At the far head of Seymour Arm, where the gravel road from the north shore finally runs out, a river comes down out of the Monashees and spreads across a sandy beach into Shuswap Lake. In autumn sockeye nose up into it past the campground, and well upstream they meet a wall of white water in a narrow gorge, a two-step falls that ends their road. Below the falls is salmon water. Above it is a different river, with trout that have always been there.
The falls cut the river in two, and the beach at the mouth makes a third part. The lower river runs from the gorge down to the old gold-rush townsite of Seymour Arm and its estuary. The falls sit just below where a large tributary, Ratchford Creek, comes in. Above them the river climbs into the mountains through a wilderness park that protects its headwaters.
Start with the lower river. It is the spawning ground for the arm’s sockeye, with coho and chinook too, and any trout or char you hook below the falls goes back. Reach it from the forest road that runs past the townsite, or walk up from the estuary.
The falls are the place to stand and look before you choose. A short trail of a few hundred metres leaves the road just past the bridge, through old cedar to the top of the gorge. From there you can see where the salmon water ends and the trout water begins, and decide which river you came for.
The upper river is for the angler who wants to be farthest from anyone: native rainbows, bull trout and whitefish, about 40 km of gravel road beyond the townsite, and no trails once you are there.
The estuary is lake water, and fishes as part of Seymour Arm, where the lake’s big rainbows come to the river mouth after salmon fry.
When you come back down to the beach, the whole of Seymour Arm runs south from your feet toward the main lake.
Fish in this water
Each fish is rated by its strongest evidence. A rating says how sure we are a fish is here, not how many there are, whether it is worth fishing for or whether you may keep it.
Likely
Older records here, recent stocking, a local guide or fly shop, a guide listing, or recent records on connected water nearby.
The lower river is the classic salmon-stream shape: gravel runs and bends where the sockeye dig, and deeper water at the outside of each bend where trout wait for whatever drifts down. The gorge at the falls is fast, narrow and dangerous water with no fishing to speak of. Above the falls the river runs through steep mountain country with avalanche paths coming down to the valley floor, and fish hold in the slower pockets behind boulders and along the edges.
Fish and forage
Below the falls, rainbows, bull trout and whitefish share the river with spawning salmon, and in autumn the drifting sockeye eggs are the biggest meal of their year. Above the falls the salmon don’t reach, and the rainbows are a native stock living on insects and whatever the river brings down. Expect very few people.
When to fish it
Every reach is closed from 1 January to 30 June under the region’s spring closure for streams, and the rules list no other closure on the river itself from July. Snowmelt off the Monashees can keep it high and cold early in the season, so give the upper river time to drop. On the lower river, autumn is the time, when the sockeye are on the gravel and the trout come up behind them. Bull trout from streams must be released from 1 August to 31 October.
How to fish it
On the lower river in autumn, fish one small egg pattern dead-drifted below the spawners, never cast over the redds, and keep off the gravel where fish are digging. Start with a pale orange to match sockeye eggs. If fish follow and refuse in the clear water, go smaller; if they still won’t eat, swing a small muddler through the deeper water on the outside of the bend. Above the falls, fish upstream with one high-floating dry, an elk hair caddis or a small attractor, into the pockets behind boulders. If nothing rises, change to one small beadhead nymph and drift it deeper through the same pockets.
Access and safety
From the Trans-Canada at Squilax, follow the north-shore road past Scotch Creek and Anglemont; after the pavement ends, about 40 km of gravel brings you to Seymour Arm. Silver Beach Provincial Park sits on the estuary there, with camping by reservation, a sandy beach and supplies sold locally. The western part of the park, around the river mouth, is set aside for fish and wildlife, and you may meet spawning salmon there. For the falls, follow the Celista-Seymour Forest Service Road past the townsite to the bridge over the Seymour near the 15 km marker, stay left across it, and park at the wide spot about 200 m on. Stay well back from the edges at the gorge. Upper Seymour River Provincial Park is reached by about 40 km of two-wheel-drive gravel beyond Seymour Arm. It is grizzly country with avalanche paths and no developed trails: carry bear spray and tell someone where you have gone. Black bears turn up around the campground too.
Regulations
Below the falls, rainbow trout and char are catch and release. Bait is banned on the whole river, and every stream in Region 3 is single barbless hook all year. Above the falls the catch-and-release rule does not reach, so check the regional limits before you keep anything. At the estuary, Shuswap Lake’s rules apply: the area north of Albas closes from 15 March to 14 May. Salmon rules come from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Check in-season changes before you go.