Freestone · Limestone · British Columbia, CA

Upper Kootenay River

Kootenay River along Hwy 93 between Radium Hot Springs and Vermilion

The upper Kootenay in the Rocky Mountain Trench is broad, clear cutthroat water — long riffles, gravel bars and good runs holding native westslope cutthroat and bull trout with some rainbows.

Prime · Cutthroat Trout
Parachute Adams · 16-20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.91 m
  • Water temp9.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16-20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.91 m
Water temp9.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather11°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Cutthroat Trout
Ideal
9°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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 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 2 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
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
Cutthroat Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Native C&R, bull trout protected
  • Verify current BC regs (Region 4).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
St. Mary River
32 km
83
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Bull River
46 km
83
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Kootenay River along Hwy 93 between Radium Hot Springs and Vermilion
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The upper Kootenay in the Rocky Mountain Trench is broad, clear cutthroat water — long riffles, gravel bars and good runs holding native westslope cutthroat and bull trout with some rainbows. Big enough to float and full of willing fish, it fishes as fine dry-fly and streamer water through summer and autumn once it drops into shape.

Under the surface

The upper Kootenay between Canal Flats and Wardner is a broad, clear mountain freestone of long riffles, gravel bars and good runs holding native westslope cutthroat and bull trout with some rainbows. Big, floatable water in the Rocky Mountain Trench, it offers fine dry-fly and streamer fishing in classic Kootenay scenery.

Wading: Strong current, big river volume, flashy in runoff

  • Limestone
  • Partly confined
  • Pool riffle
  • Large river
Conservation note

Native westslope cutthroat (Threatened, C&R) and bull trout (char, protected, C&R), with some rainbows. Whirling disease/didymo concerns — Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity69 × 12%8.3
Conditions total= 83
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 15 June → 31 October
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts