British Columbia

Bulkley River

British Columbia·Skeena·54.78° N, 127.15° W

Steelhead & salmon

Run	Months	Peak	Now
Summer steelhead	Aug–Nov	Sep–Oct	In

Run timing is a guide, and seasons, closures and limits change. Check the BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis 2025–2027, Region 6 (Skeena) before you fish.

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About Bulkley River

The Bulkley is a summer steelhead river with a worldwide name. It runs north from Houston, where the Morice joins it, past Telkwa and Smithers to the Moricetown Canyon at Witset, then through rougher water to the Skeena at Hazelton. Its wild steelhead come up from the Skeena in late summer and hold through the fall, and they are the reason people fly in from around the world: big, bright fish that take a swung fly, and sometimes a skated dry. Every steelhead goes back.

The fish arrive in late August, and the best fishing is September and October, until the first hard freeze in November. Read the Smithers gauge: the river fishes well between about 60 and 150 m³/s, and over about 300 it is high and brown. The Telkwa and the creeks add colour after rain, so the river below Telkwa can be dirty while the Morice runs clear. Swing a sink-tip and a dark fly through the long runs, or skate a waking fly on a clear, warm afternoon. Coho, cutthroat and rainbows share the river, and Dolly Varden follow the fish.

It is Class II classified water and needs a Steelhead Stamp from September 1 to October 31. Unguided non-resident aliens may not fish it on Saturdays and Sundays in those months. No one may angle from a boat between the Morice and the CNR bridge at Barrett from August 15 to December 31, or in the Moricetown Canyon and the 100 m below it at any time. The upper Bulkley above Houston is closed. Skeena steelhead returns swing widely from year to year, and the province has limited the fishery in poor years, so check the in-season changes before you book. The river runs through Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan territory, and Witset's canyon is a Wet'suwet'en fishing site. Smithers has the guides, the services and Oscar's Fly & Tackle.

Species

Steelhead (summer-run)
Primary · Sep-Oct · 70-90 cm (to 100 cm+)
Wild Skeena summer steelhead, in the river from late August until freeze-up. Swung flies and skated dries. Release every one in the water.
Coho Salmon
Common · Sep-Oct · 55-75 cm
Fall coho share the runs with the steelhead. DFO sets salmon openings.
Coastal Cutthroat Trout
Present · Jul-Sep · 25-40 cm
Resident cutthroat. Region 6 lets you keep 1 trout from streams July to October, none under 30 cm.
Rainbow Trout
Present · Jul-Sep · 25-45 cm
Resident rainbows. Release trout of any size from November 1 to June 30.
Dolly Varden
Present · Sep-Oct · 35-60 cm
Follow the salmon. Release all Dolly Varden and bull trout from streams, all year.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Steelhead (summer-run)	Primary	Sep-Oct	70-90 cm (to 100 cm+)
Coho Salmon	Common	Sep-Oct	55-75 cm
Coastal Cutthroat Trout	Present	Jul-Sep	25-40 cm
Rainbow Trout	Present	Jul-Sep	25-45 cm
Dolly Varden	Present	Sep-Oct	35-60 cm

Sections

5 reaches

Witset to Hazelton

Wade & FloatSteelhead

Below the canyon the river runs through rougher, more remote water to the Skeena at Hazelton. Fewer access points and some canyon water that is not safe to float without local knowledge.

Best for: Summer steelhead from September into October, for anglers who know the access or fish with a guide.

Smithers to Witset

Wade & FloatSteelhead

The best-known steelhead water, from Smithers down to Witset and the Moricetown Canyon. Long, wadeable runs and gravel bars, with drift-boat access between them. No angling from boats in the canyon or within 100 metres below it, all year.

Best for: Wild summer steelhead on a swung fly from September to the end of October.

Quick to Smithers

Wade & FloatSteelhead · Salmon

Past Telkwa, where the Telkwa River joins, to Smithers. The Telkwa adds color after rain, so this water can run dirtier than the river above it.

Best for: Summer steelhead on swung flies and skated dries from September into October, and coho in the fall.

Houston to Quick

Wade & FloatSteelhead · Cutthroat · Rainbow Trout

From the Morice confluence at Houston north through ranch land to Quick. The upper Bulkley above Houston is closed to fishing. No angling from boats from the Morice confluence to the CNR bridge at Barrett from August 15 to December 31, so drift boats here are for travel.

Best for: Summer steelhead in the long runs from September, and cutthroat and rainbow trout in summer.

Morice River

Wade & FloatSteelhead · Salmon

The Bulkley's biggest tributary, from the Lamprey Creek confluence down to Houston, where it meets the upper Bulkley. Clear, cold and bigger than the Bulkley above it. Above Lamprey Creek the Morice has its own closures: the first 2 km below the lake are closed all year, the Dunes to Gosnell Creek until September 30, and Gosnell Creek to Lamprey Creek until August 31, then fly fishing only in September. No one may angle from a boat anywhere on the Morice from August 15 to December 31. The Morice gauge sits upstream in that closed water and stands in for the open river below.

Best for: Swinging flies for wild summer steelhead from late August into October, and coho in the fall. Every steelhead goes back.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 60–150 m³/s
Blow-out: >300 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 4–13°C

Best seasons

September and October for steelhead, from the first fish in late August to freeze-up in November. Read the Smithers gauge: the river fishes well between about 60 and 150 m³/s, and over about 300 it is high and coloured. After rain the Telkwa colours the river below it first, and the Morice stays clearer. Closed January 1 to June 15 under the Region 6 Skeena rule.

Regulations

Release all wild steelhead. Class II classified water and Steelhead Stamp September 1 to October 31. Unguided non-resident aliens may not fish on weekends September 1 to October 31. No angling from boats from the Morice to Barrett August 15 to December 31, or in the Moricetown Canyon and the 100 m below it. Bait ban, single barbless hook. Closed January 1 to June 15, and closed above Houston.

No fishing upstream of the Morice/Bulkley confluence at Houston.
No fishing January 1 to June 15 (Region 6 rule for streams in the Skeena watershed above Cedarvale), and no fishing for steelhead May 15 to June 15.
Class II classified water and Steelhead Stamp mandatory September 1 to October 31.
Angling is prohibited for non-guided non-resident aliens on Saturdays and Sundays, September 1 to October 31.
No angling from boats from the Morice River to the CNR bridge at Barrett, August 15 to December 31, and in the Moricetown Canyon or within 100 m downstream, all year.
Bait ban.
Region 6 quota: release all wild steelhead, all Dolly Varden and bull trout from streams, trout under 30 cm from streams, and trout of any size from streams November 1 to June 30. 1 trout from streams July 1 to October 31.
Single barbless hook in all Region 6 streams, all year.
Morice River: no fishing from the Morice Lake outlet to the "Dunes" about 2 km downstream, all year. No fishing from the Dunes to Gosnell Creek, January 1 to September 30. No fishing from Gosnell Creek to Lamprey Creek January 1 to August 31, and fly fishing only there in September. No angling from boats August 15 to December 31 on all parts. Angling prohibited for non-guided non-resident aliens on Saturdays and Sundays, September 1 to October 31. The same Class II and Steelhead Stamp rules.
Salmon in fresh water are managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada: you need a Non-Tidal Salmon Conservation Stamp to keep one, and DFO sets openings and quotas in fishery notices that change through the season.

Classified waters licences for non-residents are sold by the day and by the water. See the Suskwa and Telkwa rivers in the synopsis for their own rules. Check the in-season changes on the BC freshwater fishing regulations page before every trip. Licences are sold through the province's WILD licensing system.

Source: BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis 2025–2027, Region 6 (Skeena). Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Smithers, BC

About 1 hr from Smithers to Houston, 1.5 hrs to Hazelton; flights to Smithers from Vancouver

Fly shops

Oscar's Fly & TackleSmithers

Camping: Riverside camping at Riverside Park in Smithers and Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa. Hotels and full services in Smithers and Houston, and lodges along the river.

Highway 16 follows the river from Houston to Hazelton, with access at bridges, rest areas and forest roads. Drift boats carry anglers between runs. No angling from a boat from the Morice to the CNR bridge at Barrett from August 15 to December 31, anywhere on the Morice in the same months, or in the Moricetown Canyon and the 100 m below it all year: get out and wade or fish from the bank there. Elsewhere below Barrett you may fish from a boat. Much of the valley is private ranch land and reserve land: ask before you cross it.

Bulkley River

British Columbia·Skeena·54.78° N, 127.15° W

Log an outing

Steelhead & salmon

Run	Months	Peak	Now
Summer steelhead	Aug–Nov	Sep–Oct	In

Run timing is a guide, and seasons, closures and limits change. Check the BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis 2025–2027, Region 6 (Skeena) before you fish.

Fishing: Prime
Flow: 90m³/s; Steady · normal; Bulkley River near Smithers
Water temp: 4.5°C; Bulkley River near Smithers

Flow

90m³/s

Steady ·

Bulkley River near Smithers

Water temp

4.5°C

Bulkley River near Smithers

Normal range

65–197m³/s

Median 106 m³/s

Weather

5°C

Light Rain