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.
Victoria Fishing Report
Updated Fri, Sep 25, 2026 from live weather and water data
The capital’s salt water on the Strait of Juan de Fuca: winter and summer chinook, halibut on the offshore banks and shore fishing from the Ogden Point breakwater.
2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.37 km/h gusts make boat control the real battle.
Next tide
Low 6:12 p.m. model
Air / High
12 °C / 14 °C
Wind
NNE 16 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Victoria rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNE around 16 km/h, rising pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 14 °C. Tides: high 11:54 a.m., low 5:48 a.m. and 6:12 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 15 °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 Victoria today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:04), sunset (19:04), 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
LOW5:48 a.m.-1.45 m
HIGH11:54 a.m.1.88 m
LOW6:12 p.m.-1.34 m
Sat
HIGH12:05 a.m.1.76 m
LOW6:19 a.m.-1.58 m
HIGH12:24 p.m.1.93 m
LOW6:47 p.m.-1.67 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp12 °C
High / Low14 °C / 10 °C
WindNNE 16 km/h, gusts 34 km/h
Pressure100.46 kPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 81%
Sunrise / Sunset07:04 / 19:04
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Victoria
The best day on Victoria this week looks like Sunday Sep 27, at 4 out of 5, against 2 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: Sunday, Sep 27 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Sep 25 — Tough
37 km/h gusts make boat control the real battle.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 07:04 to 19:04
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Rain, 37 km/h
- Rain chance
- 81%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Victoria: 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 Victoria 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 Victoria 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 16 °C, wind to 14 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 19 °C, wind to 19 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 21 °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
Salt water around Victoria needs a DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence, with the salmon conservation stamp to keep salmon; halibut catches must be recorded as the licence requires.
About this water
Victoria is a coastal town in British Columbia, Canada, covered from the British Columbia reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Victoria: the full guide
Fishing Victoria
Victoria sits at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, facing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains across the water, and its fishing is salt water on the doorstep: salmon, halibut and bottom fish from boats out of Oak Bay and the Inner Harbour, and shore fishing from the breakwater at Ogden Point. The report on this page is scored for the city, with a modelled tide curve.
Species and seasons
Chinook are the Victoria fish, with resident winter fish and summer runs passing through the strait on their way to the Fraser; coho join them in late summer. Pacific halibut are fished on the offshore banks in spring and summer under DFO annual and daily limits, and lingcod on the rocky reefs. Salmon rules change by DFO fishery notice and management area.
Where to fish it
Boats fish the kelp lines off Oak Bay, the waters between the city and the Gulf Islands and the banks offshore. The Ogden Point breakwater is the city’s best-known shore spot, and the rocky shoreline east of it gives access for the patient. Sooke and Pedder Bay, to the west, have their own pages.
Planning a visit
Victoria has marinas, guides and launch ramps, and ferries connect it to Vancouver and to Port Angeles in Washington State. The strait can be rough in a westerly; the calm mornings are the time to get out, and a guide is the simplest way to fish it for a first visit.
The water through the year
Summer is the busiest season, with the migrating chinook and coho; winter keeps a resident chinook fishery for those who fish the calm days; spring brings halibut. The strait is cold all year, and fog can come in on summer mornings.
Reading this report here
The tide panel is a modelled curve, labelled as such; tidal currents run hard in the strait, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service publishes the official predictions. Wind from the west decides the day on open water; pressure and sky build the score.
Licence, access and rules
Salt water around Victoria needs a DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence, with the salmon conservation stamp to keep salmon; halibut catches must be recorded as the licence requires. The DFO area limits and closures are linked below.
Common questions
Can I fish from shore in Victoria?
Yes: the Ogden Point breakwater and the rocky shoreline are the usual spots, with a DFO tidal licence.
Is there winter salmon fishing in Victoria?
Yes, for resident chinook on the calm days, under the DFO rules for the area.
When is halibut season off Victoria?
Spring and summer, under DFO annual and daily limits that can change during the season.
Is fishing good at Victoria right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. The wind owns today. 37 km/h gusts make boat control the real battle.
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.