Prince Rupert Fishing Report
Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live weather and water data
Prince Rupert on Kaien Island: chinook, coho and halibut in Chatham Sound under north coast DFO notices, near the mouth of the Skeena.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 12:33 p.m. model
Air / High
7 °C / 9 °C
Wind
ESE 24 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Prince Rupert is a cold-water proposition today: small baits, slow presentations and a long soak. Today brings cloud cover, wind ESE around 24 km/h, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 9 °C. Tides: high 12:52 a.m. and 12:33 p.m., low 6:34 a.m. and 7:12 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 12:31 AM-2:31 AM and 12:48 PM-2:48 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.
Tie on: Jigging spoon through the ice · Dead-stick minnow · Tip-up with dead bait · Tungsten jig and wax worm. Prime windows: 12:31 AM-2:31 AM, 12:48 PM-2:48 PM, 9:45 AM-10:45 AM. Similar at 10 °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 Prince Rupert today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (08:59), sunset (17:50), 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 12:31 AM-2:31 AM and 12:48 PM-2:48 PM; minor 9:45 AM-10:45 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
HIGH12:52 a.m.2.61 m
LOW6:34 a.m.-0.99 m
HIGH12:33 p.m.3.31 m
LOW7:12 p.m.-2.48 m
Tue
HIGH1:34 a.m.2.58 m
LOW7:12 a.m.-0.79 m
HIGH1:03 p.m.3.26 m
LOW7:48 p.m.-2.25 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp7 °C
High / Low9 °C / 5 °C
WindESE 24 km/h, gusts 62 km/h
Pressure100.82 kPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset08:59 / 17:50
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~10 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Prince Rupert
Today is the pick of the week on Prince Rupert, 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
- 12:31 AM-2:31 AM and 12:48 PM-2:48 PM
- Minor period
- 9:45 AM-10:45 AM
- Sun
- 08:59 to 17:50
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Rain, 26 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Prince Rupert: 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
Open now Closes Nov 16, 2026. Outside waters are open to rockfish and lingcod 1 April to 15 November; lingcod 3 a day, 65 cm minimum. Rockfish Conservation Areas, and the permanent finfish closure in the Broken Group, 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. Closed in many areas for the nesting season.
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 Prince Rupert 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 Prince Rupert 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 8 °C, wind to 19 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 8 °C, wind to 27 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at good. High of 8 °C, wind to 29 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
The DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence and the salmon conservation stamp apply, and retained chinook and halibut are recorded on the licence at once.
About this water
Prince Rupert is a coastal town in British Columbia, Canada, covered from the British Columbia reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Prince Rupert: the full guide
Fishing Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert is the port city on Kaien Island on BC’s north coast, near the mouth of the Skeena River, and BC Ferries sails from here to Haida Gwaii and to Port Hardy. Salmon bound for the Skeena and the Nass pass its doorstep, and Chatham Sound opens to the west. The water is DFO Area 4, with Area 104 offshore. The report here is scored for the city and carries a modelled tide curve for the harbour.
Species and seasons
Chinook, coho, pink and sockeye salmon come through in summer, but the north coast rules are tight. In 2026, citing concerns for Nass and Skeena chinook, DFO kept the chinook limit at zero in Areas 3 to 5 until 17 July before opening a limited fishery, and it closed sockeye in the same areas from 28 August. Halibut are open coast-wide until DFO closes them, and lingcod and rockfish are open in these outside waters from 1 April to 15 November.
Where to fish it
Boats fish Chatham Sound and the approaches to the Skeena, and the currents run hard in the passages on big tides. DFO lists rockfish conservation areas in Area 4 at Dunira, Stephens Island, the Porcher Peninsula, Hodgson Reefs and Gull Rocks, all closed to finfishing. Anglers in boats must return rockfish they release to their depth with a descending device.
Planning a visit
Prince Rupert is reached on Highway 16 from Terrace, by BC Ferries from Port Hardy or Haida Gwaii, or by air. Bring serious rain gear. The Skeena at Terrace has its own page.
The water through the year
Summer is the salmon season, and halibut are fished through the warm months; rockfish and lingcod close on 16 November in these outside waters. The rest of the year is wet and windy, with fewer boat days.
Reading this report here
The tide panel shows a modelled curve, labelled as such; the range between high and low water here is large, so check the Canadian Hydrographic Service’s official predictions before crossing shallow passages. Wind and pressure build most of the score.
Licence, access and rules
The DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence and the salmon conservation stamp apply, and retained chinook and halibut are recorded on the licence at once. From 1 September 2026, salmon in tidal water are fished with barbless single hooks with a gap of 22 mm or less. North coast notices, including the chinook and sockeye limits, are on DFO’s Fishery Notices site and its 24-hour recorded line.
Common questions
What can I catch at Prince Rupert?
Chinook, coho, pink and sockeye salmon when DFO allows it, plus halibut, lingcod and rockfish outside the conservation areas.
How do I get to Prince Rupert?
On Highway 16 from Terrace, by BC Ferries from Port Hardy or Haida Gwaii, or by air.
Can I keep sockeye at Prince Rupert?
Not under the current notice: DFO set the sockeye limit at zero in the tidal waters of Areas 3, 4 and 5 from 28 August 2026 to 31 March 2027; check for any later notice.
Is fishing good at Prince Rupert 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=3600
- notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=3649
- notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=3466
- web.archive.org/web/20260306085647/https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp
- bcferries.com/routes-fares/schedules/seasonal/PPR-PSK
- 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.