BC is a big place and it can be difficult to narrow down where to go salmon fishing. The BC coast has a variety of sport fishing destinations, here’s the most common questions we get asked about finding a fishing charter in BC.
This is always a hard questions to answer as there are varying seasons on BC's coast for salmon fishing. Regardless of where you go you'll find good to great fishing during prime months. Making sure you get good dates is key and ensuring you're fishing with qualified captains is key.
There are some locations that offer year-round salmon fishing. Those are located in southern BC, where weather permits year-round charters. The absolute best time to come salmon fishing in BC is really from mid May to mid September.
You won't find halibut around Vancouver or the Straight of Georgia, in any targetable numbers anyways. If you're looking for halibut you'll want to look at charters on Vancouver Island's west coast (Tofino/Ucluelet) or northern Vancouver Island in Port McNeill or Port Hardy.
Most charter companies in BC will cut and bag your fish. If you're driving, then you'll want to take your fish home on ice in a cooler. Some charters offer further processing through cannery services like St. Jeans Cannery. You can travel to the USA with fresh sport caught fish without issue.
Have a look at reviews on sites like Trip Advisor and see what people are saying about their experience. Don't be shy to ask questions and be cautious of charter operators who oversell the fishing.
There is no cheap way to go salmon fishing. Boats cost money to run and if you want to fish with good guys it costs what it costs. The cheap charters or the guys who advertise on Craigslist will give you what you pay for, and that's not much.