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.
Prince Rupert Fishing Report
Updated Fri, Sep 25, 2026 from live weather and water data
Prince Rupert on the north coast: salmon and halibut in Chatham Sound, at the mouth of the Skeena.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 1:12 p.m. model
Air / High
5 °C / 13 °C
Wind
NNE 4 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Prince Rupert is in its cool-water rhythm: slower presentations and the warmest hours of the day. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNE around 3 km/h, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 13 °C. Tides: high 12:47 a.m. and 1:12 p.m., low 7:00 a.m. and 7:22 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 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 Prince Rupert today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:32), sunset (19:31), 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
HIGH12:47 a.m.2.37 m
LOW7:00 a.m.-2.41 m
HIGH1:12 p.m.2.50 m
LOW7:22 p.m.-2.17 m
Sat
HIGH1:23 a.m.2.45 m
LOW7:32 a.m.-2.41 m
HIGH1:39 p.m.2.76 m
LOW7:54 p.m.-2.58 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp5 °C
High / Low13 °C / 5 °C
WindNNE 4 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure101.16 kPa, rising
Sky / Rain77% cloud, 27%
Sunrise / Sunset07:32 / 19:31
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °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. 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 25 — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.
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
- 07:32 to 19:31
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Partly cloudy, 11 km/h
- Rain chance
- 27%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
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. 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 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 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 Prince Rupert 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 14 °C, wind to 16 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 13 °C, wind to 18 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 12 °C, wind to 21 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 the salmon conservation stamp apply; halibut are recorded as the licence requires.
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, where the ferries leave for Haida Gwaii and the Inside Passage. The salmon bound for the Skeena and the Nass pass its doorstep, and the halibut grounds of Chatham Sound and Dixon Entrance are within reach. It is one of the rainiest cities in Canada. The report on this page is scored for the city, with a modelled tide curve.
Species and seasons
Chinook come through in early summer, followed by coho and the pink and sockeye runs bound for the Skeena; halibut are fished from spring through summer, with lingcod and rockfish on the reefs. DFO sets the rules for the north coast areas by notice.
Where to fish it
Boats fish Chatham Sound and the approaches to the Skeena; the tides are large here, and the currents strong. Charter operators run from the harbour. The approaches to the Skeena and the islands of Chatham Sound are the salmon grounds, and the deeper banks toward Dixon Entrance are fished for halibut; inside the harbour the water is sheltered but the currents are strong on the big tides.
Planning a visit
Prince Rupert is reached on Highway 16 from Terrace, by ferry, or by air. Bring serious rain gear. The Skeena at Terrace has its own page. The Cow Bay waterfront is the heart of the harbour, with charters and fish shops, and the city is the terminal for the BC Ferries runs to Haida Gwaii and to Port Hardy.
The water through the year
Early summer chinook, midsummer salmon runs and halibut through the warm months; the rest of the year is wet and windy.
Reading this report here
The tide panel shows a modelled curve, labelled as such; the tidal range here is among the largest on the coast, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service publishes the official predictions. Wind and pressure build the score.
Licence, access and rules
The DFO tidal licence and the salmon conservation stamp apply; halibut are recorded as the licence requires. North coast area rules are on the DFO pages linked below.
Common questions
What can I catch at Prince Rupert?
Chinook, coho, pink and sockeye salmon in season, and halibut, lingcod and rockfish.
How do I get to Prince Rupert?
On Highway 16 from Terrace, by BC Ferries or by air.
Are the tides big at Prince Rupert?
Yes, among the largest on the BC coast; plan boat trips around them.
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
- 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.