Searching for redband trout on the 49th parallel

With a fly rod in one hand and a GPS in the other, I waded upstream through the waters of Boundary Creek seeking the 49th parallel. For some unexplainable reason, I challenged myself to catch and release a Columbia River redband trout at north 49 degrees — the exact latitude of the United States/Canada border. In doing so, mere inches would separate me from being a legal angler as opposed to an alien without a passport or valid fishing license.

Why redband trout? Why Boundary Creek?

Very simply, redband trout, a sub-species of rainbow trout, are native to portions of the Kootenai River basin. But hybridization with introduced rainbow and native westslope cutthroat trout have diluted their genetic purity. Moreover, their native range has been greatly reduced. But recent fish surveys identified pure or almost pure strains of redband trout in the Boundary Creek drainage. These factors attracted me to this remote location on a warm September day.

Boundary Creek sources at Boundary Lake in British Columbia and gathers tributary streams as it meanders into Idaho before emptying into the Kootenai River at Porthill.

Around 1900, A.K. Klockmann built a road alongside Boundary Creek to access the Continental Mine up Blue Joe Creek. In the 1970s, an old Forest Service sign notified loggers, miners and tourists of the international border as they routinely traveled between the two nations.

The once open border crossing has certainly changed. Nowadays, much of the Boundary Creek Road either no longer exists or remains gated. Recent encounters with Border Patrol agents and an overhead drones now make me nervous just to look into Canada.

While human migration is closely monitored at the border, the redband trout in Boundary Creek possess dual citizenship. Their ancestral residency predates international boundaries. I wanted to visit them in their home waters although I would intentionally do so from the U.S.A.

Now back to the fishing story.

GPS coordinates placed me at north 48.998 degrees; close enough for a long cast to reach Canadian waters but safe enough for an Idaho fishing license to keep me legal. The cleared border swath confirmed that I stood on the right side of the law for angling. I even carried an aerial photo for redundancy. No Mountie was going to nab me.

A couple of casts into a promising riffle proved disappointing. But then magic happened when a trout appeared from underneath a nearby boulder and grabbed my #14 Renegade dry fly. Once hooked, the fish bolted toward freedom in Canada. Fortunately, my 45-year-old Cortland fiberglass fly rod had enough muscle to turn the redband trout before it reached Crown waters. After the obligatory photo, I returned this four-inch monster to its home riffle and retreated south. Mission accomplished!

Despite my elation, I still had one more bucket list item to check off. Fish biologists report a pure strain of redband trout inhabiting a nearby crick so small that you can step over it without getting your feet wet. I won’t disclose its name or location but will confirm the presence and abundance of fish that, to this non-fish bio, rank among the wildest I’ve ever seen.

After catching and releasing several of these beautiful fish in the same pool, I walked downstream to the next pool. Instead of casting, I reeled in the fly line and just stood looking into the cold, clean water for any inhabitants. I observed redband trout with a lineage dating back to the melting of the last glacier. Let ‘em be. Mission accomplished!

In closing, I tip my Trout Unlimited hat to acknowledge the professional efforts of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service and the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, all partnering together to preserve, restore and enhance the habitat and population of Columbia River redband trout in their native range.

Bill Love Jr. is president of the Panhandle Chapter of Trout Unlimited. For more information on the chapter, go online to panhandletu.org.