Coastal Rain River · Granite · British Columbia

Harrison River

Harrison River venue image
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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.

Species

Slow going — pick your moments

Low and clear — careful approach country. Cover and shadow are doing the work today.

The water's warmed to about 16°C, running clear, sitting at a steady height.

90% confidence in this read
Water temperature for cutthroat trout
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 9–15°C
0°14°28°
The full read · show the working · for cutthroat trout · confidence 90%
How the 33 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature68 × 28%19.0
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity51 × 12%6.1
Conditions total= 68
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.
Conditions
○Regional est.
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
16.4°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
16°C
Wind
NE 3 km/h
Calm
Pressure
1022 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain · next 48h

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

Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

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

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 16.4°C — above the cutthroat trout caution line (16°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots. Otherwise poor — water clarity is in the right range.
Through the year
0–3 scale · June 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.

Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Dolly Varden protected/C&R; salmon DFO-regulated
  • Verify current BC regs (Region 2) and DFO notices.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
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
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Water here around 16°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
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