Saltwater Fishing in BC

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 between April and 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.

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, sheltered waters, and 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.

Go for a tug-of-war with a wild chinook salmon off Vancouver Island.  Campbell River is called the “Salmon Capital of the World” for a reason. Head out on a Boston Whaler from historic, seaside Painters 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.

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.

Some of BC’s finest fishing takes place from luxury, all-inclusive lodges set 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 lodge on the west coast of Vancouver Island for a wilderness fishing adventure. Gourmet food, outstanding wildlife viewing and postcard-perfect scenery are standard.

What’s on your bucket list? Chances are 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 angler’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.