Are you thinking about going fishing in 2018? If so, take a look at what happened in 2017 in the area you want to go by reading a fishing report. While you can’t predict the future, a look at a past fishing report may help you decide what time of year you want to come fishing. The trends tend to remain similar from year to year.

The west coast of Vancouver Island is a hotspot for salmon and halibut fishing, and is a top fishing destination in Canada. Here’s a fishing report for what happened with their 2017 salmon fishing season.

Early-early season from March to April saw sporadic days of catching salmon limits, mixed in with slower days of one to three fish. Patience was key with halibut fishing, where many were close to shore as they normally are, but catching one could mean waiting on anchor all day. When salmon fishing was slow, anglers focused on catching lingcod. Weather was a mix of good and bad.

May and June were fantastic compared to normal, and catching chinook over 20lbs was not unheard of! While catching both halibut and salmon took a bit of work, by the end of the day it was likely limits of both were caught. Other days found the boats filling up with fish faster than expected, even in the afternoon. For 2018, the early season is expected to be just as good thanks to the number of grilse that made an appearance on the coast. Closer to the end of June, the fish moved offshore, which is where July and August focused their tactics.

Peak season was as expected for the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Both chinook salmon and halibut fishing was done offshore for all of July and the first half of August. For the second half, in closer to shore was more rewarding, as the larger returning Chinook were cruising in close. While halibut fishing slowed down a bit, catching the limit was still do-able, it just required more patience. Live squid fishing, a fantastically fun way to fish, took place in late July for about one week. Otherwise, most chinook were caught by trolling.

If you’re worried about seasickness and want to be able to catch big fish in protected water – aim for a charter in July.

The first two weeks of September proved successful for Chinook, where it then dropped off as per the usual. Unfortunately, the halibut fishing was closed early on September 5^th – a strange occurrence for the fishery on the coast. Some small pockets of Coho made their way in shore for the end of the season. Perhaps some of the best fishing as the season gets late is Lingcod, which are a great source of white meat when halibut aren’t available.

Once October rolls around, most charters are completely finished for the season. Unruly weather and the coast’s movement into hibernation and storm season mark the end of salmon and halibut fishing for another year.

For another fishing report from the west coast, check out http://www.salmoneye.net/site/fishing-with-us/fishing-reports.html