Vancouver has a multitude of saltwater fishing spots available to anglers. Having access to a boat will obviously give you a lot more options. If you’re unable to get access to a boat or kayak etc there are still plenty of fishing opportunities from shore or a pier. The great thing about pier fishing is while you are waiting to catch a decent fish you can also have a couple of crab traps in the water.
Pier and Shore Fishing Spots in Vancouver
Below are several Great Vancouver fishing spots.When you are fishing from the shore it’s always a really good idea to go at high tide to increase your chances of catching something. If you can couple this with the twilight periods of dawn or dusk this will increase your chances more.
Jericho Beach Pier
Crabbing for dungeness and red rock crab is fairly productive from the Jericho Beach pier..As with most fishing piers in and around Vancouver a lot of the crabs you get will either be female or undersized males. Hang in there though there is the odd legal size crab to be had.
While waiting on your crab traps there’s several species of fish that you can fish for. There are perch, sole, spiny dogfish and, the occasional skate. Jigging for perch always works great, you may also catch the odd english sole this way. If you were down on the beach you may want to try firing out a buzz bomb these are great for the flatfish .
There is a decent amount of public parking in the nearby parking lots.
Cates Park Deep Cove
Cates Park is located on the North shore of Vancouver harbor just east of North Vancouver right across from Belcarra. This is a good area for flounder and sole, pink salmon is also available when they’re running in the summer. Lingcod are present here you should always check the regulations most of the time they are closed. Also of note around Cates Park, if you’re taking a boat out there are a couple of rockfish conservation areas. one of these is located just south of Cates Park and another a little bit up Indian arm.
In addition to the ground fish opportunities at Kate’s Park this is also a popular crabbing spot. Both dungeness and red rock crabs are available to be trapped. If you need more information on fishing regulations this area is 28-11 and 28-12 in the coastal fishing regs https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/tidal-maree/a-s28-eng.html
Belcarra Pier
Belcarra Pier is located on the other side of Indian Arm from Cates Park . You can get there by heading west from Coquitlam. As with Kate’s Park pretty much the same species, various ground fish and crab.
Ambleside Pier North Vancouver
I have fished from this pier several times. One thing I’ve noticed is there is an awful lot of perch that is caught here. The odd English soul and dogfish are fairly common. There is always a fair number of people crab fishing here and the pier can get quite crowded. Whenever I’ve been there I’ve caught plenty of dungeness crab, the larger ones are more readily caught at high tide.
In addition to fishing off the pier, just to the east is the mouth of the Capilano River. There is a stone breakwater here that people fish off of often. Another popular spot is right at the mouth of the river. You will see lines of people spinning for coho, chinook and pink salmon during their salmon runs.
Fishing Spots in Richmond BC
Richmond BC also has great fishing opportunities being bound by the Fraser River both on the North and the South. All of this portion of the Fraser River is considered tidal water being in area 29 (29-10,29-11,29-12,29-13) for the purposes of fishing regulations.
The Fraser River is home to a large population of white sturgeon. The tidal section of the river extends all the way up to the CP rail bridge in Mission. Above that point is considered freshwater and requires separate licensing to fish for white sturgeon .Here is a link to the freshwater fisheries society of BC guide to safe handling while fishing for white sturgeon. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/docs/ws_guidelines.pdf
The Fraser River sports Pacific salmon runs for sockeye ,pink (odd years 2021,2023 etc), coho, chum and chinook.When salmon fishing on the Fraser River it is best to set up a few hours before high tide. As the tide comes in and just as it turns are the best times for landing fish.Time of day doesnt matter as much with this fishery.
Its important to note that regulations for salmon can vary a lot by year so ALWAYS check the current regulations. For tidal waters you can also get the fisheries canada app (FishingBC) this is an awesome tool with up to date closures / openings, species identification and other great info.
In addition to several species of salmon that migrate up this river there is of course your usual variety of tidal fish species. There are also plenty of pikeminnows and the occasional bull trout. You can get more information on the city of Richmonds fishing venues here
Number 2 Road Fishing Pier South Arm of Fraser River
This fishing pier is located right at the mouth of the Fraser River just at the East end across from Shady Island. This spot has washrooms available and a parking lot.
Number 3 Road Fishing Pier South Arm of Fraser River
This pier is located just slightly upstream from number two road. There is also decent parking and washrooms available here.
Number 7 Road Pier North Arm of Fraser River
On the northside of Richmond there is the number 7 Road pier.
This site also has ample parking and public washrooms available.
Other Richmond Fishing Spots
The various Richmond piers I mentioned above are just a starting off point. When you travel the riverside roads of Richmond you will come up with many other places to cast a line.
Vancouver Boat Fishing
If you have a boat you can get in the water around Vancouver your options for fishing are virtually limitless. There’s always the option of catching various ground fish. The main attraction for most saltwater anglers are of course salmon.
These can literally be fished for all year round provided of course there aren’t any fishery closures due to various factors.. All along the coast around Vancouver are what they call winter chinook salmon, these are also referred to as feeder Chinook. Basically next year’s breeders they are hanging close to the coast and just feeding as much as they can.
West Vancouver
All along the west Vancouver coastline is a popular place to fish for salmon. In the summer months coho are plentiful and you can also run into chinook towards the fall and of course the winter months.
Burrard Inlet
This entire area is good for both coho salmon and chinook. A few years ago I took a charter out of Horseshoe Bay sewell’s marina during early August and we were targeting coho salmon. Our primary trolling area was just off Stanley Park up towards the Capilano River. A very popular technique for this type of fishing is a salmon flasher paired with an anchovy rig.
South End of Bowen Island
During most of the year the south end of Bowen island is a very popular spot for salmon fishing. This area can be productive for chinook, coho, sockeye and pink (during odd years for pink).
Howe Sound and “The Hole in the Wall “
The hole in the wall is another popular salmon fishing area. If you check out the online salmon fishing forums you’ll hear lots of chatter about this area. This is an old school salmon fishing spot. The popular technique back in the day was mooching in this area.
The “hole in the wall” stretches from horseshoe bay up to somewhere around Sunset Marina several kilometres North up the east shore of Howe Sound. There are a few places to put a boat in here but most of them will charge you. Another option is to launch a boat at Porteau Cove Provincial Park(a few KM north of Sunset marina). We launched our boat there fairly early in the day and parking was plentiful. This is of course a free boat launch then you can just troll down the coast.
Finding the Best Fishing Spot in Vancouver
As you can see there are tons of great fishing spots around Vancouver. Finding a special honey hole will take time and effort. I strongly suggest you try and fish a number of venues to find that great fishing spot. I can think of a few places that are nearby me that I’ve neglected for years to fish and when I finally went there I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. There’s nothing like pulling out a personal best fish in your own backyard!
If you have a seaworthy boat obviously your number of fishing options will increase greatly. Another option is to try one of the local knowledgeable fishing charters. These guys do this for a living and they can show you where the very best spots are to fish.
FAQ
What fish can you catch in Vancouver ?
There are a wide variety of saltwater species that you can catch in Vancouver. Below is a list of some of these.
- English Sole
- Starry Flounder
- Surf perch(pile perch and striped seaperch)
- Spiny Dogfish
- Greenling
- Rockfish (ling/ lingcod and various other species)
- Sculpin
- Skate
- Salmon ( chinook, coho, chum, pink and, sockeye )
- Steelhead (saltwater rainbow trout)
Where can I fish for salmon in Vancouver?
A very popular place for shore fishing coho salmon is at the mouth of the Capilano River. A few other spots are Howe sound just north of horseshoe bay ( hole in the wall) this stretches north up the coast in Howe sound. Deep cove cates park up the Indian Arm inlet.
A really fantastic place to fish for various salmon species is along the fraser river. There are tons of access points all along this great river.
Do I need a special fishing license to fish in the ocean (tidal waters)?
The fishing license you get for fishing fresh water in British Columbia is different from the tidal or saltwater license which is governed by fisheries and oceans Canada. You can get your tidal license online here.
It’s important to note that some rivers connecting to the ocean will have a portion of them designated as tidal requiring the tidal license.
If you are just trying out saltwater fishing or just visiting the coast you can get 1,3 or 5 day licenses and not just an annual one for reduced cost. Additionally if you’re keeping salmon you will need to make sure you have the salmon tag for your licence.
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