BCFishing.com

About British Columbia

British Columbia's varied terrain and climate makes it possible to enjoy of a wide range of activities within the same province, or even the same city. For example, visit Vancouver and you can fish, hike or golf in the morning and then relax in a downtown bistro or spa that afternoon. Where else can you experience so many different things in just a matter of hours? And because the fishing is year-round in BC, you can even match your fishing adventure with winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

Take advantage of a vacation package and really make the most of your BC fishing experience. Packages range from full-service, all-inclusive vacations, to a-la-carte offerings like boat rentals, fly-fishing lessons, guided day trips, and half-day charters. Your vacation setting can be a luxurious lodge overlooking the ocean or surrounded by wilderness at a lakeside resort. Or if you really want to get away from it all, there are fly-in fishing resorts and heli-fishing excursions that can take you where no vehicle can travel. Follow the links on this website to plan your BC Fishing Vacation.

Tourism British Columbia also offers comprehensive consumer information on travelling in BC, including transportation, accommodation, maps and a range of useful publications. This free service is available by calling 1-800-HelloBC (435-5622) in North America, 604 HelloBC in Greater Vancouver or visiting HelloBC.com.

There are over 110 community-based Visitor Info Centres throughout British Columbia, providing travellers with a range of services from trip planning, accommodations and ticketing. For detailed information on local travel, visit one of the many Visitor Info Centres, found in most communities around the province. Just look for the Visitor Info signs throughout the province.

Lying between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Rocky mountains to the east, British Columbia boasts some of the most diverse and breathtaking scenery in the world.

• East of BC is the province of Alberta. The Alaskan panhandle and the northern Canadian territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories share British Columbia's northern borders, while the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana run along the province's southern border.
• British Columbia's rugged coastline stretches for more than 27,000 km (16,780 miles) including thousands of islands and mountainous fjords.
• More than three quarters of the province is considered mountainous; the Rocky Mountains run its length, flanked by a series of companion ranges -- the Columbia, Monashee, Cariboo, Selkirk, Purcell, Cassiar, Omineca and Skeena ranges.
• Forest covers about 60 per cent of the province; huge Douglas fir and western red cedar grow in the moist coastal regions, and vast forests of pine, spruce and hemlock are found in the higher and drier interior.
• Freshwater lakes and rivers make up four per cent of British Columbia's vast area.
• There are over 650 provincial parks and recreation areas in British Columbia, along with several National Parks and National Park Reserves.
• British Columbia covers 947,796 square kilometres (365,973 square miles) and is Canada's third largest province.
• BC is two and a half times the size of Japan, and four times the size of Great Britain and all of Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland combined would fit into British Columbia. California, Oregon and Washington could fit into British Columbia and still have enough room for Tennessee; the only American state larger that BC is Alaska.

British Columbia's large size and diverse topography means the climate varies greatly from area to area. This creates wide variations in average hours of sunshine, rainfall, snowfall and temperatures, sometimes over remarkably short distances.

• Summer-time temperatures in BC's interior frequently surpass 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit); nearer the coast and in other regions, average temperatures are around 25 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Spring and Fall usually means warm days, but you'll want to bring a jacket along for the cooler nights.
• In winter, the Greater Vancouver and Greater Victoria enjoy a temperate climate. But dress warmly if you're heading for Whistler, the interior, or up north.