Fishing in Nanaimo

Perched on the eastern shores of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo blends coastal appeal with rich angling diversity. You can reach the town from Vancouver City by ferry, a journey that is a treat in itself, and once there, Nanaimo’s marina serves as a perfect launching point into a region where rivers, estuaries, and ocean waters intersect. Whether you're aiming for upriver trout, saltwater salmon runs, bottom fishing for gigantic black halibut or trolling in the Georgia Strait, Nanaimo’s accessible fisheries reflect the best of West Coast angling in a spectacular island setting. Its mild climate and abundant wildlife add to the charm you’ll experience on and off the water.

North of downtown, the Nanaimo River winds through forested valleys before reaching the estuary and the open Strait of Georgia. Its cool, clear tributaries and lower river stretches offer excellent seasonal runs of chinook, coho, pink, and chum salmon, along with steelhead and trout. Downtown charters take you into the open water beyond Departure Bay, where fishing is focused on ocean-dwelling salmon. Further offshore, the reefs around Newcastle Island or deeper channels attract serious sport anglers targeting halibut and other bottom-dwellers in accessible depths.

In freshwater, the Nanaimo River thrives with rainbow and cutthroat trout, and active salmon runs in season. Cutthroat in particular flourish in the estuary where quieter currents prevail. The biggest lure for anglers, however, are the chum, chinook and coho salmon in the coastal waters. The Georgia Strait attracts millions of these royal fish as they travel to their home rivers for spawning. Offshore angling is focused on deep-sea species like lingcod and halibut, which can reach truly gigantic proportions, as well as rockfish and snapper.

Fly fishing enthusiasts gravitate to upstream pockets and riffles for trout using dry flies and nymphs, while salmon are often targeted downstream using float rigs, spoons, and spinners. However, salmon fishing around Nanaimo goes beyond the stereotypical patterns of casting big bright flies before the fish that are running up the river to spawn. The sea dwelling salmon are perhaps most efficiently targeted by trolling. Light-tackle spinning around islands and nearshore ledges can also yield steady action for salmon and demersal species. Halibut and lingcod are pursued by means of bottom fishing, with heavy jigs or bait rigs for halibut and rockfish. However, whether you’re fishing freshwater or saltwater around Nanaimo, you should mind and follow fishing regulations that are there to protect the local fish and other species like killer whales. These regulations may include barbless hooks requirements, size and possession limits, as well as closures of certain areas and restrictions on fishing techniques such as baiting and bottom touching rigs. A professional fishing guide will be fully aware of these regulations and ensure your compliance.