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The Fraser River
Long before man settled this
region known as British Columbia, some time between the dinosaurs and
their disappearance, it's believed that the Fraser River started to take
shape. Aeons passed, and very slowly the Rocky Mountains grew,
altering the flow of rivers and streams. It appears that part of the
Fraser River, north of the Chilcotin drained east, into the Inland Sea,
while south of the Chilcotin, it drained south and west to the Pacific.
During the Tertiary period, these two rivers formed what is now the
Fraser River.
The Fraser River located in the
Province of British Columbia, Canada, rises on the western slopes of the
Canadian Rocky Mountains, near the border with Alberta. It
is the largest river in B.C., at over 850 miles or 1378 km in length,
and the fifth largest river in Canada. It flows
north-westerly before turning south near Prince George, and then down
the center of the province to the Pacific Ocean (Strait of Georgia),
near the city of Vancouver.
Its headwaters are at Mt. Robson
in Jasper. The drainage of the Fraser River watershed is larger than the
area of Great Britain! More info on the Watershed. The Fraser River
usually flows at a rate of 5,195 cubic yards or 3,972 cubic meters per second.
At that rate it can fill
three swimming pools every second! Every year the Fraser River picks up
37.4 billion pounds or 17 billion kilograms of sediment (clay, silt, sand, gravel). This weighs
about the same as 1.5 million killer whales.
The Fraser River
is considered one of the world’s greatest salmon
resources. Tens of millions of Pacific salmon return annually to spawn
in the main stem Fraser River and tributaries, that includes all five species of salmon, Sockeye, Pink, Chum, Chinook, Coho and Steelhead.
Some salmon, which migrate upriver to spawn in northern tributaries,
swim as far as 1000 miles from the ocean to the gravel beds where they
were born to complete their life cycle. Approximately
800 million juvenile salmon migrate along the river every year. There
can be up to 20 million salmon on any given day in the estuary. More
than 60 other kinds of fish use the Fraser River also, such as the
mighty Sturgeon.
Other Rivers and Lakes we fish!
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The Fraser River Watershed Explained
The Fraser River begins high in the Rocky Mountains. It is fed by heavy rain, snowfall and melting glaciers. The river flows slowly northwest until it gets to Prince George. Here it turns south into the middle of British Columbia. It is joined by the Stuart, Nechako, and Chilcotin Rivers. The water from each of these large rivers causes the Fraser River to grow and pick up speed.
As the Fraser flows south it winds through dense evergreen forests, wetlands, grasslands and dry canyons. The clear blue Thompson River joins the muddy Fraser south of
Lillooet. The Fraser rushes on, boiling and powerful through the narrow Fraser Canyon.
Near Hope, the Fraser escapes the narrow mountain canyon. It turns west into a broad flat
valley and this is where Chilliwack is. The river widens and slows down. It winds through the Fraser Valley. The Chilliwack, Sumas, Stave, Pitt and Coquitlam Rivers are some of the last tributaries to flow in.
Finally, near Vancouver, fed by this huge river system, the mighty Fraser drains into the Pacific Ocean.
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Brief History of the People and Development
This part of British Columbia is steeped in history .Hundreds of years before any European saw or explored this land, the aboriginals lived here. They traveled up and down the rivers and trails trading with other tribes. Where the river was
impassable, they had paths that connected, thus making travel from the interior to the coast possible. The first Europeans to see this region, were Simon Fraser and his party. In the year 1805, Fraser and his men made their way west, but it wasn't until 1808 that they started their expedition down the river. With the help of the aboriginals who lived along the Fraser, they were able to make their way down to the Pacific Ocean and back.
From 1856 to the late eighteen hundreds miners and adventures have searched and found gold all up and down the Fraser River
and its' tributaries. In order to make Canada a country from sea to sea,
Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald promised to build a railroad from the east coast to the west coast.
In 1871, British Columbia became a province of Canada and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) route in B.C. was built through the Rocky Mountains, over the interior plateau, along the Thompson and Fraser Rivers and finally to Vancouver and the coast.
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Other Rivers and Lakes we
fish
Harrison
River
This large body of water flows from the Harrison Lake to the Fraser
River in a relatively short distance of 5 miles and is through a very
scenic valley. Due to its gentle currents this river is a
fisherman’s dream. All five of the salmon species, as well as
Cutthroat trout and Steelhead abound in this river. There are lots of
room in the pools and runs to fly fish or spin cast to your hearts
content. This river is a major path for migrating salmon to the rivers
feeding Harrison Lake, as well as the Morris Creek hatchery, therefore
in the summer and fall the fishing is spectacular. |
Chehalis River
This clear beautiful river flows from Chehalis Lake through a rugged
steep gorge for some 12 miles before passing out into the Harrison River
valley. Its’ last few miles wind through flat terrain and have wide
serpentine riverbanks with pool after pool to fish. Steelhead in the
spring, Coho, Chinook and Chum salmon in the fall provide an excellent
fishing challenge. The rugged upper section can be accessed by hiking or
rafting. |
Chilliwack/Vedder
River
This tributary of the Fraser has over 20 miles of river accessible for
fishing. This is one of the most productive fishing rivers in BC due to
a successful fish hatchery. During the winter and spring a large run of
steelhead spawn in the river providing excellent fishing opportunity and
the salmon fishing during the fall is legendary due to the massive
annual returns.
Starting at Chilliwack Lake and running through a beautiful
valley, the breathtaking scenery is something
to behold. |
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Chilliwack Lake
This
6 mile long lake is glacier fed and has excellent Dolly Varden fishing.
Surrounded by majestic mountains with waterfalls cascading down from the
glaciers, this area provides wonderful fishing opportunity and
breathtaking outdoor scenery.
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Skagit River
The upper portion of the Skagit River flows into the man made Ross Lake
reservoir, which straddles the Canada/USA border. This ruggedly
beautiful area is not part of the Fraser River watershed but provides an
excellent rainbow trout fishery as well as Dolly Varden to 9 lbs. Open
from July 1st to the end of the year this river is a fly
fisherman’s dream. |
Stave
River and Lake
The upper Stave River, above the fifteen mile long Stave Lake, has only
jet boat access so fishing is excellent for Dolly Varden and Rainbow
Trout. The lake itself has good Cutthroat Trout and Dolly Varden action,
while the lower Stave River gets good numbers of Coho salmon as well as lots of
Chum salmon. With beautiful scenery all along this system the ride is
worth the trip alone.
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Lillooet
River
This is truly an adventure destination. Accessed by jet boat from the
Harrison River/Lake system, this is a unique opportunity to fish a
remote location with excellent Dolly Varden and Cutthroat Trout fishing.
Salmon do travel to these waters and can present a sudden and exciting
change. This is a trip for those looking for something different. |
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