Steelhead Fishing in the Fraser Valley
The Fish
A Steelhead is a supercharged sea run Rainbow Trout. These beautiful, acrobatic fish leave the rivers of their birth and head out into the open ocean, feasting on the abundant food available along B.C.’s coastline. When the time is right they return to the rivers of their birth to spawn. These are no normal rainbows anymore, these are Steelhead, a race of fish which make the most experienced anglers tripple check their knots, sharpen their hooks and lay awake at night dreaming of that special moment when the line goes tight and they loose control.
The Vedder is by far the most popular Steelhead stream in the lower mainland of BC, largely due to the numbers of fish which return to spawn each year, with excellent numbers of Steelhead and Salmon available almost year round.
During the month of November the very first of the Steelhead begin to enter the river and the numbers continue to build each month until mid April when the run peaks.
Every year around 10,000 Steelhead return to the Vedder, this is largely due to the very successful Chilliwack River Hatchery. It’s a very unique hatchery program which is managed by Bob Stanton and the Abbotsford Hatchery Manager, Dale Larson. They work closely together to provide great quality hatchery Steelhead, whilst protecting the wild winter Steelhead which return naturally.
The river is fairly fast flowing and has great character with many different types of water where you can hone your skills. In the lower reaches of the river there are classic longer runs, which are great for spey casting. The upper river is made up of smaller sections of pocket water, which are equally as productive but require very different techniques.
BC Sportfishing Guides are Steelhead specialists. Our guided days on the Vedder are usually focused on technique and honing an anglers skills, equipping anglers with the knowledge to become successful Steelhead and Salmon anglers.