Fishing in Yoho National Park

All waterbodies in Yoho National Park are currently closed to angling until March 31, 2027.

Parks Canada extended the closure to prevent the spread of whirling disease, which was first confirmed in the park in September 2023 — discovered in brook trout in Emerald Lake, and later detected in the Kicking Horse River, Wapta Lake, Finn Creek, Monarch Creek, and the confluence of the Emerald River and Kicking Horse River.

There is no treatment for whirling disease, and once established it is extremely difficult to eradicate. Respect the closure. When the park does reopen to fishing, here is what the water looks like.

Yoho sits on the western slopes of the Canadian Rockies in eastern British Columbia, draining into the Columbia River system. The park holds glacier-fed rivers, high alpine lakes, and tributary streams running through steep, forested valleys.

The Kicking Horse River — a designated Canadian Heritage River — is the main artery, running turquoise through the valley bottom.

The Yoho River joins it near the town of Field, and smaller drainages like the Amiskwi, Ottertail, and Ice rivers feed in from the surrounding terrain.

On the Kicking Horse, fly fishing is the main draw west of Field, with fishing permitted from the confluence with the Yoho River downstream to the park boundary. Cutthroat and rainbow trout, brook char, Dolly Varden, and mountain whitefish are all present.

Emerald Lake, the park's most visited water, holds brook char and rainbow trout; boat rentals are available at the Emerald Sports boathouse.

Wapta Lake, right off the Trans-Canada on the park's east end, is known for lake trout, as is Sherbrooke Lake — a 3 km uphill hike from the Wapta Lake trailhead.

Lake O'Hara holds westslope cutthroat trout, though access to that area is tightly managed and visitor numbers are limited. A National Park fishing permit is required — a provincial licence alone is not valid in park waters.

Anglers under 16 may fish without a permit when accompanied by a permitted adult. Live or dead fish and fish parts cannot be used as bait in Yoho.

Check Parks Canada directly for current seasons, closures, and any water-specific rules before you go — regulations in the mountain national parks have been changing, and the situation with whirling disease means that will likely continue.

The fish that live here — westslope cutthroat in particular — are exactly the kind of population that a disease like whirling disease can hollow out fast. When the water reopens, fish it carefully.