08/25/2026
Report #8 (August 15, 2026)
The Elk River is Perfect!
We just got settled into summer and “bam!”, September is just around the corner! It’s crazy how fast this summer has flown by!
We have remained lucky here in the East Kootenay region with no large fires looming around us, unlike some other areas of the Province. With the cooler mornings now upon us, it is a strong signal that fall is around the corner.
On this day we fished the Elk River near Fernie; the bottom section to where we take out at Elko. There was some smoke in the morning, but it mostly cleared out by early afternoon. This section of the Elk River is very scenic as it moves away from the highway, improving the look and feel. The Rockies are like eye candy … and in Fernie you are right in the Rockies so it is an amazing landscape to float thru.
Temperatures in the morning started around 15°C (60°F) reaching a late afternoon high of 28-30°C (80-85°F). The Elk is in great shape now and the fish are feeding on dries from the get go!
As normal, the guides cycled through the ‘usual suspects’ of candidate patterns, always including a few beetles and ants in the rotation. In addition to these standbys, they also tried; the Klinkhammer, Purple Haze, Stimi Chew Toy, Chubby Chernobyl, Green Drake and caddis and foam patterns.
When it comes to one’s personal fly box, our advice is to slowly build it up over time with various types of foam patterns, small dries, larger traditional fly patterns, nymphs and streamers. It is nice to be able to look into your box at any point in the day, and depending on the conditions, pull something promising out!
After launching, the guys floated downstream, fishing along the bank edges, behind rocks and along structures where the fish hang out and feed. They were running rods set up with a 9 foot, 4X or 5X leader and tippet. If they fished smaller patterns, they just added more tippet to make the leader portion up to 10 feet. This allowed the smaller flies to get a longer drift. The fish can be quite drift sensitive on the Elk so the proper setup and diligent mending can be the key to success. On the float each angler caught and released around 15 fish… all on dries! The average size was 15 to 17 inches. A few smaller guys were mixed in, but there were some really nice and chunky fish too. These fish have been eating well!
On the lower section of the Elk they got to see a bit of wildlife including a series of eagles and ospreys flying about. They also got a closeup of a doe with her fawns. Ever notice how deer are always feeding…. as much as they can to fatten up for winter! It is always a treat to see wildlife from a quietly drifting boat…
Well another season is going by fast. If you can get out and fish the rivers, do it! It is ‘good for the soul’, they say. Everyone needs to get out into nature and relax and enjoy themselves. We all work so hard in our daily lives!
Please pop into the shop on Cranbrook Street if you need help picking out flies, or if you are just starting fly fishing as we will help you out!
Tight Lines,
Kelly and Karen
St.Mary Angler
PS Give us a call at 1-800-667-2311 to talk to about available days this fall.