With three oceans on its borders and some of the largest snowfalls and glaciation in the world, is a country that is truly amazing for its amount of water. Canada has more than two million lakes, and its rivers contain 9% of the renewable freshwater supply in the world. For the sportsperson, this means that Canada offers fishing opportunities like no where else on earth, and this includes fly fishing. Canada has been divided into five different watersheds, which provide an easy guide when it comes to the species and opportunities available to fly fishing.

Pacific: This area of western Canada includes the Yukon Territory and the province of British Columbia; its boundary to the east is the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains. This watershed contains three major rivers and their tributary systems, the Yukon, Columbia, and Fraser systems.

Species of fish that bite on flies in this watershed are pretty consistent throughout the area, and in British Columbia several lakes are stocked with fish each spring to enhance the possibilities of success for fly anglers. Fish that can be found in both rivers and lakes (and caught on flies) include rainbow and cutthroat trout, kokanee, Dolly Varden, brook trout, char, and brown trout. As a general rule, the more southerly the lake or river, the larger the fish; this is due to the harsher winters which the northern parts of the watershed endure each year. More southern bodies of water, and those along the Pacific coast, may not see ice all year, allowing the fish to grow much larger. Bass should not be found in this water shed but often are, due to unscrupulous anglers.

The Pacific watershed also includes saltwater species, several of which travel upstream through river systems to spawn. Pacific saltwater species which are popular for fly fishing both in the ocean and in river systems (although different types of lure and tackle will be needed for these areas!) include 5 species of salmon (pink, chum, chinook, coho, and sockeye) as well as steelhead trout, legendary prizes among river fly fishermen.

The Pacific ocean itself offers some opportunities for casters, although most species tend to feed at lower levels. Salmon of course can be caught on certain flies, as well as cod and sole.

Arctic: You have to plan a vacation tightly in order to enjoy fly fishing in the Arctic watershed. This is the northernmost region of Canada, and includes the Northwest and Nunavut Territories and parts of the Yukon as well as northern BC, Alberta, and Manitoba. Its location up north means that lakes and rivers are only open for a few months every year before freezing, and the weather and limited daylight in the early spring and fall months limit this for anglers even more. Still, a fly fishing enthusiast can literally fish for 24 hours every day during summer months, when the sun does not set. This region contains the Mackenzie, Peace, and Liard Rivers, as well as Great Bear and Great Slave Lake. Species that can be caught on flies in these bodies of water include northern pike, pickerel, Arctic char, whitefish, and Arctic grayling.

Hudson Bay: This watershed drains Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario and Quebec, and Nunavut. This area is well known for its abundance of lakes and rivers, and any look at a map of central Canada will prove this point as there are spots of blue covering the entire surface. Species that will bite on flies in this watery area include rainbow and cuts, Dolly Varden, brook trout, Arctic char, whitefish, northern pike, and smallmouth bass.

Atlantic: The easternmost of the Canadian watersheds is the Atlantic. This watershed includes all of the rivers and lakes which drain into the Atlantic Ocean, including those found on all of the Maritime provinces (Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick), Newfoundland, most of Quebec and southern Ontario. This system includes the huge St. Lawrence River as well as the Great Lakes. This area has seen the most interference as far as species introduction of any of the watersheds within Canada, largely due to its early development. As a result, species such as bass and perch are available in large numbers, but at the expense of naturally occurring species such as trout. As with the Pacific watershed, the Atlantic offers fly fishing opportunities for salmon both in the ocean and when they return to spawn in their rivers of origin. Unlike in the west, however, only one kind of salmon, the Atlantic, is found in the east. There are also several landlocked versions of this salmon in some of the lakes of the area. Like the salmon of the west, these fish only take flies when they are in the mood and fight like crazy, so they are prize catches.

Gulf of Mexico: The final watershed in Canada is also the smallest. The Gulf of Mexico watershed in Canada includes only the very southern tip of Alberta and a bit of Saskatchewan, and is mainly on the Milk River.

Most of the rivers and lakes in Canada are cold water fishing, with species varying accordingly. While northern parts of the country have smaller fish as a rule, those fly fishing will find that there are more fish in the northern parts of the country due to limited human interference. Isolated lakes and rivers can be found throughout the country, making for the ultimate solitary fly fishing experience for any angler.