 History
& Background
In the 1950s, Whistler was known as the Alta Lake Fishing
Resort and was a place for the rich and famous to relax
and enjoy some of the best scenery and trout fishing in
Canada. Alta Lake itself was famous for large Rainbow
trout, Dolly Varden and Kokanee Salmon. The fishing in
Whistler is quite unique. The air is fresh, the fish in
remote areas are found in great numbers and the anglers
are few in relation to the number of fishable places.
Generally speaking, we fish lakes April thorough mid-October
and rivers and creeks all year round. To the south are 5
major ocean run rivers and one river to the north that
holds wild and hatchery salmon. Although there are some
salmon in the rivers all year round, the height of the
salmon runs are between late-August and late-October.
Back in the 1960's the Cheakamus river became famous for
incredible Steelhead runs and record Chinook Salmon that
reached 125 pounds! Today these runs are still strong
with Chinooks averaging 30 pounds and reaching up to 90
pounds.
 You can fish lakes from 1000
feet up to 6500 feet above sea level. This large variety
in elevation helps provide great fishing through the hot
summer months and in July & August, some of the high
alpine lakes are just icing off and are producing spring-like
fishing!
North of Whistler, we enter into a drier climate where
the fish grow a little bigger in the alpine lakes. This
area is best suited for helicopter and float plane
fishing. These lakes are spectacular and rarely see an
artificial fly. Finally there are a few "hard to get
to" lakes that have great fishing, but only
accessible by 4wd vehicles. It takes a little longer to
get there, but the results are always worth it.
Fishing
places around Wildwood
Lodge
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About The Fish
Rainbow Trout - The Rainbow in the local Whistler
area are noted for their relentless energy. The highly
fertile cool waters make fishing for Rainbow productive
almost all year long. The availability of food for trout
is limited so the average size of fish is only 14" (1-2
lbs), however since the competition for food is intense,
the fishing is brisk. The Rainbow to the north are a
little different. They grow larger like the Kamloops
Rainbow, typically reaching sizes of 7 lbs. We can reach
these lakes by 4wd trucks or by flying in.
 Dolly Varden - These are
one of the most interesting fish to catch in B.C. Unlike
the Rainbow, they can live a very long time and grow to
sizes over 20 lbs feeding mainly on baifish. When the
salmon enter the rivers to spawn, the Dollies will follow
them and feed on the salmon eggs. These fish can reach 10
lbs and are an excellent fighting fish. Colours can range
from light to dark brown to silver and gray. They are
best identified by spots along the body, an elongated jaw
and white on the tips of their belly fins.
Salmon - Salmon are one of the great treasures of
the Whistler area, and with 6 rivers within 30 minutes,
the choices are limitless. As the salmon travel upstream
to their spawning beds they become aggressive and
relatively easy to catch even for the novice angler. They
take spoons and spinners and are especially willing to
take the fly. Your best opportunity for catching salmon
is in the fall and you should plan your trip around the
timing of the Pink, Sockeye, Coho and Chum runs.
Pink Salmon come to our
rivers on the odd calendar years and the best
timing is late August to mid-September. This run
is probably the most fun on a fly rod because the
fish range from 3 - 6 lbs and hit almost anything
pink. Ten to 30 hook-ups per day is not uncommon.
 Sockeye Salmon come every
year and usually hit the rivers mid-September and
stay until early October. This run also brings on
some of the biggest Rainbows & Dolly Varden
to feed on the salmon eggs. On some days you can
hook all three types of fish with the same fly or
lure.
Coho (or Silver) Salmon
are a beautiful fish that are best caught fresh
in from the ocean. It is best to fish around the
high tides for the best productivity and mid-October
to mid-November is the best time. Lures seem to
be the best producer however the skilled fly
fisherman can also keep pace.
Chum Salmon are much
larger than Pinks but are just as easy to catch.
They enter the rivers late September and finish
mid-November with the best fishing in October.
Licenses
All anglers are required to have their own freshwater
fishing license for B.C. One day licenses are $5 for
Canadians & $10 for our of country visitors. Eight
day licenses are $15 for BC residents, $20 for all other
Canadians and $25 for country visitors. Salmon &
Steelhead require additional tags.
Fly-fishing
When you go fly-fishing,
experience makes the difference. Guided trips are
available year 'round for trout, salmon and steelhead on
Whistler's river and lakes. There are half day, full day
and extended day trips as well as evening trips.
Take a helicopter, float
plane or jet boat into remote settings or stay on our
local rivers and lakes. Fly-fishing classes can take
2 hours or more and all paraphernalia such as a full range
of fly, spin and watercraft equipment is provided. Kids,
12 and under, usually go for half price.
Kara Bruce, our front-desk
evening receptionist, is an expert. She is a "fly
only" angler and teaches a lot of the ladies-only
fly clinics around Whistler in her spare time.
There are several fly-fishing operators
in Whistler.
Cast Types
Roll Cast - An "on the water" cast in which there is
no back cast and the line forms a loop which rolls forward away from the
caster. It is made by slowly lifting the rod to 90 degrees, dragging the
line toward you. When the line has stopped moving, make the forward
portion of a regular cast to form the loop followed by a quick speed up
and stop of the rod.
Pick-up-and-lay-down-Cast - Pick the line up from the water,
make a single back cast and a single forward cast, and lay the line back
down on the water.
False casting - keeping the line up in the air (aerializing) by
making continuous forward and back-casts.
Reach Mend - A cast in which the rod is *reached* or extended to
one side, either a right reach or left reach, so that the line falls to
the tip of the rod which is away from the caster. It is used when
casting across different current speeds to correct for line drift.
Mending line - Throwing the line which is *already on the water*
upstream or downstream to correct again for differences in the water
currents between the rod tip and the fly.
Mend cast or in the air mend - a cast in which the mend is
introduced during the cast so that the line falls on the water with a
curve introduce which will correct for the current drift. The cast is
made by moving the rod tip to the side *after* the forward power stroke.
The longer the delay in time between the end of the power stroke and the
sideward movement places the curve closer to the caster. The longer the
length of time the rod is deflected, the longer the curve. The greater
the amount of deflection, the deeper the curve.
Puddle cast - A cast made by shooting the flyline high over the
target then dropping the rod tip rapidly down so that the leader falls
in a big puddle of line on the target. The leader does not lay out in
the usual sense so that there is plenty of slack leader to compensate
for any potential drag. This cast is useful for casting into an area of
quiet water surrounded by moving water, eg, the water just in back of a
log or boulder in the middle of the river.
Parachute cast - a cast made to a trout feeding downstream in
which the rod is kept high after the cast so that the line looks like a
parachute cord hanging from the rod tip. The rod tip is then gradually
lowered at the speed of the drifting fly to put it in the feeding lane
of the trout. Also called *feeding the trout the fly*. If the cast is
not in the feeding lane it can be skittered across the water into the
feeding lane prior to feeding the trout the fly.
Curve cast - A cast made by whipping the rod tip to the right or
left during the end of the power stroke (during the speed up and stop).
This will cause the leader to curve to the right or left respectively.
This cast is different from the mend cast in which the curve is
introduced after the power stroke.
Tuck cast - a nymphing cast in which the rod tip is abruptly
stopped at the end of the power cast and more energy than is necessary
is put into the cast so that the nymph and leader bounce back underneath
the fly line and the nymph enters the water closer to the caster than
the end of the fly line. It allows the nymph to go deeper, faster, and
with minimal drag.
Pendulum Cast - A cast in which the loop in the fly line is
reversed so that it is under the line and the fly travels up at the end
of the cast like a pendulum. It is made with the rod to the side and it
is really an upward curve cast at the end of each power stroke. It is
also called a figure eight cast since it looks like the rod tip is
writing a figure eight lying on it's side. It is a cast useful for
getting the fly under low lying branches or when exaggerated it can lay
the line down like a puddle cast since the fly and leader are traveling
up at the end of the cast.
Steeple cast - a cast in which you turn your wrist upside down,
allowing you to make a backcast straight up into the air (like a
steeple), then turn your wrist and body forward to make the usual
forward cast. This cast is used when your back is to a high bank of
brush or trees and there is rapidly flowing water in front of you so you
can't make a roll cast.
Change of direction cast - Used when the rise is in a completely
different direction from where you are fishing and your line is on the
water. You face the direction of your new target, sweep the line along
the water with your rod sideways to load the rod, pick up the line and
power stroke right at your target.
Wildwood
Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain
4749 Spearhead Drive, Whistler British Columbia Canada V0N 1B4
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