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.
Cowichan River Fishing Report
Updated Sat, Sep 26, 2026 from live weather and water data
The Cowichan near Duncan: brown trout, steelhead and salmon in a Canadian Heritage River, with a live gauge.
4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Level
0.20 m5.5 m³/s
Air / High
14 °C / 16 °C
Wind
ENE 3 km/h
Sources: Water Survey of Canada station 08HA011, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Cowichan River is in its cool-water rhythm: slower presentations and the warmest hours of the day. The gauge reads 0.20 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 3 km/h, falling pressure near 1023 hPa and a high of 16 °C. Water sits around 12 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Chinook (spring) salmon
Excellent
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.
Chum salmon
Good
The run. Float fish pink and chartreuse jigs, wool or roe through the slower runs and the back eddies.
Steelhead
Good
Fall fish on the move: float fishing with roe, beads or jigs, and swung flies through the tailouts.
Tie on: Float and roe · Swung fly through the tailout · Jerkbait, long pauses · Hair jig on the rock. Prime windows: 11:16 PM-1:16 AM, 11:16 AM-1:16 PM, 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Similar at 18 °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 coho salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with BC Freshwater Fishing before you keep anything; the Coho salmon page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Cowichan River today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:07), sunset (19:03), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM; minor 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Full Moon, 100% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Water Survey of Canada station 08HA011 (COWICHAN RIVER NEAR DUNCAN).
River level, last 30 days
Water Survey of Canada real-time hydrometric data, station 08HA011. Latest reading 2026-09-26 09:20.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp14 °C
High / Low16 °C / 5 °C
WindENE 3 km/h, gusts 3 km/h
Pressure102.25 kPa, falling
Sky / Rain17% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:07 / 19:03
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~12 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Cowichan River
Today is the pick of the week on Cowichan River, at 4 out of 5. 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: today, Sep 26 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Sep 26 — Good
Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
- Solunar majors
- 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:46 AM-6:46 AM
- Sun
- 07:07 to 19:03
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 10 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Cowichan River: seasons written for the Canadian year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
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.
Chum salmon
Fraser Valley and Island rivers: October and November
The late-fall salmon of the lower mainland and the Island, big and hard-fighting. Runs the Vedder, the Harrison and the Stave in numbers some years. Retention depends on the run and the DFO notice. The run. Float fish pink and chartreuse jigs, wool or roe through the slower runs and the back eddies.
Steelhead
BC: winter run December to April, summer run into fall; Great Lakes: fall and spring
Sea-run rainbow trout, the fish of the Vedder, the Skeena system and the Island rivers in winter, and of the Great Lakes tributaries in fall and spring. In BC wild steelhead are released; a steelhead conservation surcharge applies on top of the licence. Fall fish on the move: float fishing with roe, beads or jigs, and swung flies through the tailouts.
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.
When to come: the Cowichan 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
Coho salmon
Chum salmon
Steelhead
Chinook (spring) salmon
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 12 °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 Cowichan River today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataFri, Sep 25
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 10 km/h.
Thu, 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 16 °C, wind to 8 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 21 °C, wind to 16 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
A BC freshwater licence is needed, with the steelhead and non-tidal salmon surcharges as required; the river’s special regulations and closures are in the synopsis linked below..
About this water
Cowichan River is a river in British Columbia, Canada, covered from the British Columbia reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Cowichan River: the full guide
The Cowichan near Duncan
The Cowichan River runs from Cowichan Lake east across southern Vancouver Island past Duncan to Cowichan Bay, a designated Canadian Heritage River and one of the island’s most famous fishing rivers. It is known for its brown trout, introduced more than a century ago, as well as its steelhead and salmon. The Water Survey of Canada gauge near Duncan supplies the level, the flow and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Brown and rainbow trout are fished through the open season, and winter steelhead from December into spring, released when wild. Chinook, coho and chum run in the fall. The river has special regulations for trout and steelhead in parts of its length, set out in the synopsis.
Where to fish it
The Cowichan River Provincial Park protects much of the middle river, with trails along the bank; the upper river near Lake Cowichan and the lower river near Duncan are also fished. Drift boats and pontoons are used on the upper river. Skutz Falls, inside the provincial park, is a landmark where salmon can be seen jumping in the fall, and a long footpath follows the river through the park.
Planning a visit
Duncan is about an hour north of Victoria. In summer the river is popular for tubing from Lake Cowichan, and the fishing moves to the early mornings and to other water.
The water through the year
Summer flows depend on the weir at the lake outlet and have run very low in dry years; the fall rains bring the salmon in and the winter storms raise the river for the steelhead. Spring, after the steelhead and before the tubers, is a quiet season for the trout.
Reading this report here
The gauge near Duncan shows the summer low flows and the fall rises; low, warm water in late summer is hard on the fish. The chart shows the last 30 days; pressure and sky build the score.
Licence, access and rules
A BC freshwater licence is needed, with the steelhead and non-tidal salmon surcharges as required; the river’s special regulations and closures are in the synopsis linked below.
Common questions
Is the Cowichan River good for brown trout?
Yes, it is known for brown trout, introduced more than a century ago, along with rainbows.
When is steelhead season on the Cowichan?
Winter into spring; wild steelhead are released.
Why does the Cowichan run so low in summer?
Summer flows depend on the lake-outlet weir and have been very low in dry years.
Is fishing good at Cowichan River right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Water level and flow readings
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Water Survey of Canada real-time hydrometric data, station 08HA011 — COWICHAN RIVER NEAR DUNCAN
- 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.