Meet the upper Columbia. The largest tailwater native trout fishery in the world. You may have heard about the fishing. Here is the unvarnished truth of it:
Wild redband trout habitat of the U.S. upper Columbia (American Reach), above Grand Coulee Dam, is comprised of about 12 miles of the Columbia mainstem & it's tributaries; & about 20 miles on the Canadian side (Canadian Reach), altogether this segment closely resembling the original river before the dams. It is a short, truncated remnant of the once great Columbia fishery.
The river hosts redband rainbow, cutthroat, brown, brook & bull trout. All but redband rainbow are incidental catches. As the 3rd largest river in the U.S., with only about 700 mature trout per river mile, the UC is not a place to look for numbers. The game here is wild rainbows averaging 19 inches, with fish over 20 inches common, & trout of 30 inches & better a real possibility. Think summer-run steelhead. Seven hundred steelhead per mile is not bad, for steelhead. These trout are not easy. The UC is technical in its own unique way. As in steelheading, the big water can be a special challenge, not always giving up its trout easily. It's not your classic trout stream & it's not for everybody. The UC is not often kind to beginners. Yet, there are many who love it above all other rivers & return time after time. Hook one of these incredibly hard-fighting wild rainbows on a swung soft-hackle or a dryfly & you'll know why.
Wild redband trout habitat of the U.S. upper Columbia (American Reach), above Grand Coulee Dam, is comprised of about 12 miles of the Columbia mainstem & it's tributaries; & about 20 miles on the Canadian side (Canadian Reach), altogether this segment closely resembling the original river before the dams. It is a short, truncated remnant of the once great Columbia fishery.
The river hosts redband rainbow, cutthroat, brown, brook & bull trout. All but redband rainbow are incidental catches. As the 3rd largest river in the U.S., with only about 700 mature trout per river mile, the UC is not a place to look for numbers. The game here is wild rainbows averaging 19 inches, with fish over 20 inches common, & trout of 30 inches & better a real possibility. Think summer-run steelhead. Seven hundred steelhead per mile is not bad, for steelhead. These trout are not easy. The UC is technical in its own unique way. As in steelheading, the big water can be a special challenge, not always giving up its trout easily. It's not your classic trout stream & it's not for everybody. The UC is not often kind to beginners. Yet, there are many who love it above all other rivers & return time after time. Hook one of these incredibly hard-fighting wild rainbows on a swung soft-hackle or a dryfly & you'll know why.
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| Speyed UC Cutthroat |
We have resided beside the American Reach since 1974, nobody has fished it longer or knows it better. Like all rivers, the UC has its peak seasons, as well as off seasons. We won't sell you a trip during the dog-days of August. We understand that, for many, a costly guided fishing trip might be the anticipated trip of a lifetime. So, to assure our guests the maximum chance of a memorable fishing adventure, we offer trip dates for only the most productive seasons, at peak time. We live here, & the health of the UC native trout fishery is our foremost priority. Keeping our guide season down to just three short periods a year helps to minimize stress on our trout. Our trip itinerary is as follows:
April Trout Spey
Our trout spey season
begins the second week of April, & runs through the middle of May.
Prime time to swing attractors & muddlers for big, pre-spawn redbands, colored-up & in the best fighting shape of the year. These are walk
& wade trips.
June/July Dryfly
Beginning the second week of June & running through the third week of July. This is the peak Spring/Summer hatch period, with daily hatches of Spotted Sedge, PMD's, March Brown, & prime time for meeting Red Drake, the UC's premier summer hatch. These are drift trips for the most part,with some bank casting as well. A 6wt single-hander is perfect for this fishing, though there is also opportunity to swing daily caddis hatches with a two-hander.
September/October Trout Spey
The combination of generally good weather, majestic scenery, low water (miles of great swinging water) & the emergence of October Caddis throughout the Fall season, adds up to world-class Trout Spey. Swinging. Skating. We can’t think of anywhere else we’d rather be in autumn. (We offer ‘the cure’ for frustrated steelheaders).
June/July Dryfly
Beginning the second week of June & running through the third week of July. This is the peak Spring/Summer hatch period, with daily hatches of Spotted Sedge, PMD's, March Brown, & prime time for meeting Red Drake, the UC's premier summer hatch. These are drift trips for the most part,with some bank casting as well. A 6wt single-hander is perfect for this fishing, though there is also opportunity to swing daily caddis hatches with a two-hander.
September/October Trout Spey
The combination of generally good weather, majestic scenery, low water (miles of great swinging water) & the emergence of October Caddis throughout the Fall season, adds up to world-class Trout Spey. Swinging. Skating. We can’t think of anywhere else we’d rather be in autumn. (We offer ‘the cure’ for frustrated steelheaders).
If
you like tying & swinging soft-hackle flies, catching big trout on
large hairwing dries, Spey casting for wild trout that are a match for
your gear, or are interested in the approach, we think you might like
our fishing.
Live Big.
Live Big.
~Steve
