Whatshan River is a river flowing into Columbia River. Recorded fish: Westslope cutthroat, bull trout, rainbow, dolly varden, kokanee, mtn whitefish.
The water
It flows into Columbia River within the Lower Arrow Lake watershed (Lower Arrow Lake → Columbia River). It runs stream order 6 (well down the network, toward river scale; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 49 km. Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, dolly varden, Kokanee, Mountain Whitefish, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (318 records). Named tributaries in the index: Stevens Creek, White Grouse Creek, Eureka Creek, Heaton Creek.
The fishing
As moving water, a tributary of Columbia River, Whatshan River fishes the way rivers of its size do: read the runs and seams, fish a dry-dropper through the warm months, and swing streamers or nymph the deeper slots as flows drop. Match the fly box to the season and confirm against a current local report.
Access & the rules
Access for Whatshan River, meaning the roads in, put-ins and any walk-in or seasonal limits, is worth confirming locally before you commit a day. The drainage map shows how the water sits in its valley.
