Have you been dreaming of the perfect fly fishing vacation?

British Columbia is known far and wide for its great fly fishing opportunities. Rivers both well and little known provide fly fishing anglers with fish that are larger than normal and in optimum health.

There are a wide variety of fish species found in British Columbia including trout, salmon and others. The environment allows fly fishing anglers a great fly fishing vacation featuring a wonderful outdoor experience, majestic scenery and a flux of astounding fly fishing hatches.

Rivers that provide a great fly fishing experince include:

The Bow

Elk

Bull

Kootenay

Columbia

Slocan

Red Deer

Wigwam

St. Mary

MacKenzie

Fraser

and dozens more

Craving more details about these noteworthy fly fishing rivers? Read on ... 

For starters, it's very easy to identify a rainbow trout. A colorful band of different hues -- including blue, green and pink -- can be found on the sides. The colors run all the way along the fish from its head to its tail.

However, landing a large rainbow trout can be a challenge for even the most experienced angler. They put up a good fight when hooked and provide the angler with the thrill of a good catch.

Before you decide to fly fish for rainbow trout, there are a few things that you need  to know in order to be successful.

If you have recently taken up fly fishing it’s imperative that you’re able to read the water surface activity, also known as “reading the rise.” 

This allows you to know exactly what the fish are doing and also when their activity changes.

What exactly is the rise? The rise is the movement a fish makes when it comes to the water's surface to take an insect.

Why should you know how to read the rise? Because the fish’s activity lets you know which tactics to use in order to catch fish.

When casting to a rising fish, don't target the rise rings. Put your fly at least 3-4 feet in front of where you saw the fish last rise, remembering to give yourself time to thrown an upstream mend into the line if needed.
Source: Fly Fishing Tips

You've probably seen it before. You are on the river or lake. You see all kinds of insects flying around. You see bugs in the air, bugs on the water. 

Right about then you're thinking, "I need to match the hatch" to catch these fish. Which for the uninitiated means try to match the live flies you are witnessing with a good imitation. Maybe. Or, maybe you need to go 180 the other direction.

Stay with me here...

Fly Fishing Hatch Charts can be a great tool for helping you plan a fly fishing trip.  Using a hatch chart can help you determine what kind of bugs are hatching, in what part of the country, during what time of the year.

Basically, a hatch chart is a graph or calendar, marked with that information, based on bug activity from previous years.  Look at this one and you'll see what I mean. I helped put this one together for the area of Montana I guide in the most.

A Hatch Chart For Southwestern Montana