Dean River

The Dean starts on the Chilcotin Plateau near Anahim Lake, runs a long way through lakes and meadows, then drops past Salmon House Falls and through closed canyon water into the coastal rainforest. It meets the sea at Kimsquit, at the head of the Dean Channel. No road reaches the lower river, so anglers come in by air or by water from Bella Coola, and most stay at lodges and camps on the 45 km of steelhead water between Crag Creek and the sea.

The draw is summer steelhead that come straight from the salt into a short, fast river. They arrive from late June, and the best fishing is July and August, with fish into September. They are bright, strong fish that run hard in heavy current, and a swung fly on a sink-tip is the standard method. Chinook come first, in June and early July, and coho follow in August and September. The upper Dean, between Anahim Lake and the Iltasyuko River, is a separate fishery for resident rainbows, fly fishing only. The only live gauge sits on that upper river, far above the falls. It reads the plateau's rain and snowmelt, not the coastal creeks that join lower down, so use it for the trend. On the upper river it fishes well between about 4 and 20 m³/s.

The main section, from Crag Creek to the canyon, and the water below the canyon are Class I classified waters from June 1 to September 30, with a Steelhead Stamp. A non-resident alien may buy only one Dean licence, fish only one classified section, and fish no more than 8 days in a row. An unguided non-resident alien who wants the main section must enter a draw each spring. The lower river is closed October 1 to May 31, the canyon is closed all year, and so is the water from the Iltasyuko down to Crag Creek. The upper river runs through Ulkatcho territory near Anahim Lake, and the lower river is Nuxalk territory. Check the in-season changes and DFO's salmon notices before you go.