Freestone · Basalt · British Columbia

Thompson River

Thompson River venue image
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Once the most famous steelhead river on earth — the Thompson's big interior fish rising to a skated dry in the cold November canyon defined a whole school of fly fishing.

Species

A proper day on the water

Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.

The water's warmed to close to 14°C, running clear, sitting at a steady height.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for steelhead
Warm — slow
14°C est.ideal 413°C
0°14°28°
The full read · show the working · for steelhead · confidence 75%
How the 75 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature87 × 28%24.4
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity49 × 12%5.9
Conditions total= 75
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Conditions
Regional est.
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
13.6°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
14°C
Wind
N 5 km/h
Calm
Pressure
1023 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 10 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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How to fish it · for steelhead
When
Closed — no recreational steelhead fishery.
Where
Once the most famous steelhead river on earth — the Thompson's big interior fish rising to a skated dry in the cold November canyon defined a whole school of…
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Through the year
0–3 scale · June highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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.
  • The steelhead fishery is closed
  • Interior Fraser steelhead are COSEWIC Endangered
  • Do not fish for them
  • Verify status against current BC notices.
Directions
About this water

Once the most famous steelhead river on earth — the Thompson's big interior fish rising to a skated dry in the cold November canyon defined a whole school of fly fishing. We include it to tell the truth about it: Interior Fraser steelhead have crashed to a remnant, they're assessed Endangered, and the fishery has been closed. Rise Daisy carries the Thompson as a conservation record, not a place to go fishing. If the river ever recovers and reopens, this entry will be updated.

Under the surface

The Thompson was, for a generation, the most revered steelhead river in the world — huge interior fish that ate a skated dry in November in a desert canyon. It is included here as a place to honour and, for now, to leave alone: Interior Fraser steelhead (Thompson and Chilcotin) have collapsed to a few hundred fish, are assessed Endangered, and the recreational steelhead fishery has been closed. We carry it as a conservation record, not a fishing recommendation.

Wading: Huge powerful river, dangerous wading

  • Basalt
  • Confined
  • Large river
  • Canyon
Seasons & zones
  • Troutclosed → closed
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