Upper Cowichan River

[Tikka270wsm]

Being born and raised in the Cowichan Valley, I spent a lot of time flyfishing on the Upper Cowichan River. I've caught many nice sized Brown Trout on the dry fly. Blue Dunns being my favorite, have produced well for me at dusk and on nights with a big moon. My biggest brown to date was a 26' brown that had a 17 1/2' girth. He was a real lunker that put up a long, spirited battle. My biggest rainbow was a 23 incher that i caught three years ago while fishing with Archer.
Any HBC members who fish this river as well? What's your biggest Cowichan River trout? Favorite time of the year to fish? Favorite fly or lure?

[Marc]

I've only been on the island since 2003 and have only had the chance at catching little rainbows / cutthroat on the fly from some of the lakes around Cowichan. I'd love to try some of the bigger fish / waters someday but I don't think I have the set up for it right now.

I've been to busy with hunting that I haven't much time to do any fishing. Looking at heading out on the long weekend and camping off a lake and doing a bit of fly.

[Tikka270wsm]

Good luck when you get out Marc. Bring your bug repellant man. I got eaten by mosquites and no see ums last night on the river.

[greenhorn]

Haven't fished the Cowichan that much, but I've only caught little rainbows using wet flies near skutz falls.

I'm pretty new to fly fishing, and really new to river fishing. I've mainly been fly fishing in lakes.

I hope to try the Cowichan later this summer. Any hot spots I should keep in mind for August?

[835]

I've fished that river all my life. I grew up camping at skutz falls been fishing it for 25-30 years.I love it, yes there is alot of people on it but when you know it there is alot of room for everyone. Back when i was a kid and used the all mighty garden tackle we used to get them 20-25" regular, my uncle (sorry to the fish) had a 7 pounder in the deep freeze forever, never did eat it you might say it was a "redneck wall mount".
now i soly flyfish and fish the river lots. it has it's places, times, hatches etc. this year i landed a 18" brown in stoltz befor the camping season. if you swim it with a mask and snorkle you will realize the actual amount of fish the river does have. any way fly... olive caddis muddeler or joes hopper depends on when. Time of year honestly, i honestly dont care but early july is fun. big fish i couldnt tell you i always put them next to my rod so somewhere between the end of the writing and the first guide. but i did tape for sure a brown at 24".

[Tikka270wsm]

Went to 3-firs pool last week with my buddy Mike. We both landed fish around the twenty inch mark plus one smaller one around 17''. All fish were browns and put up spirited battles.
There are some nice runs closer to Lake Cowichan than Skutz Falls though that hold some real bigguns. They are a bit of a hike to get to but well worth the walk. I hope to hit these spots closer to September. Some big fish come to the river out of the lake in late September to feast on Salmon eggs. Some of my best days on the river have been at this time of the year.

[835]

have you ever swam that pool? if you do you will think that you have no idea what your doing! if you haven't you should. I havent this year but last year there was a huge school of monster browns in it, you could hear their tail's flapin there was so many of them. It was pretty impresive.

[Tikka270wsm]

They school in there every year July and August mainly from what I've seen. Last year there had to be close to a fifty or more in there as it looked like a dark cloud moving around. They are very spooky though and if you do get into one, it might be a while before another one hits. Last July and the July before were awsome. This year there aren't quite as many as years prior. Been there three times and have caught four browns in total. Last year I lost one there that we figured would've gone around eight pounds. He used the current to his advantage and ended up in the logs just downstream. Definately my favorite pool on the river!

[835]

Ya it's a nice one, When i was a kid my great uncle used to go up there right as i was going to bed on the clear nights with a full moon. He used to cast big streamers there and the willow run. He used to do quite well.Trouble with me when im up there camping at 10ish usually i'm not in, well good shape to drive you might say.

[Tikka270wsm]

We used to drive in through the gated road off Skutz Falls Road. Every time I check it now, it is locked. Now I resort to walking up the old railbed from Skutz. It takes about 30-45 minutes to get to 3-firs. I'll fish the pool and after I figure the fish are spooked, I'll fish my way down the river to the falls. There are a few beauty spots down that way as well. Shrew patterns work well on the browns at dusk as well as big streamers. The only downside to fishing the river at night is hooking into bats. There is a run closer to Lake Cowichan where there are so many bats that it's sometimes hard to get a good cast in. Little buggars creep me out.

[steel_ram]

Used to fish the Cowichan quite a bit. One of my favourite times was around X-mas on the upper river where I'd hit the little known early run of Steelhead while the Gong show was pounding the lower river. These fish were fresh and averaged a little larger than the later fish. We theorized they were heading for lake tributaires. Of coarse the bucket head browns didn't mind eating steelhead presentations. Rarely saw another soul.

I also enjoyed spring evenings, catching rainbows in the 1 - 3 lb range in the lower river, when all the yahoo's are flogging the up river fly water. ;)

Biggest dead Brown I saw was lying in the bottom of a Driftboat pulling out at Skutz. About 13 lbs. This was back when you could bounce a worm along the bottom.

[Tikka270wsm]

Bait is still allowed below Silver Bridge unless the regs recently changed. I've caught many steelhead bottom bouncing a night crawler below the bridge in previous years.
I moved from Duncan to Ucluelet for work in 2006 so didn't fish the Cowichan for steelhead for a couple years. Back in Duncan now and really looking forward to hitting the Cowichan hard come December. The December run has some bigguns in it and there are some late Coho still in the river. The possibility for a "mixed bag" helps me to not mind fishing those cold rainy days. Not to mention a micky of Fireball.

[835]

bats? catching bats! i guess that makes me not want to do the night bite. bats are too much like spiders. funny thing i lived in ukee for 12 years, moved back in '07. if it wasnt for the property value up there i'd still be there. fishin up there was 10x better than here and 20min away.

[Tikka270wsm]

Only really had the bat problem at the one spot so don't let that deter ya. The only harm they cause is they'll throw the timing off your cast when they hit the fly or your line. The one night I was getting irretated as it happened over and over and I was watching some nice browns taking mayflies off the surface.
Your right about the Ukee fishing. Especially this year for Smiley's. Some guide buddies of mine are catching alot better numbers of big fish (25-35 lbs.) this year compared to last. Gonna head up there in a couple weeks.

[bigshooter]

I have herd of some good deer hunting in the slashes above the river in that area anyone know for sure?

[835]

i've just moved down back home and have walked up thoes slashes a couple times. Saw a bit of sign it looked allright but across the holt creek bridge past the road that gets you into thoes slashes if you go straight takes you into the backside of deer holme, i was wondering about that road. many many moons ago the "S" line was great for birds and deer and that road puts you right there...........Ya ukee has been good this year but i dont have a boat any more,my guide friends from there all haved moved as well .I Used to guide up there in the first half of my ukee binge, man i miss it. But all the rivers and lakes are not going anywhere and i have a truck.