Fishing regulations on the southeastern BC section of the Columbia River are fairly straight forward.
On the Columbia River, the daily limit of rainbow trout is two, while Kokanee is 15, but only 5 in the Lower Arrow Lakes above the Hugh Keenleyside dam. Fisheries managers encourage anglers to kill all pike caught to help control the population of this invasive species. There is no retention limit on bass, and a generous 16 on walleye.
The Lower Arrow Lakes has different regulations despite being a reservoir of the Columbia. The daily possession limit of rainbow trout and kokanee is five with one rainbow over 50 cm and one bull trout.
The 56-km stretch of the Columbia River from Hugh Keenleyside Dam near Castlegar to the US border just past Trail is open all year long and exempt from the April 1 to June 15 closure for streams as well as catch-and-release regulations from Nov. 1 to March 31. Anglers can fish for trout and other species all year long.
Fishing is closed on a small section of the river from March 1 to June 30 from a sign near the old Robson Ferry landing to a sign on the south river bank 950 meters downstream to protect spawning rainbow trout.
All streams in BC require anglers to use a single, barbless hook, so no dropper flies, treble hooks, or tandem rigs are allowed. Anglers are required to pinch their barbs, or use barbless hooks if tying your own flies.
Full details on quota and current regulations can be found in the 2023-2025 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis. The section specific to our region is Region 4.