Where to Fish > Fish for Pink Salmon

Over the past several years, volunteer community groups, with help from the B.C. Ministry of Environment and the Department of Fisheries & Oceans, have used net pens to rear pink salmon fry, creating excellent pink salmon fishing opportunities near communities surrounding the Georgia Strait.

The pink salmon fry are reared in strategically located net pens for about three weeks, then released to mature in the open ocean. When the adult salmon return to the net pen site in subsequent years, they create exciting fishing opportunities.

Excellent fishing opportunities for these scrappy, 4 to 10 lb salmon have been created in Campbell River (Discovery Pier, Rotary Beach, Willows Beach), and Nanaimo (Departure Bay), which should produce excellent shore and pier based fishing from July to September of 2008. Look for new opportunities to be created in Deep Bay, Cowichan Bay, and Gibson's Harbour for summer 2009.

You can usually spot pink salmon easily from shore because of their tendency to jump and roll on the surface. Approach them carefully and do not get too close, then make your presentation.

Pink Salmon respond well to a variety of lures and flies, but as a general rule keep your offering on the small side, and use pink as a dominant color.

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