Coastal Rain River · Granite · British Columbia

Harrison River

Harrison River venue image

The Harrison is the Lower Mainland's trophy sea-run cutthroat river — a short, big, lake-fed Fraser tributary where cutthroat and bull trout (Dolly Varden) follow enormous autumn salmon runs and gorge on fry and eggs.

Poor · Cutthroat Trout
Black Beetle · 12-14
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelLight rain recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp19.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
BB
Black Beetle12-14
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Light rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp19.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindW 5 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent2.4 mm
Rain · ahead3.2 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Cutthroat Trout
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 9–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Cutthroat 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
Water at 19.8°C — above the cutthroat trout caution line (16°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 7am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Cutthroat Trout fly box
BB
Black BeetleTop
12-14 · Pattern
High-confidence seasonal pick
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Dolly Varden protected/C&R; salmon DFO-regulated
  • Verify current BC regs (Region 2) and DFO notices.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 20°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Harrison is the Lower Mainland's trophy sea-run cutthroat river — a short, big, lake-fed Fraser tributary where cutthroat and bull trout (Dolly Varden) follow enormous autumn salmon runs and gorge on fry and eggs. Lake-buffered and clearer than the flashy coastal rivers, it offers superb fall fly fishing for big cutthroat on fry and egg patterns, with salmon and steelhead in the mix.

Under the surface

The Harrison is a short, large, lake-fed Fraser tributary famous for big sea-run cutthroat and bull trout (Dolly Varden) that follow enormous autumn salmon runs, gorging on fry and eggs. Lake-buffered and relatively clear, it's one of the Lower Mainland's premier fly fisheries for trophy cutthroat in the fall, with steelhead and salmon in the mix.

Wading: Big lake fed river, strong current, gravel bars

  • Granite
  • Unconfined
  • Large river
  • Glide
Conservation note

Trophy sea-run cutthroat and bull trout / Dolly Varden (char, protected, C&R) following huge autumn salmon runs; salmon DFO-regulated. Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 80%
How the 11 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature16 × 28%4.5
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Limiting factor: Water temperature (19.8°C) is outside Cutthroat Trout's preferred range (9–15°C)= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 9–15 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts