The Kitimat River

The Kitimat is one of our favourite rivers because of its size, shape and geographic position. From early April till early May, the spring run steelhead begin their upriver migration to their spawning grounds. They spend an extra winter in the ocean feeding before they head upriver in April to spawn and return back to the ocean as soon as possible. These fish are fat, chrome, strong and well conditioned. Once hooked they go ballistic. In the cold oxygen rich water they fight like no other. These are the strongest and hottest steelhead around. You will know what I mean when you hook one!
When you are chasing the mighty chinook (spring/king) salmon you want to fish the Kitimat River in June or July. This is the time of the year the big boys are migrating upriver. They can be seduced with a well presented fly. These big fish are chrome and covered in sea lice. Once you hook a fresh chrome chinook you understand why this is so addictive! They are the strongest salmon on this planet, and it will take all your skills to land one of these giants. A single mistake or flaw will result in breaking lines or rods, losing your potential fish of a life time.
The chum (Dog) salmon join the chinooks in mid July. Chum are always coming in big numbers and are an underestimated game fish on the spey or fly rod. The chum is a very aggressive and powerful salmon. You can expect multiple hook up’s daily. But don’t underestimate the chum. We have seen many rods break in the heat of the battle.

Every year there is a massive pink (humpy) run in the Kitimat River. The salmon begin to enter the Kitimat in July. The pink salmon is the smallest of the five Pacific salmon species which allows you to gear down to a six weight and a dry fly. Catching pinks on such lightweight equipment is an absolute blast. The pink salmon is very aggressive and abundant. This will result in many hooked fish every day. This is a great opportunity for the novice angler to get familiar with the single handed, or spey rod but is also exciting for the seasoned angler as well. The surface takes are very visual and exciting.
In August the coho (silver) salmon begin to arrive. They are the last ones in the Kitimat River and the run extends into late October.

If you are looking for a fish of a life time or a lot of fish, the Kitimat river has it all! Very few rivers can produce the amount of fish and biomass like the Kitimat river. Besides the fantastic fishing, it is a perfect fly fishing river for the double or single handed fly rod, with lots of runs and tail outs.