Copper River

The Zymoetz is the Copper to everyone in Terrace. It drains McDonell Lake in the mountains east of town, runs about 115 km through a steep valley and a closed canyon, and meets the Skeena just east of Terrace near Highway 16. A forest road follows much of it, so it is one of the easiest Skeena steelhead rivers to reach.

Wild summer steelhead come in from August, and the best fishing is September and October, with fish into November. The Copper is fast, bouldery and cold, and it rises and colours quickly after rain, then drops and clears over a few days. Read the gauge above O.K. Creek: the river fishes well between about 40 and 120 m³/s, and over about 250 it is high and brown. Swing a sink-tip and a dark fly through the pocket water and the tailouts. Dolly Varden, rainbows and cutthroat share the river. There is no open salmon fishery on the Zymoetz: DFO closes chinook, and lists no coho opening.

Above Limonite Creek the river is Zymoetz River A, Class I classified water with a Steelhead Stamp from July 24 to December 31. Below Limonite Creek it is Zymoetz River B, Class II water with a Steelhead Stamp from July 24 to May 31. In both, unguided non-resident aliens may not fish on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the classified period. The canyon is closed, and so are the first 3 km below McDonell Lake. Above the transmission line crossing below the canyon, the river is closed January 1 to June 15. Skeena steelhead returns swing from year to year, so check the in-season changes before you go. There is reserve land at the mouth, so ask before you cross it.