Coastal Rain River · Granite · British Columbia, CA

Stamp / Somass River

Stamp / Somass River — Stamp River Provincial Park

The Stamp/Somass at Port Alberni is one of the Island's most productive rivers — lake-fed flows carry summer and winter steelhead and enormous autumn salmon runs through canyon water and big pools.

Tomorrow · About as good as it gets
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Cowichan River
Water temp6.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather5°C
WindN 4 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent10.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Cowichan River. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
7°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Summer steelhead ~May–September; winter steelhead Dec–April; salmon in autumn.
Where
The Stamp/Somass at Port Alberni is one of the Island's most productive rivers — lake-fed flows carry summer and winter steelhead and enormous autumn salmon…
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 10am

12pm(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 39%
Also:Western Blue-Winged Olive25%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost4 food groups active

Peak activity at 10am — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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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 · October 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
Steelhead fly box
PS
Purple Spey
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
MT
Marabou tube
8–10 · Salmon fly
Swing it through the holding lie at a steady pace.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Gear restrictions, wild steelhead C&R, salmon heavily regulated
  • Verify current BC regs (Region 1) and DFO notices.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Englishman River
42 km
84
Cutthroat trout · Steelhead · Coho salmon
Nitinat River
45 km
84
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Stamp / Somass River — Stamp River Provincial Park
    Stamp River Provincial Park
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Steelhead are fishable across much of the year and the salmon fishing in fall is a spectacle. Popular and powerful; fish the swing and respect the wild-steelhead release rules.

Under the surface

The Stamp (becoming the Somass below the confluence) near Port Alberni is one of Vancouver Island's most productive systems — lake-fed flows from Great Central Lake support summer and winter steelhead and huge runs of Pacific salmon. A powerful, popular river of canyon runs and big pools, it fishes for steelhead across much of the year and is a salmon factory in autumn.

Wading: Strong current, slick bedrock, crowded runs

  • Granite
  • Confined
  • Pool riffle
  • Large river
Conservation note

Summer and winter steelhead (wild C&R; hatchery support present) and big Pacific salmon runs (separately regulated). Clean-Drain-Dry.

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time6513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity5512% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Stamp / Somass River is a coastal rain-fed river in British Columbia — Vancouver Island (Port Alberni), Canada. The catchment geology is recorded as granite, and the water sits at about 40 m above sea level. Our data lists 4 species here, including steelhead, rainbow trout and chinook salmon. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 January to 31 December. Best window recorded for anglers: Summer steelhead ~May–September; winter steelhead Dec–April; salmon in autumn. Core methods listed: Swung flies on floating/sink-tip lines; Weighted flies in winter/coloured water; Two-handed casting. Nearby waters in our listings include Englishman River at 42 km and Nitinat River at 45 km.