There are great fishing opportunities on Vancouver Island for our guests with a variety of exciting species to catch. From big Chinook salmon that bend your rod to acrobatic and fast Coho that will have line screaming out of the reel. You won’t soon forget your experience fishing with us! If bottom fish are your preference we can give your arms a real workout as you haul up fish from 250-300 feet down.
Listed below are just some of the fishing opportunities we have on Vancouver Island
Chinook Salmon
One of the favourite target species for fishing charter guests with Sou’Wester Sportfishing are Chinook (King) Salmon, the biggest of the 5 species of Pacific Salmon and one very strong fish. Chinook Salmon over 30 pounds are known as “Tyee” and will give you a heart pounding battle as they will often sound deep to the bottom multiple times when being reeled in, making you work hard to get them aboard. Average size of these fishing during July and August is normally between 15-25 pounds, with the occasional larger fish taken.
Coho Salmon
Coho (Silver) Salmon, are hard fighting fish that can get as big as 20 pounds and will have line peeling off your reel in a hurry! These fast fish tend to fight at the surface, often with acrobatic leaps out of the water. At Sou’Wester Sportfishing you can target these salmon with traditional down rigger fishing, or take a chance using fly rods and bucktail fly’s for some incredible action that will get your reels screaming and your heart racing.
Pacific Halibut
Halibut are great tasting bottom fish ranging in size from 10-20 pound “Chickens”, the 20-70 pound “Turkeys” to the massive 70-150+ pound “Barn Doors”. At Sou’Wester Sportfishing we target this species by either back trolling or anchoring in water depths of 200 feet or more. It’s a workout for the angler but well worth the effort! While catching a monster sized halibut is a treat, we are required by law to release any fish exceeding 126cm in length to protect the species and ensure a healthy population for years to come.
Crab Fishing
Port Renfrew offers some of the most consistent Dungeness Crab fishing in the months of May and June, with anglers often able to limit out with big tasty crab each day early . During the season Sou’Wester Sportfishing deploys two large commercial crab traps in the water off our home port and we make sure they are baited daily to give you the best chance to fill your limits. Please note that as the season progresses into late July and August, the crab fishery does significantly decline as the male crabs retreat to deeper water.
FISHING REGULATIONS
We encourage our guests to familiarize themselves with the current fishing regulations before they arrive for their trip. For a complete list of fishing regulations for the areas Sou’Wester Sportfishing operates off Vancouver Island (areas 21, 20 and 19), please consult the BC Recreational Fishing Limits by area through the link below.
https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/bc-zones-cb-eng.html
