The Fraser River is British Columbia’s largest and longest river that is entirely within its provincial borders. It is also home to an abundance of wildlife, and fish species.
The Fraser river flows 1,375 kilometers (854 miles) from its source at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains.
The Fraser river empties into the Strait of Georgia at Vancouver.
The Fraser river basin is 240 000 square kms in size. You can fit all of England, Scotland and Wales in the Fraser basin. And for further comparison, the Fraser basin drains a little more than a mere quarter of BC! We live in a big and beautiful place!
The river is named after Simon Fraser, who led an expedition in 1808, leaving Fort George in the month of May in search of a transportation route to the Pacific Ocean. Good lord he went during freshet!
Many indigenous communities live next to the Fraser River and have done so for thousands of years, still practicing to this day, ancient traditions such as dip-netting and dry-rack sockeye.
In peak flows, well over 10 000 cubic meters per second of water will pass Hope, BC. – that’s over a thousand dump truck loads per second!
The Fraser carries about 20 million tonnes of silt annually with the majority dumping into the Strait of Georgia. When you see the color of the Fraser during summertime, you’ll understand the enormity of this silty deposit. This rich silt deposit has built the Fraser valley floodplain, making the area a valuable agricultural zone.
The Fraser is home to the notorious white sturgeon – one of only three main river drainages that contain white sturgeon; the other two rivers are the Columbia, which originates in eastern B.C., and the Sacramento River in California. Tributaries to the Fraser such as the Nechako, Bowron, Harrison and Pitt rivers, all have white sturgeon.
There are 52 species of fish in the Fraser, of which 44 are native to the river-the others are introduced or invasive.
Commonly seen wildlife along the Fraser’s banks, and in the water include: seals, otters, bear and blacktail deer (both of which are very effective swimmers), coyotes, beaver and a myriad of birdlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, herons and vultures.
It is a pleasure to have spent 35 years guiding and running boats on this amazing waterway.
Come join us for a day of sturgeon or salmon fishing on the river, and experience all that the Fraser river has to offer!
Have fun, enjoy what we have today, and remember, you can’t catch them from the couch.
We look forward to spending quality time in the boat with all of you soon!
Best wishes to you all, from all of us!
Cheers!
Whether you are looking for a day trip fishing or you want to stay longer, we can arrange everything from your pickup at the airport in a limo, to your hotel accommodation and the best guided fishing tours in the Fraser Valley. Please contact Marc or Maggie on Toll Free: 1-877-887-4366 or use our contact form.