British Columbia Fishing Guide
British Columbia is famous for freshwater and saltwater fishing. Sport fishing the lakes and rivers in BC for Pacific salmon, steelhead and trout is only surpassed by saltwater flyfishing and bottom fishing for halibut from the west coast of Vancouver Island. Sturgeon fishing in the Fraser River in Vancouver is legendary, as are the rustic fishing lodges and luxury sportfishing resorts on coastal BC and Haida Gwaii and the many islands in the province.
Fishing Guides in British Columbia
- Fishing Guides: Greater Victoria
- Fishing Guides: Greater Vancouver
- Fishing Guides: BC Coastal Inlets (Bute Inlet, Kingcome Inlet, Knight Inlet, Toba Inlet)
- Fishing Guides: Vancouver Island & BC Gulf Islands
- Fishing Guides: Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
- Fishing Guides: Thompson Okanagan
- Fishing Guides: Kootenay Rockies
- Fishing Guides: Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast
- Fishing Guides: Northern BC & Haida Gwaii
- Fishing Guides in all of BC
Fishing Resorts & Lodges in British Columbia
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: Vancouver Island & BC Gulf Islands
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: BC Coastal Inlets (Bute Inlet, Kingcome Inlet, Knight Inlet, Toba Inlet)
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: Thompson Okanagan
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: Kootenay Rockies
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges: Northern BC & Haida Gwaii
- Fishing Resorts & Lodges in all of BC
Other Fishing Services in British Columbia
- Fishing Camps in British Columbia
- Helicopter Fishing in British Columbia
- Boat Charters & Cruises in British Columbia
- Boat Transport & Rentals in British Columbia
Fishing Information by Region of British Columbia
- Fishing Vancouver Island North: Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Discovery Passage, Johnstone Strait
- Fishing Vancouver Island Central: Campbell River, Comox, Strait of Georgia
- Fishing Vancouver Island South: Victoria, Sidney, Sooke, Port Renfrew, Cowichan River
- Fishing Vancouver Island West Coast: Tofino, Ucluelet, Port Alberni, Pacific Rim
- Fishing the BC Islands: Gulf Islands and Discovery Islands
- Fishing Greater Vancouver: Vancouver, North Shore, Capilano River, Lower Mainland
- Fishing the Fraser Valley: Fraser River, Richmond, Steveston
- Fishing Whistler and Sea to Sky: Squamish, Pemberton, Lillooet, Cheakamus River
- Fishing the BC Sunshine Coast: Howe Sound, Pender Harbour, Desolation Sound
- Fishing the Thompson Okanagan: Kamloops, Nicola Valley, Coquihalla, Yellowhead Highway 5
- Fishing the Okanagan Valley: Similkameen Country, Boundary Country, Shuswap Lake
- Fishing the Kootenay Rockies: Kootenay Lake, Arrow Lake, Slocan Valley, Columbia River
- Fishing the Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast: Williams Lake, Chilko Lake, Chilcotin River, Discovery Coast
- Fishing Northern BC: Prince George, Lakes District, Skeena River, Bulkley River, Prince Rupert
- Fishing Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands): Langara Island, Rennell Sound, Kano Inlet
General Fishing Information
- Fish Species in BC (Salmon, Trout, Halibut and Bass)
- Habits of BC Fish (Salmon, Steelhead, Trout and Bass)
- Catch & Release Sport Fishing
BC Sport Fishing Guide and Canadian Tide Tables
The BC Sport Fishing Guide by Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides all the information required for fishing in the province, fishing regulations, getting a fishing licence, licence fees and regulations, in-season fishing decisions, unlawful practices, packaging of fish for transport, and reporting of fishing violations. For fishing updates by phone, call the 24-hour phone line to get red tide and sanitary closure updates, fishery openings and closures, and other info for your area: 1-866-431-3474 or 604-666-2828. Canadian Tide Tables are also available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Freshwater Fishing
There are so many fishable lakes in British Columbia that even if you managed to try a different one each day of the year, you would have to start young and have a very long life (and maybe a floatplane) to visit them all. Hundreds of pleasant lakes are easily reached and fished with just a vehicle with good ground clearance, a car-top or inflatable boat or float tube, and the right fishing tackle.
Catch-and-release with a single barbless hook has become the official operative byword for those anglers fishing ocean-bound streams and rivers in BC. Attitude means a lot in fishing. Remember that the essence of sport angling is to try to hook a fish on the most sporting terms you can handle, from light tackle with artificial lures, barbless hooks, and delicate leaders to a belief that a trout is much more valuable as a living challenge to your skill than as part of a meal.
Saltwater Fishing
Salmon are the sportfish of choice in BC’s marine waters. Depending on the time of year, you’ll find chinook (also called king or spring salmon, or tyee if over 30 pounds/13.5 kg), coho (also called silver, blueback, or northern salmon), sockeye, or pink (also called humpy salmon). Coho aren’t the biggest salmon, but they are the most sought after, as they jump and fight like trout. Sockeye are the tastiest salmon of all, while Pinks are similar in size but not as tasty.
It’s a mystery, but fish – oceangoing and freshwater alike – are hungriest just as a slack tide is beginning to fall, and for an hour thereafter. Another well-considered tip is that the best time to fish in ocean waters is an hour before and after both high and low tides. That’s just some of the fishing lore that you’ll encounter when tossing a line in BC waters.
