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Vancouver Island Salmon Fishing Trips

 Many people go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after; the peace you can find during fishing is rare. Vancouver Island has many magnificent spots for fishing that you can experience unique trips.

Salmon Fishing on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island, the largest and greatest island on the Pacific Coast of North America, with both salt and freshwater fishing, is a tourism front-runner for anglers and visitors from around the globe.
Vancouver Island has a hundred miles of shorelines and tons of places like lakes and rivers besides the pacific ocean to go salmon fishing.
The island is the home of the city known as the Salmon Capital of the world; Campbell River  is the most popular spot for salmon fishing in the north of Vancouver Island and also in the world.
Sport fisherman from around the world is drawn by the allure of massive Chinook (King) salmon regularly caught in our waters. Sockeye salmon, Chum salmon, Kokanee salmon, Coho salmon and Pink Salmon are the other popular salmon species that you can find on Vancouver Island. Saltwater salmon fishing on Vancouver Island is famous for good reason. The nutrient-rich waters of the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island attract small baitfish, which in turn attract hundreds of thousands of salmon each year.
Every year starting in the middle of May, an annual mass migration of Chinook salmons on their way to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., and they feed on herring and other baitfish along the way.
The fishing season ran from late April and continued to October.
A vast network of roads and ferries to the mainland make getting around Vancouver Island very easy. Anglers with their own boats have lots of options here, as do travellers searching to book a day or two of fishing.

Salmon Habitat on Vancouver Island

Salmons are considered "anadromous," which means they live in both freshwater and saltwater. They are born in freshwater, spend a few months to a few years, depending on their species, and then move out to the ocean. When it's time to spawn, they head back to freshwater again. Salmon mostly feed on amphipods, terrestrial and aquatic insects, and other crustaceans while young and primarily on other fish when older. Salmon foods are mainly provided from freshwater streams and estuaries. These fantastic creatures play an important role in the waters of B.C. and Vancouver Island; they carry nutrients from the streams to the ocean and back again and fertilize much of B.C.'s forest ecosystems. We can call them biosensors of the ecosystem; their health is an indicator of general ecosystem health.

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Vancouver Island Salmon Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Chinook Salmon Fishing Season

Chinook Salmon Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Sockeye Salmon Fishing Season

Sockeye Salmon Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Kokanee Salmon Fishing Season

Kokanee Salmon Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Pink Salmon Fishing Season

Pink Salmon Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Coho Salmon Fishing Season

Coho Salmon Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Chum Salmon Fishing Season

Chum Salmon Fishing Season

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              Vancouver Island Fish Species

              Know Vancouver Island fish species to choose the best place for angling, and all you need to know before fishing on this spectacular island!

              Limited Fishing Areas on Vancouver Island

              • Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
              • Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve
              • Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
              • Checleset Bay Ecological Reserve
              • Checleset Bay Ecological Reserve
              • Robson Bight Ecological Reserve
              • Bowser Ecological Reserve
               • Cleland Island Ecological Reserve
              • Clanninick Creek Ecological Reserve
               • Claud Elliott Creek Ecological Reserve
               • Hənʎəmdᶻi Məkola/Yorke Island Conservancy
              • Baikie Island Nature Preserve
               • Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve
              • Baeria Rocks Ecological Reserve
               • Honeymoon Bay Ecological Reserve
              • Yellow Point Bog Ecological Reserve
              • Canoe Islets Ecological Reserve
              • Ballingall Islets Ecological Reserve
               • Mount Tzouhalem Ecological Reserve
               • Trial Islands Ecological Reserve
               • Race Rocks Ecological Reserve
              • Zeballos Lake
              • Macktush Creek
               • Craigflower Creek
              • Tsolum River
              • Hemmingsen Creek
               • Consort Creek
              • Thelwood Creek
              • Healy Lake
              • Colquitz River
              • Tlools Lake
              • Hawarth Lake
              • Claud Elliott Creek
              • Nola Lake
              • Haslam Creek
              • Catherine Creek
              • Myra Lake
              • Goldstream River
              • Carnation Creek
              • Miller Creek
              • Cruickshank River
              • Browns River

              Angling Safety in Bear Country

              Bears are found throughout Vancouver Island., especially near streams. Black bears and grizzlies have a keen sense of smell, which may attract them to bait, freshly-caught fish, fish guts and spawning grounds. Here are some simple precautions to help you keep away from bear encounters and conflicts, Of course, if you are not interested to attract and hunting them.
               • Dispose of fish guts at the exact location to catch the fish. Puncture the bladder and drop the guts into the deep or speeding water, well away from heavily used shoreline areas. Avoid disposal in shallow water or where the guts are probably to wash up on a beach or boat launch. Burial or burning the guts is not recommended; also, please do not place guts in garbage receptacles.
               • Do not wipe your hands on your clothing after handling fish or bait such as fish eggs or after cleaning fish.
              • Bears can be drawn to many types of food –fish and bait and groceries or garbage. Take precautions while fishing and always keep fish eggs in well-sealed and protected containers.
               • Make your presence known by talking loudly or making noise, particularly along streams and in areas with signs of bear activity like tracks, droppings, or claw or bite marks on trees).
              • If a bear nears within 50 metres (or 100 metres for a female with cubs) while you’re fishing, reel in or cut your line and leave the area quickly.

              Limited Fishing Areas on Vancouver Island

              Parks

              • Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
              • Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve
              • Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

              Ecological Reserve

              • Checleset Bay Ecological Reserve
              • Checleset Bay Ecological Reserve
              • Robson Bight Ecological Reserve
              • Bowser Ecological Reserve
              • Cleland Island Ecological Reserve
              • Clanninick Creek Ecological Reserve
              • Claud Elliott Creek Ecological Reserve
              • Hənʎəmdᶻi Məkola/Yorke Island Conservancy
              • Baikie Island Nature Preserve
              • Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve
              • Baeria Rocks Ecological Reserve
              • Honeymoon Bay Ecological Reserve
              • Yellow Point Bog Ecological Reserve
              • Canoe Islets Ecological Reserve
              • Ballingall Islets Ecological Reserve
              • Mount Tzouhalem Ecological Reserve
              • Trial Islands Ecological Reserve
              • Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

              No Fishing Area

              • Zeballos Lake
              • Macktush Creek
              • Craigflower Creek
              • Tsolum River
              • Hemmingsen Creek
              • Consort Creek
              • Thelwood Creek
              • Healy Lake
              • Colquitz River
              • Tlools Lake
              • Hawarth Lake
              • Claud Elliott Creek
              • Nola Lake
              • Haslam Creek
              • Catherine Creek
              • Myra Lake
              • Goldstream River
              • Carnation Creek
              • Miller Creek
              • Cruickshank River
              • Browns River

              Vancouver Island Fishing Common Question

              Salmon, Halibut, Trout, Tuna and bass are the most common fish on Vancouver Island.
              In addition to the Pacific Ocean, there are many rivers, lakes, ports, and water bodies or around Vancouver Island to experience excellent fishing trips.
              There are many great spots for fishing on Vancouver Island, but Campbell River, Tofino, Port Renfrew, Port Alberni, and Sooke can be named as the best of them.
              Fly-fishing, trolling, bait casting and drift fishing are the best and most popular fishing methods that can be used in both freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing. Still fishing or bottom fishing are the other names of bait fishing, the oldest and the most usable method among anglers.
              As a beginner, you should pick a multi-purpose combo set that allows you to fish with both bait and lures. A spinning reel is the best choice for beginners when it comes to reels.
              Rod, reel, hooks and proper bait are essential things that you need for fishing.
              There are many choices for choosing proper fishing bait, worms, shrimp, salmon eggs and grasshoppers are considered as the best baits for fishing in both freshwater and saltwater.
              Sportfishing, like any other type of fishing, involves the use of hooks, fishing rods, or reels.
              The rising or flooding tide is a more suitable time to fish than low or high tide because the movement of the water is considered one of the best fishing tide times.
              Rich waters of Juan de Fuca Strait, Nootka Sound, Esperanza Inlet, Port Renfrew and Ucluelet have the best areas for deep-sea fishing on Vancouver Island.
              Yes, most saltwater anglers prefer deep-sea fishing in coastal waters because there are dozens of different fish species found there, and these areas are often very easy to access.
              Yes, you can fish from a regular kayak but if enjoy it and decided to continue it, you can improve other equipment for your kayak.
              Beginners may struggle with that, but efficient kayak angling, like the one-handed cast, needs skill in handling a paddle with one hand. Paddling a kayak with two hands is simple for even inexperienced anglers.
              The ideal rod length for kayak fishing totally depends on your fishing methods, if you stand to fish 7-7.5'rod is the best size for you and if you sit and fish 6-7'rod size is the standard size to do kayak fishing.
              Yes, you can use the canoe for fishing and is one of the favourites methods for anglers. Freshwater rivers, lakes, and ponds, as well as saltwater backcountry estuaries, can all be fished from a canoe.
              Canoes give anglers greater mobility and access to more remote, seldom-fished waters. Canoes, on the other hand, are more confining, and it is important to stay centred on the seats when casting, fighting a fish, or landing a fish.
              A multipurpose rotomolded or polyethylene recreational canoe is the best canoe for fishing, especially when lake fishing. They are inexpensive, long-lasting, and stable. Recreational canoes are designed with materials that give you the adaptability to fish on different types of waterways. You'll need a river canoe for river fishing, especially if you'll be paddling some small rapids. Keep in mind that ocean fishing necessitates speed, strength, and stability. Anglers who use canoes have greater mobility and access to more remote, seldom-fished waters. Canoes, on the other hand, are more confined, and it is critical to remain centred on the seats when casting, fighting, or landing a fish.
              The essential gears for fly fishing are included fly rod, fly reel, fly fishing lines and of course a few flies.
              Vancouver Island is like a heaven for Cowichan River, Elk River, Campbell River, Nimpkish River, Comox and many other rivers and cities that offer some of the best fly fishing grounds.
              Share your angling experience or fishing journey on Vancouver Island with us!