In Nanaimo and
the Cowichan Valley,
anglers seek out any of the locations mentioned below.
Quamichan Lake east of Duncan
has good trout fishing. You can launch a car-top boat
at Art Mann Park on the lake. To reach the park, follow
Trunk Road east of downtown Duncan to Tzouhalem Road,
then Maple Bay Road to Indian Road, which leads to the
park. Quennell Lake near South Wellington is known
for its good smallmouth bass and trout fishing, as is
Holden Lake (launch at Hemer
Provincial Park) near Yellow Point.
Long Lake and Brannen Lake are situated
3 miles (5 km) north of Nanaimo centre. They're both easy
to locate on opposite sides of Hwy 14. Follow Norwell
Drive east of the highway to Louden Park on Long Lake
or Dunster Road west of the Nanaimo Pkwy to Brannen Lake.
There are trout and smallmouth bass at Long Lake; cutthroat
and rainbow trout at Brannen.
There's excellent bank casting for rainbow and cutthroat
trout on the Englishman
River, either near the river mouth on the Strait of
Georgia near Parksville
or in Englishman
River Falls Provincial Park. There's a steelhead run
as well in the river. Unfortunately, a decline in salmon
stocks has forced closures on fishing for a number of
species, so be sure to check in advance with the Wildlife
Conservation Officer in Port
Alberni, (250) 724-9290. Information on fishing in
tidal waters is available from the Fishery Officer in
the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Port Alberni,
(250) 724-0195.
Over the past century, brown trout have been successfully
introduced to a number of Vancouver Island rivers such
as the Cowichan
River and the Little
Qualicum River. The best access to the river for bank
casting is at Little
Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. You'll also find good
trolling and boat casting in Cameron Lake, part
of which also lies within the park. There's a boat launch
at the picnic grounds on Cameron Lake.
The annual fall salmon run at the mouth of French Creek
as it enters the Strait of Georgia 3 miles (5 km) north
of Parksville attracts anglers to the French Creek Marina
and the public boat launch adjacent to the federal dock
and Lasqueti Island ferry. French Creek is located on
Hwy 19A, and is well marked.
Spider
Lake Provincial Park northwest of Qualicum
Beach is renown locally for its smallmouth-bass and
trout fishing. The lake is stocked regularly, so for best
results come in early spring before it warms up, or wait
until fall to try your angling luck once temperatures
begin to drop. No motorized boats are allowed on the lake.
Launch car-top boats from the beach beside the parking
lot. Follow the signs west of Hwy 19A on Horne Lake Road
to reach Spider Lake Provincial Park. After passing Spider
Lake, the road follows the shoreline of Horne Lake
to the headwaters of the Qualicum River. The lake is 5
miles (8 km) long and about 1 mile (1.5 km) wide, and
features good boat fishing year-round for cutthroat, rainbow,
and kokanee trout.
North of Qualicum Beach is the small oceanside community
of Deep Bay, a
town seemingly devoted to angling. Mapleguard Point is
the elbow of an arm and spit that protect Deep Bay's natural
harbour beside much larger Qualicum
Bay. Rich salmon grounds lie in the bay near the Norris
Rocks, Chrome Island, and Eagle Rock. Chinook salmon in
the 20-pound range top the scales each year in these waters.
Just north of Deep Bay on Hwy 19 you'll find Rosewall
Creek Provincial Park, a small roadside park devoted
to riverbank casting at the entrance to Qualicum Bay.
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Comox
Lake, west of Cumberland
on Comox Lake Road, has good freshwater fishing for
trout and char year-round. Boaters must beware of the
strong winds that rise in the afternoon on the large,
dammed lake. You'll find a boat launch at the west end
of Comox Lake Road.
Some of the best saltwater fishing on the island, particularly
for salmon, can be found in the waters of the Strait
of Georgia north of the Puntledge River Estuary,
between Courtenay
and Comox, and
off of Cape Lazo, King Coho, and Bates Beach, just north
of Comox. Because of its sheltered location and an absence
of dangerous currents, the shoreline around Comox is
well suited for rod fishing in a small boat. If the
weather does change, you can see it coming and quickly
make for shore. Shore angling for salmon is popular
in Comox Bay from August to November.
For more information on fishing in the Comox
Valley, contact the Comox Valley Visitor Info Centre,
(250) 334-3234. For details on licences, closures, and
limits, contact the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
(250) 339-2031.
Top
Guides guest from England with a winter run steelhead
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The
closer you get to Campbell
River, the better the salmon fishing becomes. Tidal
flows in Discovery Passage churn up clouds of nutrients
that sustain a complex food chain, which includes tasty
salmon near the top.
You'll find a boat launch at Pacific Playgrounds Resort's
marina in Clarkson Drive, at Saratoga
Beach in the town of Black
Creek, 10.5 miles (17 km) north of Courtenay on
Hwy 19, and another at aptly named Salmon Point
in Black Creek.
Fly-fish for coho in September at the mouth of Black
Creek, which flows through Miracle
Beach Provincial Park into the Strait of Georgia
as well as farther north at Oyster
River on Hwy 19.
Campbell
River justifiably bills itself as Salmon Capital
of the World. Located halfway up the
east coast of Vancouver Island, Campbell River is a
friendly community situated in the middle of some of
the best fishing grounds on Vancouver Island. One
of the four main fishing centres on Vancouver Island,
the city is internationally famous for both its ocean
and freshwater fishing. Along with great salmon fishing,
there are also a wide variety of other fishing opportunities.
Within 15-40 minutes of some of the hottest fishing
spots along the Inside Passage, and central to several
river systems home to steelhead, trout and salmon, Campbell
River is hard to beat for fishing action and diversity.
Salmon
fishing is a year round activity in Campbell River.
With resident winter chinook salmon present through
the winter months, fisherman head out on the quiet waters
for great winter fishing and prawning. In mid June,
we start to see our annual runs of transient chinook
arriving, joined in mid July by large runs of migrating
pink, coho and sockeye salmon. This is the fishery that
has made Campbell River famous. In late September large
numbers of chum salmon start to dominate the waters.
With the strength of a chinook, and the acrobatics of
a coho, the chum salmon put up a fight to remember!
Bottom fish such as ling cod, rock cod, snapper and
halibut are also found in local waters.
The twice-yearly steelhead runs on the Quinsam
River and Campbell
River are as well known as that on the Cowichan
River, while the year-round salmon fishing in Discovery
Passage is unmatched. The Quinsam flows into the Campbell
just inland from the Strait of Georgia. As it meets
the ocean at the north end of town, the Campbell broadens
into an intertidal estuary. The fishing calendar here
has a summer steelhead run scheduled from June to October,
with a winter run between November and April. Chinook
(king) salmon are in residence year-round in Discovery
Passage, which also hosts successive runs of coho (June
to September), tyee (July to September), sockeye (August),
pink (August and September), and finally chum (September
to November).
Top
Guide Morgan McLean with
a winter run steelhead |
For
the freshwater fisherman, there are also year round
fishing opportunities. Steelhead are present year round,
with both summer runs and winter runs moving through
the local rivers. These fantastic fighters will take
on a fly, spoon, or artificial egg pattern, and put
on a terrific display, taking long runs and making spectacular
jumps. There are also trout present in the local rivers
year round, as well as seasonal runs of salmon. With
pinks, chinooks, coho and chums packing the local rivers
in the fall, the fishing action is non stop.
The wealth of the salmon fishery in Discovery Passage
between Campbell River and Quadra
Island is so legendary that a special ritual has
grown up around it over the past century. Called tyee
fishing, this method has stringent requirements, but
success buys instant membership in the exclusive Tyee
Club of BC, the oldest fishing club in BC. Tyee
is the appellation given a chinook (king) salmon when
its weight exceeds 30 pounds (13.5 kg). Anglers must
abide by regulations that stipulate a minimum catch
weight of 30 pounds, hooked with an artificial single-hook
lure fastened to a maximum 20-pound (9-kg) test line.
Oh, and you have to be in a rowboat. (Considering the
size of an average tyee, make sure it's a big rowboat.)
The official weigh-in station is at the Tyee Club House
beside the boat launch on Tyee Spit, east of Hwy 19
on Spit Road in Campbell River. Between August 15 and
September 15 the rowing season is open, and at first
light and last light the Tyee Pool is filled with rowboats
quietly stalking the prized Tyee.
The waterfront in Campbell River appears to be one massive
marina. In fact, there are three saltwater marinas,
as well as a freshwater marina at the mouth of the Campbell
River. Government Marina and Discovery Pier
are located at the south end of the harbour on South
Island Hwy (Hwy 19). Almost as many salmon are caught
off this pier that juts out into Discovery Passage as
farther offshore. Local ritual requires that at the
cry of 'fish on,' all other anglers reel in and stand
aside as the lucky soul manoeuvres the (unlucky) salmon
ashore.
Saltwater fly fishing is becoming popular once again,
and it is not hard to understand why. Imagine holding
your breath as you watch a giant chinook salmon rise
through crystal clear shallows to take your fly. Or
visualize a picture taken on a boat of you and your
favourite fly rod with a glistening coho about to be
released. Unforgettable!
Regional Fishing
Reports for British Columbia.
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Fishing
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