The Fraser River is more than water flowing through the mountains? For us in Hope, Cascades & Canyons, it’s a lifeline. It carries traditions, feeds families, heals hearts, and sustains our communities economy. When the river is open to Salmon fishing, it isn’t just about fish that are caught. It’s moments, memories, and stories that shape who we are.
Recently, we were invited by Dean Werk from Great River Fishing Adventures to step into those stories. We spent an evening on the Fraser River, listening to voices carried by the current. We wanted to understand what access and opportunity to the Fraser river really means to the people in our community and visitors to the community.
What we found was not just fishing, we found gratitude, we found resilience, we found passion.
Stories From the Fraser River
Priscilla & Chris from Bella Coola, British Columbia
This year, Priscilla and her husband Chris return with gratitude in their hearts. Sitting by the water, they shared how much it means to be back here in the Hope area. To feel the pull of the salmon and to know they can once again provide for their family.
Fishing, for them, is not just about filling their freezer. It’s about honoring traditions, strengthening bonds, and finding peace in a world that often feels busy and heavy. Being an Indigenous First Nations woman allows her to connect with both the land the water and the fishing, her roots.
Chris mentions that in 2023 over 1 million Chinook Salmon migrated up the Fraser River near hope, but our family and other anglers were not provided the opportunity to fish surplus fish stocks. Imagine watching abundant fish stock swim by, knowing we cannot even harvest one for our family. It was a year of lost opportunities, lost food, lost cultural, connections and lost social values of being on the water.
Allie, AJ and their father Blair from Vernon, British Columbia
Blair mentioned that fishing can be one of the most powerful lessons a parent can pass on to the younger generation? Along the river, we met a father – Blair teaching his two teenage kids. Allie has travelled with her father to the Hope area many times to fish for Sockeye Salmon in prior years when the fishery was opened. She has learned how to prepare her fishing gear, how to cast and how to effectively bring Salmon to the shore for harvest. AJ, her younger brother has come along on this trip, his first time to also learn with Allie and her dad. AJ was able to master techniques and brought in his very first Sockeye Salmon. The next morning after this interview, the family filled their limits of Sockeye in only 1 hour of fishing.
The excitement, the laughter echoing across the Fraser River and the stories to be told as they drive home to Vernon will be remembered for generations. Their connection with their family and fishing has come from the passion of Allie’s father, who is now passing down all the skills needed to ensure they will be able to fish and harvest fish for many years to come.
For this family, fishing isn’t just an activity, its tradition, it’s quality time in the purest form. These lessons can not be thought in a classroom. This is patience, connections, resilience and joy.
A Romanian Father & His Four Children from Abbotsford, British Columbia
Did you know for recent immigrants, the river is a bridge to belonging? He fished at home in Romania and now wants to teach his children about fishing in Canada where Salmon come in the millions up the Fraser River. The food quality of fish like Sockeye is amazing for his family and with tight times economically it helps to put food on the table at home.
He told us how incredible it feels to spend hours on the riverbank with his children, teaching them, sharing time together, and letting them embrace the outdoors. He mentioned fishing is one of the most powerful ways he connects with them, and it is free from distractions.
He hopes that fishing opportunities in the coming years in the Hope areas are provided so he can continue to build these bonds with his family.
Why the River Matters to All of Us in the Hope in surrounding areas
Fishing helps all communities along the Fraser River. Visitors and locals come to fish on the river and stop at our coffee shops, stay at our local accommodations, sit down for meals in our eateries and gear up at our local tackle providers . Each cast of a fishing line sends ripples through our local economy which helps Hope thrive.
Did you know fishing also nourishes. Families explained to us that being on the river relieves stress, provides mental health and brings a kind inner peace that only comes with time in the outdoors.
The Fraser is far more than a river. It is food on the table, stories to pass down, healing and strength for our entire community.
Witnessing the Spirit of the River
Did you know that standing on the banks of the Fraser, you can feel the heartbeat of our community? We saw it in the smiles of kids, in the patience of their parents, in the gratitude of couples all from the value of the chance to catch and harvest a single salmon. To go “Fishing”.
We saw caring for each other. We saw traditions being formed. We saw HOPE.
The river doesn’t just run through our landscape here in Hope it runs through our lives. And that is why it must remain open and accessible to Canadians and all visitors as surplus Salmon stocks swim through our waters.
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Facebook Great River Fishing Adventures
Call the office at (604) 792-3544
