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Vancouver Island Tuna 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 where you can experience unique trips.

Tuna Fishing on Vancouver Island

Tuna fishing, this intense, adrenalin-stimulating fishery, is become popular among both commercial fishers and recreational fishers lately. Before 1960, nearly no person targeted Albacore; however, now they have got emerged as very famous amongst anglers and now become the most popular species for offshore fishing in BC.
Vancouver Island offers incredible fishing opportunities from fly-fishing crystal-clear rivers for steelhead to chasing fat chrome tuna hundreds of kilometres offshore in amazing waters of the west coast.
  Albacore tuna fishing does require to challenge as much as forty miles offshore to discover the schools of tuna; thousands of them pass along the island each summer.as much as forty miles offshore to discover the schools of tuna, thousands of them pass along the island each summer. Vancouver Island's West Coast is usually mentioned in the same breath as fantastic Tuna fishing, Chinook salmon and halibut fishing.

Tuna Habitat on Vancouver Island

Tuna primarily live in saltwater with tropical, subtropical and temperate marine habitats. The Pacific Ocean is one of these areas. The spawning time of tuna is during July and October. They're observed mostly at the Pacific coast of British Columbia and are observed at depths of as much as six a hundred metres, although they're commonly found at 250 to 350 metres.
Tuna fish travel quickly through thousands of miles of ocean, and they can even reach up to 75mph and can be fished and found throughout regions and waters around Vancouver Island. Tuna is an own circle of relatives that carries over a dozen types of fish inside that group- tuna is really now no longer a unique species.

Vancouver Island Tuna Fishing Guides

The Best Tuna Fishing Spots on Vancouver Island

Tuna Fishing is an off-shore fishery, so you can enjoy boating while you are catching these tasty fish. Vancouver Island is full of areas with opportunities for catching tuna; Port McNeil and Port Hardy, Kyuquot Sound and Tofino offer some of the best spots for tuna fishing. Generally, the west coast of Vancouver Island has great fishing destinations due to the location near the pacific ocean.

The Best time for Tuna Fishing on Vancouver Island

The coastal rivers of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, have healthy runs of tuna from August At the same time as with migration of wild salmon, and it will be continued into October. Normally, spring and summer are the best seasons for tuna fishing on Vancouver Island.

The Best Bait for Tuna Fishing on Vancouver Island

Trolling action-oriented lures such as large crankbait type diving plugs like X Rap Magnum Rapalas and topwater lures like Zukers, Jet Heads, and Tuna Feathers are commonly used to catch tuna and halibut. Lures that move like live bait are sure to catch the attention of Albacore tuna. Trolling at 6 to 8 mph with at least two topwater and two subsurface lures is one of the efficient ways of tuna fishing.

Protected Fish Species on Vancouver Island

According to the Government of Canada, if you catch any of the Aquatic species listed under the Species at Risk Act and protected by the Fisheries Act, you should immediately remove the hook from it and releasing where you catch it. If the fish is deeply hooked, hooked around the gills, or bleeding, you should improve its chances for survival by cutting the leader as close to the hook’s eye as possible and releasing it with the hook left in.

Vancouver Island Tuna Fishing Season

Vanisle Fishers

Albacore Tuna Fishing Season

Vancouver Island Tuna Subspecies

Albacore tuna Fishing

The albacore is also known as the longfin tuna; as the name shows, they can identify by their fins; it is a tuna species of the order Perciformes and is the smallest bluefin tuna species. Every August, the Albacore tuna run occurs in a six-week period when thousands of fish pass along offshore Vancouver Island waters. Albacore tuna is one of the extremely migratory fish found in the waters of the Pacific Ocean with 13 °C (55.4°F) - 18° C (64.4°F) temperature. They travel in big and huge schools that can be wide for kilometers. They are highly fast-moving, and can swim up over 80 km/hr; however, tuna swim so fast, they might be unapproachable one day and the next day they have only a few miles from shore. They are unique among most tuna in that their main food source is cephalopods, with small fish that provide a much smaller portion of their diet and growing up to 70 Ibs. 〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜
✅ Average length: reach up to 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) ✅ Mouth: conical snout and large mouth ✅ Tail: 
✅ Fresh Water Signs: large eyes ✅ Other Features: dark and deep blue dorsally with some silvery-white shades ventrally

Tuna Fishing Techniques on Vancouver Island

Generally, the difference between the type of fishing is not really obvious, and they differ in small details. Depending on where you choose to fish and what fishing gadgets and types of equipment you use, there are some fishing divisions like tuna fishing from the shore(inshore) or offshore fishing and rock fishing on Vancouver Island. Also, you can choose to fish tuna on a kayak, canoe, or boat.

Trolling Fishing for Tuna

Trolling for tuna is a great method to fill the fishbowl, but charter clients and a substantial portion of the private fleet leave the inlet every day to do so. A mixed spread was mentioned in part one of our series, and this surely catches tuna. Anglers may enhance their chances of landing tuna on the pier at the end of the day with a little work and modification.

Chunking Fishing for Tuna

Chunking is a technique used by those who know how to catch tuna in the Mid-Atlantic. To attract tuna, chunk a lot of butterfish and scatter handfuls of fish parts over the edge. Anglers with more expertise are more likely to bring a large pair of steel shears on board, seize a butterfish by the head, and hold it over the bucket while slicing it into bits.

Jigging Fishing for Tuna

The best results of jigging fishing are obtained with a reel that can retrieve lines at a fast rate of speed and a lightweight rod that does not exhaust the arms. The key to catching tuna is to work the jig through depths where they are suspended. Drop the jig below the fish and move it up through the water column as soon as they appear on the radar. The procedure is repeated until the connection has been established.

Pole and Reel Fishing for Tuna

You don't need a bit stick to catch huge tuna, contrary to popular belief among new fishermen. Fibreglass rods are excellent in terms of durability. However, there are now more effective alternatives to hefty, solid fibreglass rods. Tuna fishing poles are becoming more lightweight, owing to the reducing diameter of braided lines and smaller reels.

Limited Fishing Areas on Vancouver Island

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

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!

Tuna Fishing Regulations on Vancouver Island

Effective fishing regulations can be a key factor component of healthful fisheries. It contains information about open seasons, recreational fishing licences, fishing methods and, catch limits, as well as up-to-date fishing regulations for diverse fishing areas.
• Using a fishing line to which more than one artificial fly is attached (i.e., to use “dropper flies”) is forbbiden. • Using light in any way to attract fish except the light is submerged and attached to the fishing line within 1 m of the hook is unlawful. • It is forbidden to fish with nets, including minnow nets, dip nets, cast nets, or gill nets. • Using barbed hooks or any hook with more than one point in all rivers, streams, creeks, or sloughs in B.C is prohibited. (Although the use of barbed hooks in lakes is allowed except the one noted in the Regional Water-Specific Regulations Tables).

Fishing Tips on Vancouver Island

• Keep boat launch areas clear to give all boaters equal access. Prepare your boat for launching away from the ramp to avoid creating unnecessary delays. • Don’t try boating and alcohol. You will need your complete reflexes to keep you, your boat, and other stream users safe. It’s unlawful to operate a boat while impaired. • Limit your speed (particularly when getting into corners) to keep away from collisions with other boaters, anglers, swimmers, and hidden obstacles. Respect the Universal Shoreline Speed Restriction of 10 k.ph within 30 metres of the shore. • Be careful when boating at dawn and dusk and in other conditions of limited light or visibility. • Refrain from running your boat through water being fished by way of others. Go slowly or drift by anglers along the shoreline. Be considerate of others. • Avoid sensitive habitats such as spawning areas, shallow water, and wildlife nesting or foraging areas. • Give animals crossing the river the space and time to do so. It’s unlawful to harass wildlife with a boat. • Pack out your garbage. Old fishing lines, litter, fuel, and oil damage fish habitat, endanger aquatic life and reduce water quality.

Customized Fishing/Crabbing Trip on Vancouver Island


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Vancouver Island Tuna Fishing Common Question

Tuna fishing season usually finishes when winter is in full swing. The normal tuna fishing season in the northeastern United States runs from June to November, although August and September are the greatest months for capturing tuna.

Share your angling experience or tuna fishing journey on Vancouver Island with us!