Winter Harbour Tuna Fishing trips will have 4 fishers per boat. Winter Harbour BC Fishing Report By Greg Vance, The Outpost at Winter Harbour | Last updated: July 18th, 2016. In August, we have the Meteor showers which are spectacular to watch! But with the Fraser River preventative measures over, Area 27 and 127 are open to coho and Chinook, with two of each per day limit and four of each in possession, along with an assortment of lingcod, halibut, and rockfish. ..." Benson River. We typically see large local Chinook show up in the nearshore waters, along with aggressive large northern coho. Ironically, we’ve recently had a number of commercial lingcod fishermen comment how many very large Chinooks they are pulling up on their offshore gear out at the 50-fathom edge. As with much of the coast, the abundance of both wild and hatchery Chinook and coho so far has surpassed almost everyone’s expectations since early June. Only steps to boat moorage Includes freezer for your fish. It could be a 15-lb spring, or it could be a 35-lb hali or a decent lingcod. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. Like last season, the inshore waters in the entire mouth of Quatsino Sound, Kains Island Light Station, Gooding, Harvey Coves, and Cliffe Point have consistently produced above-average-sized fish. To be honest, we struggle to find the ‘unders’ up our way, but we continue to catch some beauty ‘overs’ on a regular basis. A great summer community of fishers, kayakers, sailors and naturalists! Today, Winter Harbour is known for its saltwater fishing charters that head for the northwest coast of Vancouver Island in search of salmon, cod, snapper and halibut. The “surfline-in” fishery off Quatsino allows us to fish as far as 2 to 3 miles offshore in some areas, and all of the nearshore waters off Lippy Point, Kwakiutl, and Kains Island have been holding a lot of bait and producing very well. The sad fact is, we have had relatively few people fishing our area this spring as a result of the pandemic, but those that did were rewarded handsomely. Action inside Cains Island, around Pinnacle, and at McAllister Isles has been absolutely great. As the temperature drops and the dark nights set in our attention turns to winter fishing for Cod and Whiting as the main targets go out to sea and flounders within the Poole Harbour area. Using solunar tables allows fishermen, hunters and birdwatchers to determine the best days for these activities. 4 nights with 3-8 hour days of guided fishing. webapi.showDistanceControl(true); The Outpost at Winter Harbour is located on the rugged, remote and pristine Northwest Coast of Vancouver Island within minutes of some of the best saltwater sports fishing in the world. Last season, halibut was very abundant in our area, and early season action suggests we will enjoy more of the same. Despite the DFO’s Chinook retention closure of the offshore waters along the whole west coast of the island, we have had an excellent start to the season. Trips include lodging, meals, fish processing and freezing, guided fishing… It is quite the sight to behold as thousands of seabirds, hundreds of seals and sea lions and eagles, and even the occasional grey, humpback, or killer whale make their way into Winter Harbour to feast on the herring bonanza. Birders get busy with their life lists while viewing puffins, oyster catchers and dozens of shorebirds. Tips, tactics, gear reviews for everything from bass and bluegills to stripers and bluefish - if it's fishing related, we cover it. var webapi = new JNC.Views.BoatingNavionicsMap({ Join us as we discuss the British Columbia Fishing License options, fishing rules and fishing regulations. I think it’s fair to say that the bulk of Chinooks have passed through, but the fishing has remained very decent by almost any measure both in and offshore, with many beautiful large fish coming in daily. The abundance of bait has led to extremely good bottom fishing this year. But we do expect that towards the end of August we will continue to see a high percentage of large fish. As always seems to be the case, most of the nearshore structure humps and pinnacles have been producing well for lingcod, halibut, and rockfish. This leaves anglers plenty of opportunity to catch both spring and coho in the relatively nearshore waters. Learn techniques for halibut, lingcod and salmon. As is the case for much of our beautiful BC coast, spring is an exciting and vibrant time in Winter Harbour and Quatsino Sound as we welcome back the huge schools of spawning herring and the incredible variety of wildlife pursuing them! Most of the nicest fish were coming from the 275-ft bumps in 300 to 325 ft of water straight off Kains Island. Traditional glow and blue/green hoochies have been productive. Get Winter Harbour, Regional District of Mount Waddington's latest tide tables showing high tide and low tide heights, fishing times, weather forecasts, surf reports and solunar charts for today. Awesome. It’s been at least 5 years since the demise of the roe-on-kelp fishery in our area, and we’ve seen progressively larger and larger herring returns each year. Shot over a weekend during a fishing trip to Winter Harbour BC, North West corner of Vancouver Island GH4 / GoPro DJI As of writing this, about 75% of our U.S. customers have now been forced to cancel as a result of the border closures. Virtually all the nearshore structure from Top Knot down to Cape Cook has been producing. This year’s halibut regulations allow for retention of one measuring 90 to 126 cm in length head-on, or two small 90 cm in length head-on (that’s one “over” or two “under”). center: [ -128.0038, 50.4774], The Outpost at Winter Harbour. The spring Chinook commercial fishery is closed for the second year in a row, and it’s seemingly still a bonanza out there, being enjoyed by a handful of recreational fishers. Each bedroom has ensuite bathroom – common living room with fireplace and ocean view. The bad news is that higher temperatures typically make salmon move to deeper water or move on; the good news is, we have albacore tuna showing up 15 to 40 miles offshore. We expect to see the structure in and around Kains Island Light Station, Kwakiutl, and Lippy Points being productive in the 150′ to 200′ range over the sand flats. Trips include lodging, meals, … off Kwakiutl Canyon and north to Triangle Island, anywhere from 30 to 40 miles offshore. Private lodging at Winter Harbour beach house, two bedroom waterfront suite – sleeps 4 guests. Guided Sportsfishing Quatsino Sound Winter Harbour near Port Hardy BC.Halibut, Salmon Ground Fish. HookandBullet.com, a Montlake Media brand. This year, we are recording temperatures approaching 70 degrees F within fewer than 5 miles offshore! If you need fishing tackle, or are looking for a fishing guide or fishing … Fortunately, the fish appeared largely oblivious to COVID-19. I think it’s fair to say that the new halibut regulations have been fairly well received in our area. All rights reserved. Each bedroom has ensuite bathroom – common living room with fireplace and ocean view. It was named in the 19th century because of its eponymous bay that forms a safe natural harbour. Needlefish, herring, and squid have continued to fill into the nearshore shoals from Top Knot down to Lawn Point, making for excellent fishing. The Winter Harbour/Quatsino Sound area truly is a special place. Of particular note, the forecast age composition is 19% 3-year-old, 51% 4-year-old and 29% 5-year-old fish. The continental shelf comes to within a few miles of shore, so there is no need to travel long distances to find the fish and burn a lot of expensive fuel. Smaller 3″ to 4″ AP blue/glow, as well as Gibbs Skinny G Herring Aides and No Bananas, have been very productive. There are great salmon opportu- nities nearshore in the entire mouth of Quatsino sound including Kains Island, Cliffe Point, and Gooding and Harvey Coves as the large, mature Chinooks fill in along with large, aggressive northern coho. Remember that to practice any activity at sea like diving, windsurfing and fishing from a boat or underwater fishing should always be consulted with the official tide tables of the port of Winter Harbour. That’s a lot of older—and presumably larger—fish! Tips, best practices, places and the go-to lures are just a sample of what you’ll find in our fishing report. As always, the lingcod, halibut, and early Chinooks get lured into the nearshore waters in the mouth of Quatsino Sound chasing the herring, but this year’s abundance has led to particularly good early-season fishing. Large glow 5.5″ squid patterns like the Yo-Zuri LXS103 have been extremely productive and thereby very popular, to the degree that they have sold out everywhere at press time! Long-time residents agree that this year’s herring spawn in Winter Harbour was as big as anyone can remember, and it’s got the season off to a great start. After an incredible 2019 season we are all very excited to get 2020 going again in Winter Harbour. These areas Virtually all of the structure and humps 1 to 3 mi offshore in anywhere from 150 to 300 ft of water are producing well. Over the last 5 years or so, however, the fishing has been better earlier and later, and I would argue that the best time to be up here is either the last week of June, the first couple weeks of July, or the latter half of August. Winter Harbour is a rare gem remaining on our coast, with access to some of the most prolific fishing anywhere in BC. Check out our Fishing Times tab to determine when the fish will be most active. It’s one of the few remaining low-traffic but prolific areas on the coast, suitable for boats big and small. Find out what’s working and what’s not when fishing in the Winter Harbour area on Northern Vancouver Island. What a surreal season! 180 feet of waterfront, spectacular new construction home, and salmon, halibut and lingcod fishing on the Pacific west coast out your front door. If last June/July is any indication, that’s where the best fishing will be anyway! Small pattern spoons like the AP 4″ needlefish and anchovy patterns in greens and blues are very productive trolled near bottom, as are needlefish pattern hoochies. Interestingly, the salmon still seem to be targeting what appear to be very small pattern juvenile herring. Come and see what all the fuss is about–there are plenty of great places to stay or camp. Winter Fishing. The solunar chart below gives predictions for the calendar month based on relative positions of the Sun and moon to the earth. We have seen consistently good action so far this season in the Winter Harbour Area. The good news in that is the fact that many BC locals now have an opportunity to book and see what all the fuss is about! Please remember to check with the local Fish and Wildlife department to ensure the stream is open to the public. January 5 at 11:13 AM. Cod Winter Fishing Tips webapi.showZoomControl(true); As of late February, most of Winter Harbour was virtually sold out. Our ocean waters offer excellent bottom fish including huge halibut, Ling Cod, Red Snapper (Yellow Eye) and a variety of rock fish. Bottom fish rarely disappoint in the Winter Harbour waters. We tie it in with some coho fishing & anchor up for some hali's on the way in. It’s hard to predict exactly what effect this warm water will have on our normal patterns into September. As of the 2016 census, only five … Whether you’re spinning, baitcasting or fly fishing your chances of getting a bite here are good. We’re not sure what the relative size of the biomass was, or why this may have happened, but it “felt” like it was less than in previous years. 4 nights with 3-8 hour days of guided fishing Private lodging at Winter Harbour beach house, two bedroom waterfront suite – sleeps 4 guests. Until the 1990s, Winter Harbour was a hub for commercial fishing, with more than 700 boats using the docks and fish-buying station, as well as buying fuel and refilling ice. So grab your favorite fly fishing rod and reel, and head out to Winter Harbour. Despite not being able to fish the offshore Area 127, anglers have enjoyed very consistent action in relatively shallow nearshore and inshore waters. Despite the DFO’s continued attempts to make all of us anglers and businesses in the recreational fishery miserable this season with their politically motivated Fraser Chinook closures, the fishing all around the mouth of Quatsino Sound and in the ‘surfline in’ waters of Area 27 has simply been incredible through July. There has been more bait in the mouth of Quatsino Sound than in any recent years, and that has made for truly spectacular Chinook and coho action without having to go offshore. Winter Harbour is a fishing village on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, at the mouth of the Quatsino Sound, in British Columbia, Canada. The nearshore waters off Lawn Point were also producing well. We are up and running this summer, although at a reduced capacity. Cozy and private attached deck over the water The absolute center of Winter Harbour and by the boardwalk! “The Wrench” and the area in the middle of Brooks Bay are prolific in early fall. Just awesome power. Whether you want to bring your own boat and camp, stay in some beautiful accommodations, or if you want a fully guided package, there are many businesses in this area suited to help. The Outpost at Winter Harbour is located on the rugged, remote and pristine Northwest Coast of Vancouver Island within minutes … The Gibbs Skinny G Herring Aide, No Bananas, and AP Lemon Lime needlefish/anchovy spoons remain the most-often used. A lot has been made of the composition of this year’s Chinook salmon returns, specifically the relatively high number of 4- and 5-year-old fish returning, and how that was going to translate into larger fish on the coast. The continental shelf comes to within a few miles of shore, so there is no need to travel long distances to find the fish and burn a lot of expensive fuel. What’s really interesting, however, is how many of those shoals of herring have stayed in the nearshore waters. Check out our Fishing Times chart to determine when the fish will be most active. Winter Harbour is such a gorgeous remote community, you can relax, either fishing, shop, walking or glaze at the millions of stars at night. One of the most common questions we get is, “What’s the best time to come up to Winter Harbour?” The old timers will tell you that the last week of July and the first couple weeks of August are the absolute best for all species. The estimated terminal return of WCVI Index stocks for 2019 was 189,000 adults, and the forecast number for 2020 is 160,000, with a range of 112,000 to 210,000—slightly above the long-term average of 155,000. Feeder/winter springs congregate in large numbers along with lingcod, halibut, and rockfish, all in pursuit of the massive schools of herring. // You can disable the control by options or with explicit function. Anglers are doing well fishing off Kains Light Station in 150′ to 200′ depths, with most boat limiting on springs in the 12- to 15-lb range and a number of fish approaching 20 lbs. There was a very large and seemingly long-lasting squid spawn in the nearshore shoals around Lippy/Kwakiutul and Lawn Points which has made the inshore waters particularly productive for Chinook and coho. With the renewal of the U.S./Canada Albacore Tuna treaty, we fully expect to see a lot of commercial tuna boats off Quatsino Canyon, giving recreational tuna enthusiasts plenty of target to find the blue water and the tuna schools. Interestingly, baitfish have held here in huge numbers, with the preponderance of bait being very small (3-in to 4-in) juvenile herring and anchovy. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Recent Post by Page. Whether you want to bring your own boat  and camp or rent accommodation, or charter with one of the great guiding outfits in the area, the opportunities are almost endless. Winter Harbour is a harbor located just.1 miles from Winter Harbour, in Mount Waddington Regional District, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. We generally have very good luck in March and April simply trolling the flats in and around Pinnacle and Cains Islands in as little as 60 ft of water. We have owned the Outpost General Store/ Marina and RV Campground for 16 years. The inshore areas around Kains Island lightstation, Gooding and Harvey Coves, and Cliffe Point areas have also been active giving smaller boats ample opportunity to cash in. Fortunately, last year the drought was followed by one of the best mid late August fisheries in recent memory, and we are hoping for a repeat this year! The lingcod, halibut, and rockfish fishing has been spectacular all season, and there’s no reason to think that September will be any different. The early season bottom fishing has been really good. Every year we seem to have more and more sport boats coming up in late August and well into September to run offshore. Like last year, Area 127 offshore is closed from April 1 to July 15. As always, water temperature and plankton blooms will play a big role in terms of how August and September play out. Anglers trolling the structure in 175 to 200 ft of water with lures in the 125- to 150-ft range have been catching beautiful springs in the 16- to 20-lb range, while also quite regularly catching halibut, lingcod, and rockfish prowling the midwater around the various bait stacks. As always, however, the bigger fish seem to have followed the herring in. Like many areas on the coast, last year was one of the best overall seasons we have seen in a few years. Winter Harbour Marine Map If recent patterns hold, and given the aforementioned preponderance of older fish returning, we expect the latter half of August to offer some fabulous opportunities in this area, particularly if we get the usual contribution from the large and aggressive northern cohos. Blue shark, sunfish, albatross, and of course the coveted albacore tuna. With this being a La Nina year, we think we will continue to see typical water temps of 11° to 14° C, which bodes reasonably well for our main target species. The Outpost at Winter Harbour. // example disable ZoomControl Read charter reviews and choose the best fishing charter. Experience the incredible fishing out of Qualicum Rivers Winter Harbour on Vancouver Island, BC. Special Note Regarding the 2020 Fishing Season. Now get out there and fish! At the mouth of Quatsino Sound. As of mid-August, sport boats were running out 30 to 40 miles off Kains Island Lightstation into Quatsino Canyon, doing extremely well. When we first took things over, all of the old timers wanted to be there in the first two weeks of August. Winter Harbour is such a gorgeous remote community, you can relax, either fishing, shop, walking or glaze at the millions of stars at night. As we cited in our previous report, there has been an unusual amount of lingcod and halibut in the midwater in these areas where the baitfish tend to congregate, so a typical morning or afternoon of trolling for salmon will almost always yield some healthy-sized ling or hali, particularly if you can target some of the large needlefish shoals. This is the first year of a new tuna derby in Winter Harbour—we are excited to see how many boats show up! As the fishery tends to more highway /offshore in Area 127, we imagine the traditional Purple Haze, White Glo, and Yozuri LGG-11 hoochies and cuttlefish will be working, as well as anchovy and plugs. The tuna fishery out of this area is growing substantially with every passing year. Scope Adjustment: 2-Shot Method to Scope Sighting. In any given year, the Winter Harbour area doesn’t see huge recreational pressure. The warm blue water and all the related alien tropical fish have moved in again! The section of coast in the mouth of Quatsino Sound from Harvey and Gooding Coves over to Cliffe Point should also be excellent, if patterns hold. Many anglers have been catching good size lings in midwater while trolling for salmon! Anglers have been reporting significant quantities of good-sized lingcod in the midwater, biting fairly standard green glow hoochies or spoons on the troll. Its population of 6 full-time residents blossoms in the summer, and it becomes a vibrant and … It’s been a very odd year, to say the least, dealing with U.S. client cancellations and all the COVID provisions and restrictions. 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