, and the Stillwater Techniques That Catch Trophy Rainbow Trout
Kamloops stillwater fly fishing is a discipline unto itself — chironomid fishing under indicators, balanced leeches, dragonfly nymphs on full-sink lines, and dry flies to rising trout on glassy lakes that grow rainbows to 10 pounds and beyond.
Dean River, BC
Fly Fishing the Dean River, BC: Helicopter-Access Steelhead on One of the World's Great Fly Fishing Rivers
The Dean River in central coastal British Columbia is accessible only by helicopter or floatplane, holds wild steelhead averaging 10 to 12 pounds with fish to 25 pounds, and is considered one of the greatest steelhead fly fishing rivers on earth.
Crowsnest Pass, AB
Fly Fishing the Crowsnest River, Alberta: Small-Stream Tactics for Wild Trout in the Rocky Mountain Foothills
The Crowsnest River is a walk-and-wade paradise — a small mountain stream with 1,500 trout per mile, prolific hatches, and the kind of intimate dry fly fishing that makes you forget drift boats exist.
Calgary, AB
Fly Fishing the Bow River, Alberta: Hatches, Dry Flies, and Drift Boat Strategies for Trophy Brown Trout
The Bow River through Calgary produces dry fly fishing that rivals Montana's best water — stonefly hatches, caddis blizzards, hopper season, and fall streamer runs for brown trout over 24 inches.
Tofino / Ucluelet, BC
Fishing Tofino and Ucluelet, BC: Planning Your Trip to Vancouver Island's Wild West Coast
Vancouver Island's west coast is where old-growth rainforest meets the open Pacific, and the fishing matches the landscape — chinook salmon, halibut, lingcod, and coho in some of the most dramatic scenery in North America.
Terrace, BC
Fishing the Skeena River: Terrace, BC and the Last Great Steelhead Watershed
The Skeena River system near Terrace, BC is the last major watershed in the world where wild steelhead and all five Pacific salmon species still return in numbers that justify calling it what it is — the greatest steelhead river on earth.
Ram River, AB
Fishing the Ram River: Backcountry Cutthroat Trout in Alberta's Rocky Mountain Foothills
The Ram River flows through Alberta's eastern slopes — a remote, roadless canyon fishery holding native westslope cutthroat and bull trout in water that sees fewer anglers in a season than the Bow sees in a weekend.
Miramichi, NB
Fishing the Miramichi River, New Brunswick: The Atlantic Salmon Capital of the World
The Miramichi River carries over 40% of all Atlantic salmon returning to North American rivers — roughly 100,000 fish per year swimming upstream through New Brunswick's forests to spawn in the river that has defined Atlantic salmon fishing for centuries.
Kenora, ON
Fishing Lake of the Woods, Ontario: Walleye, Muskie, and 14,500 Islands of Untapped Water
Lake of the Woods covers 1,700 square miles across the Ontario-Manitoba border with over 14,500 islands, world-class walleye and muskie fishing, and more fishable water than most anglers can explore in a lifetime.
Labrador, NL
Fishing Labrador: Trophy Brook Trout, Atlantic Salmon, and Arctic Char in Canada's Last True Wilderness
Labrador is the final frontier of brook trout fishing — fly-in lodges on roadless rivers holding wild brook trout that average 3 to 5 pounds, Atlantic salmon in untouched rivers, and Arctic char in lakes that have never seen a lure.
Kamloops, BC
Fishing Kamloops, BC: Trophy Rainbow Trout and the Stillwater Lakes That Made Them Famous
Kamloops sits in the semi-arid interior of British Columbia surrounded by hundreds of nutrient-rich lakes that grow rainbow trout to sizes that redefine what a trout can be — the legendary Kamloops trout.
Haida Gwaii, BC
Fishing Haida Gwaii: Remote Lodge Fishing at the Edge of the Pacific
Haida Gwaii sits 100 kilometres off the BC mainland — a remote archipelago where old-growth rainforest meets the open Pacific and the salmon and halibut fishing is among the most productive in the world.
Georgian Bay, ON
Fishing Georgian Bay, Ontario: Smallmouth Bass, Pike, and 30,000 Islands of Canadian Shield Water
Georgian Bay is the eastern arm of Lake Huron — 30,000 islands of pink granite and windswept pine holding some of the best smallmouth bass and northern pike fishing in the world.
Dean River, BC
Fishing the Dean River, BC: The Helicopter-Access Steelhead Trip of a Lifetime
The Dean River in central coastal British Columbia is accessible only by helicopter, holds one of the healthiest wild steelhead runs in the province, and delivers the kind of fishing experience that steelhead anglers talk about for the rest of their lives.
Crowsnest Pass, AB
Fishing the Crowsnest River: Alberta's Best-Kept Trout Stream in the Rocky Mountain Foothills
The Crowsnest River in southern Alberta holds 1,500 trout per mile in a small, wadeable mountain stream that most anglers drive past on their way to the Bow — and that's exactly why it fishes so well.
Cape Breton, NS
Fishing Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia: Atlantic Salmon, Brook Trout, and Giant Bluefin Tuna
Cape Breton Island sits at the northern tip of Nova Scotia where the Margaree River holds Atlantic salmon, the highlands streams run with wild brook trout, and the offshore waters hold the largest concentration of giant bluefin tuna in the world.
Campbell River, BC
Fishing Campbell River, BC: The Salmon Capital of the World and Why It Earns the Name
Campbell River has called itself the Salmon Capital of the World since the early 1900s, and a century of chinook fishing in Discovery Passage, the legendary Tyee Pool, and five Pacific salmon species prove the claim.
Calgary, AB
Fishing the Bow River in Calgary: World-Class Trout Water Running Through a Major City
The Bow River flows through the heart of Calgary, Alberta with an estimated 3,000 trout per mile — brown and rainbow trout averaging 18 to 20 inches in a river you can reach by city bus.
Algonquin Park, ON
Fishing Algonquin Park, Ontario: Brook Trout and Lake Trout by Canoe in Canada's Most Iconic Wilderness
Algonquin Provincial Park holds the highest concentration of brook trout lakes in the world — hundreds of canoe-access-only lakes where native speckled trout have been thriving since the glaciers retreated.