[HOOK]

just looking for a bit of info on this river. Im planning to head my way up there August long weekend.


should i be fishing above OR below the lake? Im thinking below in the "fly only" area

Is this a good time to be up there?

is there camping near the river?

and last what are a few patterns to be taking with me? i can tie a Hares Ear (i know to bring this) but i need more so i can start tying now (cutty and bull trout flies) :thumbup:


Thanks guys for any info

If this isnt a good time to be up there I will flip it to the Labor day weekend instead ;D Oh and im also having trouble finding directions, all i get is that its close to Cranbrook is this correct?

 

[Kristopher]

There may be more than one but the only Clinton I know of is in region 3 just below the Cariboo. And the only real rivers in the area that I can think of right now are the Bonaparte and the Thompson. Dunno what to tell ya. Hopefully someone else has some info.

 

[Kristopher]

Just busted out the tusty ol backroad mapbook and St. Mary River is indeed in the Kootenay region. There is a long description of the river and a good map for directions. Doesn't mention anything about Clinton in there. eace:

 

[HOOK]

sorry i changed it, I meant Cranbrook not Clinton :happy:

any other info ?? aside from pointing out i typied the wrong city name :wallbash: and i know its also close to Kimberly :cheers: but im looking to fish the fly only section because im going to be fly fishing obviously ;D

 

[Hook Set]

The St. Marys is a beautiful river with lots of fish. The fish above the lake are generally smaller than the fish below the lake. Their is limited access on the river so your best method of fishing it would be floating the river. Some other patterns are elk or deer hair caddis patterns, mayfly's or grass hopper patters. You can also try a stimulator.
Heres a link to one of the guide pages. If you go to the "equipment list" link on the left it has TONS of good flies.

http://www.davebrownoutfitters.com/saint_marys_river.html

The time your going will be a good time. I think I will be up wandering those rivers around the same time.
Hope this helps.

 

[Pat AV]

Hook set pretty much covered it,

August will be fine, a Kootenay backroad mapbook will give you all of the access / campground info you need. Paracute mayfly dries are the go to fly for me up there. Also bring some stone and caddis dries just in case.

The river above the lake is nice, quiet and remote. The fish are smaller for the most part but there are some good ones up there as well I would say it is definetly worth a look.

 

[HOOK]

thanks guys however i forgot my little brother is coming down here that weekend for some salmon fishing so i might have to Delay until Labor day weekend. will this still be a good time? maybe i should just detour to Kelowna and get him on my way up instead LOL ;D

 

[Pat AV]

Labor Day will be just fine, september is a good time to be in the Kootenays :beerchug:

 

[HOOK]

perhaps you wanna join me Pat :thumbup: :thumbup: show me the ropes a bit, help my learning curve lessen. I think i wil be taking my brother up to the Skagit one day on the long weekend unless the salmon fishing is good cause we didnt get many last year and no biggies :'( however he did come back in the fall and got 2 huge wild coho :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Pat AV]

I would love to join you Hook, but I think my BIG fishing road trip will be to Terrace this year, been to the Kootenays last 2 summers and loved it but variety is the spice as they say.

This year I have Skeena on my mind, I miss that area! Keep me in mind though I might be up for a short trip, although a short trip up there would be torture when leaving time comes around.

 

[HOOK]

well a short 3/4 maybe 5 day trip is all i will be able to do :'(

 

[professori]

just looking for a bit of info on this river. Oh and im also having trouble finding directions, all i get is that its close to Cranbrook is this correct?

Backroads Mapbook-Kootenay Region. Get it, look at it. It isn't hard at all. eace: When you get there, go to one of the shops in Cranbrook, or Kimberley and buy a dozen productive flies for the region. You are going to spend $300-$400 to get there and back, $15 for flies isn't a bad investment. Take your tying rig with you and duplicate the ones yo purchase on your own.

 

[HOOK]

i will be picking up a backroad book i just dont have one yet :wallbash: (only have Thompson one so far) and my tying kit always comes with me when trout fishing :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Xray]

I'll be trying this river early August as well because of a visit to see my mother in Cranbrook.
She lives on the way out of town towards the airport and so the St Mary's runs not to far behind here house.
Just wondering if you guys would recommend a canoe on the lower sections and if there are any good access points.
I'm also going to call some friends I know uo there to see if I can get any other info on access.

 

[brendan85]

that river has dollies, rainbow, whitefish, and cut throat.. apparently catch rates have been said to be as high as 50 per day! as others have mentioned backroad mapbooks i would strongly suggest picking up the fishing mapbook.. it has a good wright up about this river..