Late on a summer evening below Spences Bridge, if the valley wind drops, the big river goes smooth along its edges. That is when the rainbows come up to a large dry fly in the soft water against the rocks, under hills of sage and cactus.
Understand the shape first. The river is born in Kamloops, where its north and south branches meet, runs a short town stretch, and drowns in Kamloops Lake. It comes out at Savona and wanders west through a broad, dry valley to Ashcroft, then drops into a canyon it doesn’t leave until it meets the Fraser at Lytton. Four parts, then: the town river, the lake, the valley water and the canyon.
Below the lake the river is closed from October 1 to May 31, which shuts the autumn
steelhead water it was famous for and leaves a summer trout river, open from July through September, with one exception in May.
Start in the valley. From the lake outlet at Savona down past Walhachin to Ashcroft, the river slows enough to read and there are campgrounds on the bank. The exception is here, and it is the surprise: on the stretch between the rail bridge below the mouth of the Deadman River and the rail bridge above the mouth of the Bonaparte, the river opens from May 1 to 31, artificial fly only, every trout and char released.
The canyon is the river people picture. The water just downstream of Spences Bridge, where the Nicola comes in and the valley briefly widens, is the classic trout water. Below a place called Shaw Springs the walls close in and safe ways down are few.
The town river is the one to save for when the rest is shut. Between the confluence and the lake, rainbows, whitefish and
bull trout live in the river the year round, and this is the one stretch where you can go looking for them on a winter afternoon. The lake between is a different water, fished by its own rules.
When you have fished the summer river, follow it upstream into the South Thompson, or down to Lytton, where the darker Thompson slides into the Fraser.
How to fish it
A 5 or 6 weight rod handles the fish, but go heavier and faster than you think you need, because the valley wind is strong. Fish a floating line with a tapered leader of about nine feet, and one fly at a time. Through the day, dead-drift a big black stonefly nymph along the shoreline seams, take a few steps between drifts, and keep moving until you find feeding fish; expect hard takes. As the light goes, cut it off and tie on a big dry, a California Blonde or an Elk Hair Caddis, and drift it tight to the rocks. Takes at dusk can be no more than a dimple, so watch the fly. If the dry draws nothing, the fish are probably still down: go back to the nymph and fish it a little farther out.
Access and safety
Highway 1 follows the river from Kamloops to Lytton, and provincial parks give the easiest ways in. Steelhead Park sits at the outlet of Kamloops Lake near Savona, with campsites and a long river frontage. Juniper Beach Park is on the north shore about 19 km east of Cache Creek, across a controlled rail crossing; from the day-use area you can walk the bank upstream or down. In Ashcroft, anglers walk down to the river from the ends of town streets and fish from shore under the bridge. Goldpan Park, on the east bank about 10 km below Spences Bridge, has camping and frontage, and Skihist Park near Lytton is another stop. Away from the parks, canyon access below Shaw Springs is steep and dangerous, and the whitewater down to Lytton belongs to the rafts.
The rocks are slippery and the current is stronger than it looks. Two rail lines follow the river, so cross the tracks only where it is safe and legal. It is hot and dry: carry water and a hat, watch for rattlesnakes in the sage, and check for ticks from March to June. Much of the bank is private or reserve land; don’t cross it without permission.
Regulations
Single barbless hooks are required on all streams in the region, all year, with one artificial fly on the line. You may use a boat to get around, but there is no angling from boats on the river. Upstream of the boundary signs 1 km downstream of Martel, bait is banned. Below the lake you may keep two trout or char a day, none under 35 cm and only one over 50 cm, except on the May fly-only reach, where all go back. On the town stretch above the lake the rainbow quota is two a day, none over 50 cm. Everywhere, release all steelhead, and release bull trout from August 1 to October 31; at other times, outside that May reach, you may keep one bull trout, none under 60 cm. A Steelhead Stamp is required to fish for steelhead anywhere in the province. Kamloops Lake has its own listing, so check the regulations for the lake, and check in-season changes before any day on the river.