Coastal Rain River · Granite · British Columbia, CA

Cowichan River

Cowichan River
Prime · Brown Trout
Black Ghost · 12-14
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.22 mLast reading 58 min ago
  • Water temp13.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Black Ghost
Black Ghost12-14
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.22 m
Last reading 58 min ago
Water temp13.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindW 6 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.5 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Chironomids
Damselflies & dragonflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11:00

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Reach-specific gear/closure rules; wild steelhead C&R
  • Verify current BC regs (Region 1).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Nitinat River
59 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 4
  1. Cowichan River
  2. Venue photo
  3. Venue photo
  4. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild rainbow and sea-run cutthroat trout, a famous introduced brown-trout fishery, and wild winter steelhead (catch-and-release). Salmon (chinook/coho/chum) run in season, separately regulated. Bull trout/Dolly Varden protected. Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity63 × 12%7.6
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts