Trip Ideas: Saltwater Fishing
Sport fishing in British Columbia is the stuff of life lists. Along the rugged coast, reel in a prize salmon, wrestle a massive halibut, and then kick back at a floating lodge moored in a forested cove.
Salmon, especially big chinook, are the draw here, but so are giant halibut and feisty catches such as rockfish and lingcod. The season? Right now. Sport fishing in BC is a year-round activity.
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Salmon Fishing near Vancouver
Fish for salmon year-round just minutes from downtown Vancouver. Bites-on Salmon Charters sets sail for local waters from right next to the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Coal Harbour (just steps from downtown Vancouver), while Deep Respect Fishing Charters casts off from Stamps Landing near Granville Island from April to November.
Or drive 20 minutes up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Horseshoe Bay, where Sewell’s Marina offers boat rentals, guided fishing trips and sightseeing safaris.
Fishing on the Sunshine Coast
BC is known for scenic destinations, but few spots beat the Sunshine Coast. Take a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay (in West Vancouver) to access the Sunshine Coast’s deep coves, waterfall-laced fjords and sheltered waters, which provide year-round fishing opportunities. Sandy beaches, friendly little arts towns and a wealth of resorts add dry land appeal. Book a fishing charter from Secret Cove, Gibsons or Pender Harbour, then relax in a luxurious Tenthouse Suite at Rockwater Secret Cove Resort in Halfmoon Bay.
Fishing in Campbell River
Campbell River is called the “Salmon Capital of the World” for a reason. Head out on a Boston Whaler from historic, seaside Painter’s Lodge (check out the salmon skin bar at the Tyee Pub); rent fishing gear and cast a line from Discovery Pier, a 183-m/600-ft saltwater fishing pier; or try for membership in the exclusive and venerable Tyee Club. To join? Just land a chinook salmon of at least 14kg/30lb – with a hand-operated reel, from a row boat, from the famous Tyee Pools.
Fishing on Vancouver Island (West Coast)
Explore the fish-rich coves and inlets off Vancouver Island’s west coast. Storied fishing grounds here include the seas off Port Renfrew, Bamfield, Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino. Charter operators abound; daily trips target chinook, coho and halibut. In Ucluelet, near the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, book a cabin on the Canadian Princess, a historic survey ship permanently moored in Ucluelet Harbour.
Luxury Fishing Lodges
Some of BC’s finest fishing takes place from these luxury, all-inclusive lodges situated in some of the best fishing hot spots on the coast. Choose a fly-in lodge on Haida Gwaii for unrivalled salmon, halibut and bottom fishing; try for trophy chinook salmon in Rivers Inlet or Hakai Pass; or visit a secluded West Coast lodge for a wilderness fishing adventure. Looking for the ultimate in luxury? Catch a prize salmon, cod or halibut, then kick back and relax at King Pacific Lodge – Condé Nast Traveler readers named it both top resort in Canada (for the fourth year in a row) and one of the world’s Top 100 Travel Experiences.
Fishing in Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii
What’s on your bucket list? Chances are that it includes a fishing trip to Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands), a remote northern archipelago famous for its legendary fishing grounds. Located 100km/62mi west of Prince Rupert, the fly-in fishing lodges on Haida Gwaii are the stuff of fishermen’s dreams. For a more accessible but equally scenic fishing trip, join an outfitter in the coastal city of Prince Rupert - chinook are big and plentiful here, but all five species of salmon, plus some of biggest halibut on the coast, abound.