Coho salmon
Excellent
The river run. Float gear with roe or a jig, or cast spinners and spoons in the slower tailouts after a rise in water.
Campbell River Fishing Report
Updated Fri, Sep 25, 2026 from live weather and water data
Campbell River on Discovery Passage: big chinook, the Tyee Club’s rowboat tradition and Discovery Pier for shore anglers.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 6:16 p.m. model
Air / High
10 °C / 17 °C
Wind
WNW 10 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Campbell River has cool water and fish holding a little deeper and slower. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 11 km/h, steady pressure near 1007 hPa and a high of 17 °C. Tides: high 12:09 p.m., low 5:51 a.m. and 6:16 p.m.: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.
Chinook (spring) salmon
Good
Fish are staging or moving to the rivers. On the coast, the deeper banks and the winter feeders; in Great Lakes rivers, drifted roe and spinners in the deeper runs.
Tie on: Float and roe · Swung fly through the tailout · Jerkbait, long pauses · Hair jig on the rock. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Similar at 14 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
British Columbia requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from C$11.43. British Columbia fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing chinook (spring) salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with BC Freshwater Fishing before you keep anything; the Chinook (spring) salmon page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Campbell River today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:12), sunset (19:11), the moon and today's score, with the modelled tide changes in the panel below. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM; minor 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Full Moon, 99% lit.
Water and weather
A modelled tide curve for these coordinates and the forecast for the day.
Tides (modelled)
Modelled sea level curve from Open-Meteo Marine for these coordinates, datum mean sea level. Fish the moving water either side of each change.
A model, not the official prediction: times can drift by tens of minutes inside bays and estuaries. Check the Canadian Hydrographic Service predictions at tides.gc.ca for the exact times before you rely on them.
Fri
LOW5:51 a.m.-1.09 m
HIGH12:09 p.m.1.44 m
LOW6:16 p.m.-0.88 m
Sat
HIGH12:15 a.m.1.34 m
LOW6:23 a.m.-1.16 m
HIGH12:37 p.m.1.47 m
LOW6:53 p.m.-1.27 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp10 °C
High / Low17 °C / 8 °C
WindWNW 10 km/h, gusts 20 km/h
Pressure100.73 kPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 19:11
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Campbell River
The best day on Campbell River this week looks like Saturday Sep 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today. Every day is scored by the same engine as the report above: pressure trend first, then wind, sky and season. Pick a species and the plan for that day changes with it.
Best day this week: Saturday, Sep 26 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Sep 25 — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 07:12 to 19:11
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 21 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Campbell River: seasons written for the Canadian year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Chinook (spring) salmon
BC coast: spring to late summer; Great Lakes tributaries: September and October
The biggest Pacific salmon, called spring or king on the BC coast. Feeds along the kelp lines, points and tide rips of the BC coast before running rivers in late summer; introduced to the Great Lakes, where it runs the tributaries in fall. Retention on the BC coast changes by area and by DFO fishery notice. Fish are staging or moving to the rivers. On the coast, the deeper banks and the winter feeders; in Great Lakes rivers, drifted roe and spinners in the deeper runs.
Coho salmon
BC coast: July to September; rivers: October and November
Silver, aggressive and surface-oriented. Feeds hard along the BC coast through summer and runs the Fraser Valley and Island rivers in fall, the Vedder and the Stamp among them. Hatchery coho are marked by a clipped adipose fin; what may be kept depends on the water and the DFO notice. The river run. Float gear with roe or a jig, or cast spinners and spoons in the slower tailouts after a rise in water.
Pacific halibut
Spring and summer on the BC coast, under DFO limits
The big flatfish of the outer coast: Bamfield, Ucluelet, Tofino, Nootka and the north coast. Annual and daily limits and size rules are set by DFO and change during the season. Fewer fish; the offshore banks on the calm days.
Lingcod
Spring to fall, with a winter closure in many areas
The toothy reef fish of the BC coast, on rock piles and pinnacles. Limits and closures vary by DFO management area. Fish move shallower; jig the rocky points.
Pink salmon
Late summer, mainly in odd-numbered years in the south
The smallest and most numerous Pacific salmon. In the south of BC the big runs come in odd-numbered years; the fish crowd the estuaries and the lower rivers in August and September. The run is over.
When to come: the Campbell River calendar
Activity by species and month for the Canadian year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Chinook (spring) salmon
Coho salmon
Pacific halibut
Lingcod
Pink salmon
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 13 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Campbell River today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 13 °C, wind to 10 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 17 °C, wind to 14 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 16 °C, wind to 11 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
BC freshwater fishing licence, from C$11.43 for a resident adult, with higher prices for other Canadians and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and protected areas are set by BC Freshwater Fishing and, in salt water and for salmon, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the British Columbia licence page before you keep anything.
Access
The DFO tidal licence and salmon stamp apply in the passage and at the pier; the Campbell River itself needs a BC freshwater licence and, for salmon in fresh water, the non-tidal salmon surcharge.
About this water
Campbell River is a coastal town in British Columbia, Canada, covered from the British Columbia reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Campbell River: the full guide
Fishing Campbell River
Campbell River sits on Discovery Passage, where the Strait of Georgia narrows between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, and the strong tides push salmon close to the shore. The town calls itself the salmon capital of the world, and its fishing is built on chinook, coho and pink salmon, from boats, from Discovery Pier and in the river that gives the town its name. The report on this page is scored for the town, with a modelled tide curve.
Species and seasons
Chinook, called tyee when they pass 30 pounds, run through the passage from summer into fall; coho come in late summer, and pink salmon crowd the passage in odd-numbered years. DFO sets the salmon limits for the area and changes them by notice. Lingcod and halibut are fished on the reefs and banks.
Where to fish it
Boats troll the tide lines and back eddies of Discovery Passage, where timing the tide is everything. Discovery Pier, a long public pier, lets shore anglers fish the passage. The Tyee Club keeps a tradition of fishing for big chinook from rowboats in the Tyee Pool at the river mouth, under its own rules.
Planning a visit
Campbell River has marinas, launches, guides and lodges, and a ferry to Quadra Island. The currents in the passage are powerful: small boats should fish the slack tides and stay out of the rapids to the north.
The water through the year
Late summer is the peak, with chinook, coho and pinks together; fall brings the river runs; winter and spring are quiet on the salt water.
Reading this report here
The tide panel shows a modelled curve, labelled as a model; in Discovery Passage the current matters more than the height, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service publishes the official current tables. Wind, pressure and sky build the score.
Licence, access and rules
The DFO tidal licence and salmon stamp apply in the passage and at the pier; the Campbell River itself needs a BC freshwater licence and, for salmon in fresh water, the non-tidal salmon surcharge. Area rules are on the DFO pages linked below.
Common questions
What is a tyee?
A chinook salmon over 30 pounds, the fish the Tyee Club has fished for from rowboats at the Campbell River mouth.
Can I fish from Discovery Pier?
Yes, with a DFO tidal licence; it is a public pier on the passage.
When is the best salmon fishing at Campbell River?
Late summer, when chinook, coho and, in odd-numbered years, pinks are in the passage.
Is fishing good at Campbell River right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Tide curve (modelled)
- Open-Meteo Marine, sea level height including tides
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.