Mountain Valley Sports Fishing & Tours (MVS) offers a wide range of guided fishing trips and sightseeing adventures as well as drift boat rentals and shuttle service. MVS caters to all skill levels from novice on beginner pools to expert fly fishers on technical water, and can customize any trip to suit your needs. Pickup can be arranged for those arriving at the Castlegar or Trail airports, and as far as Spokane Washington by request.
Most Columbia River fishing adventures last 5-8 hours and begin with your guide picking you up at your accommodations provider. Guided trips include snacks and water, and boat or short lunches can be provided on request. Your trip may begin in the early morning or early afternoon depending on the season and target species. Make sure you bring your hat and sunglasses and dress for the weather.
In spring, summer and fall rainbow trout and Walleye fishing are the most popular excursions. In winter fishing on the Arrow Lake heats up for bull trout, rainbows and the elusive 15-20 pound gerrard rainbow trout. When you arrive at the launch site your gear will be checked and setup for the days fishing. Most clients bring their own equipment, but when needed MVS has top quality fly rod and spin casting setups for guests to use, as well as comfortable Mustang life jackets.
Most trips are for two fly fishers on the 15-1/2 foot Hyde drift boat, but power boats are also used for larger groups. Drift boats are a preferred way to fish, especially in the summer months when the fish are in the midst of their annual feeding frenzy. Drift boats are easy to maneuver keeping the clients on the fish longer, and it is a peaceful, non-polluting way to observe the river in all its beauty.
MVS fishes the entire 56 km of free flowing Columbia River from the Arrow Lakes to the Waneta border (USA). You may launch from a number of different sites, but a favorite springtime run is to launch just South of Castlegar
One of the most common comments clients make is how clear the water is and the sheer number of fish in the river. Most who river fish are in awe of how powerful the currents are on the Columbia and how the different currents mesh and meet in the big back eddies. This is something you just don’t see on a traditional river. If your trip starts later in the day and you fish into the evening you will see one of the largest caddis hatches in North America. This summer hatch is when the water boils with Rainbow trout in a feeding frenzy.
If your trip takes you into the warm July and August evenings you may be treated to full-body sturgeon breaching. It’s a mystery why they breach and tail-slap the water, but it is thought the sturgeon may be herding food and trying to shock fish. Local biologists call them the “Jumping Sturgeon of Castlegar”. The sturgeon are not shy either as they sometimes surface an arms length from the MVS boat and stare down the occupants.
Depending on your start time and excursion length your journey may end in the afternoon or in the late evening. You will then be shuttled back to your lodging, and it’s nearly guaranteed that you will have a great fishing story to tell.
