SEPTEMBER FISHING BRITISH COLUMBIA

September offers a ton of excellent fishing options throughout British Columbia and we have them all covered. Our network of BC fishing guides and lodges offer a variety of fishing trips in September including steelheading in BC’s north, saltwater salmon fishing along the coast and a variety of opportunities right in the Vancouver area. This is one of our favourite months for fishing in BC, here’s a run down of what you can expect for BC fishing in September…

September is the month that serious steelhead anglers focus their attention to northern BC and the wild summer-run steelhead in the Skeena River system.  This is a vast area, with a handful of different lodge and guide operations. Narrowing down a trip can be difficult, there are lots of options and various price points. Having a look at our BC Steelhead Information Page will be of help when it comes to planning a trip. Some of our favourites this time of year include the Bulkley Base Camp Program, the Bulkley & Morice River Lodge Package and the flexible Skeena River Steelhead Packages. If you are serious about planning a trip keep in mind September and October are the two busiest months of the year at these operations and space is usually really limited, usually between 6-12 anglers per week. Generally river conditions are very good in September and fish are fresh and love chasing flies.

Most of BC’s saltwater salmon fishing lodges are winding down in September and most are on the last week of fishing by mid September. The fishing during this time is usually really good, with the focus being on targeting Coho (Silver) Salmon but with a healthy mix of Chinook (King) salmon in the mix as well. If you are interested in a later season salmon trip, have a look at either Langara Island Lodge or Escott Sport Fishing, both are great options and operate their seasons into September. If you are looking for a simple BC salmon fishing charter or day trip then all the charter companies in BC, on the south coast and Vancouver Island are in full operation right through to late September. This is a very nice time to be fishing, with generally pleasant weather/water conditions and genuinely good fishing for Chinook Salmon and other varieties of Pacific Salmon. If you’d like to enjoy a more all-inclusive package with minimal travel and good pricing be sure to check out Vancouver Island Lodge.

Again, lots of great options near Vancouver for a day on the water. On the saltwater front you’ll find some of the best Chinook Salmon fishing of the year on a Vancouver salmon fishing charter. This is the time when the bigger chinooks return to the waters around Vancouver and when we can have some outrageously solid saltwater fishing for bigger fish. Another great option is sturgeon fishing on the Fraser River. In September we usually see some stomper sturgeon and this is a great time to opt for the remote canyon sturgeon trips we offer. They’ll put you on the most remote sections of the Fraser River and are easy to get to, only 90 minutes from downtown Vancouver. September also offers some very good fly fishing opportunities close to Vancouver, mainly on the Squamish River system north of the city, but also on the Harrison River east of Vancouver. On odd years (2019, 2021, etc) there is a healthy run of Pink Salmon on the Squamish River. If it is an even year (2020, 2020, etc) then the September fly fishing focus will be on targeting bull trout on smaller streams and hoping that there are some early run Coho Salmon in the rivers. The Coho and Chum salmon generally enter the rivers in more targetable numbers starting mid October.