Powell River Fishing Report
Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live weather and water data
Powell River on the upper Sunshine Coast: chinook and coho under DFO notices, rockfish conservation areas toward Lund, and Powell Lake behind the city.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 11:20 a.m. model
Air / High
5 °C / 10 °C
Wind
NE 8 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Powell River has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the warmest hours. Today brings cloud cover, wind NE around 8 km/h, rising pressure near 1017 hPa and a high of 10 °C. Tides: high 11:20 a.m., low 5:21 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 10 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 12:06 AM-2:06 AM and 12:25 PM-2:25 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Chinook (spring) salmon
Slow
Winter feeders on the BC coast, deep and slow, on the calm days only. In the Great Lakes, the run is over until next fall.
Lingcod
Closed today
Reopens May 1, 2027. Inside waters (Areas 13 to 19 and the inside subareas of 12, 20 and 29) are open to rockfish and lingcod 1 May to 30 September; lingcod 1 a day, 65 cm minimum, 10 a year. Rockfish Conservation Areas are closed to all finfishing.
Tie on: Jigging spoon through the ice · Dead-stick minnow · Tip-up with dead bait · Tungsten jig and wax worm. Prime windows: 12:06 AM-2:06 AM, 12:25 PM-2:25 PM, 8:54 AM-9:54 AM. Similar at 12 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. 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 Powell River today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (08:21), sunset (17:42), 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 12:06 AM-2:06 AM and 12:25 PM-2:25 PM; minor 8:54 AM-9:54 AM. New Moon, 0% 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.
Mon
LOW5:21 a.m.-0.18 m
HIGH11:20 a.m.1.87 m
LOW6:05 p.m.-1.28 m
Tue
HIGH12:37 a.m.1.39 m
LOW5:55 a.m.-0.06 m
HIGH11:55 a.m.2.00 m
LOW6:46 p.m.-1.19 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp5 °C
High / Low10 °C / 4 °C
WindNE 8 km/h, gusts 15 km/h
Pressure101.70 kPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 88%
Sunrise / Sunset08:21 / 17:42
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~10 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Powell River
Today is the pick of the week on Powell River, at 3 out of 5.
Best day this week: today, Nov 9 — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.
Today, Nov 9 — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 12:06 AM-2:06 AM and 12:25 PM-2:25 PM
- Minor period
- 8:54 AM-9:54 AM
- Sun
- 08:21 to 17:42
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Rain, 32 km/h
- Rain chance
- 88%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Powell 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. Winter feeders on the BC coast, deep and slow, on the calm days only. In the Great Lakes, the run is over until next fall.
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. Late fish in the rivers are dark and done; the coast is quiet until spring.
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. Out of season or unfishable weather.
Lingcod
Spring to fall, with a winter closure in many areas
Closed now Reopens May 1, 2027. Inside waters (Areas 13 to 19 and the inside subareas of 12, 20 and 29) are open to rockfish and lingcod 1 May to 30 September; lingcod 1 a day, 65 cm minimum, 10 a year. Rockfish Conservation Areas are closed to all finfishing. Rule as read from Fisheries and Oceans Canada on 2026-09-27.
The toothy reef fish of the BC coast, on rock piles and pinnacles. Limits and closures vary by DFO management area.
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. Out of season.
When to come: the Powell 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 10 °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 Powell River today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at good. High of 13 °C, wind to 34 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at good. High of 12 °C, wind to 34 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 42 km/h gusts make boat control the real battle. Coho salmon led the card at good. High of 12 °C, wind to 42 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 → In salt water you also need the federal BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence.
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. The zone-by-zone seasons and limits are on British Columbia fishing seasons.
Access
Salt water needs the DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence, with the salmon conservation stamp to keep salmon; since 1 September 2026, salmon in tidal water may only be fished with barbless single hooks with a gap of 22 mm or less.
About this water
Powell River is a coastal town in British Columbia, Canada, covered from the British Columbia reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Powell River: the full guide
Fishing Powell River
Powell River is the city on the upper Sunshine Coast, facing Texada Island across the northern end of Malaspina Strait. It is reached from the Lower Mainland by road and two BC Ferries crossings, the second from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay, or from Vancouver Island on the ferry from Comox (Little River) to Powell River (Westview), which takes about an hour and a half. Its fishing is salt water in front of the city and a chain of large lakes behind it. Its conditions report is scored for the city’s coordinates, with a modelled tide curve for the waterfront.
Species and seasons
The water off the city is DFO Area 15, and chinook and coho are managed there by fishery notice: in 2026 chinook retention reopened in mid-July, and coho limits in most of the area changed on 1 September and again on 1 October. Lingcod and rockfish belong to DFO’s inside-waters fishery, open only from 1 May to 30 September. According to a DFO fact sheet, pink salmon in southern BC run only in odd-numbered years into the mainland streams of the Strait of Georgia. The lakes behind the city hold trout.
Where to fish it
Boats troll for salmon along the tide lines off the city and toward Texada and Lund. Bottom fishing needs a chart of the rockfish conservation areas, which are closed to all finfishing: DFO lists them in Area 15 at Dinner Rock, around Mitlenatch Island, at the Copeland Islands and in Desolation Sound, Pendrell Sound and Teakerne Arm, and in neighbouring Area 16 at Malaspina Strait, Sinclair Bank, Hardy Island and several more. Anglers in boats must return any rockfish they do not keep to its depth with a descending device.
Planning a visit
From Vancouver the trip takes most of a day with the two ferries, so many visitors come for several days. Lund, at the northern end of the road, is the jumping-off point for Desolation Sound. Powell Lake, just behind the city, is closed to fishing from 1 November to 31 March, tributaries included, and powered boats are not allowed in One Mile Bay.
The water through the year
Salmon fishing peaks in summer and early fall, when DFO’s notices set what may be kept. October closes the inside-waters rockfish and lingcod season, and winter salt-water trips depend on calm days. On the lakes, spring and fall are usually the productive seasons, with Powell Lake itself closed through the winter months.
Reading this report here
The tide panel is a modelled curve, labelled as such, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service publishes the official tables. A south-easterly blowing up the Strait of Georgia or a north-westerly blowing down it decides many boat days here, so the score gives the wind forecast most of its weight.
Licence, access and rules
Salt water needs the DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence, with the salmon conservation stamp to keep salmon; since 1 September 2026, salmon in tidal water may only be fished with barbless single hooks with a gap of 22 mm or less. The lakes need a BC freshwater licence and follow the Region 2 synopsis, which puts Powell Lake in management unit 2-12. Area 15 notices and closures are on DFO’s Fishery Notices site.
Common questions
How do I get to Powell River?
By road and two BC Ferries crossings along the Sunshine Coast, the last from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay, or on the ferry from Comox (Little River) to Powell River (Westview).
What can I catch at Powell River?
Chinook and coho in season under DFO notices, lingcod and rockfish from May to September outside the conservation areas, and trout in the lakes.
Do I need a licence for the lakes?
Yes, a BC freshwater licence; Powell Lake is also closed to fishing from 1 November to 31 March.
Is fishing good at Powell 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
- Pages checked
- notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=3598
- notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=3606
- notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=3466
- web.archive.org/web/20260916195529/https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp
- www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-r
- 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.