Months come from each species' own season curve around Bamfield. A strong month is strong for that fish, not a ranking against the others. Time of day, when it is shown, is today's forecast and moves with the tide.
Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.
| Species | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook Salmon | ||||||||||||
| Coho Salmon | ||||||||||||
| Halibut | ||||||||||||
| Lingcod | ||||||||||||
| Rockfish (Aggregate) | ||||||||||||
| Surfperch | ||||||||||||
| Flounder / Sole (Flatfish) | ||||||||||||
| Herring |
Chinook Salmon: January poor, February fair, March good, April good, May excellent, June peak, July peak, August peak, September poor, October none, November poor, December poor. Coho Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April poor, May good, June peak, July peak, August peak, September peak, October poor, November none, December none. Halibut: January none, February poor, March good, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September good, October fair, November none, December none. Lingcod: January fair, February good, March good, April good, May fair, June fair, July good, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Rockfish (Aggregate): January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May good, June good, July excellent, August excellent, September good, October good, November fair, December fair. Surfperch: January fair, February good, March fair, April fair, May good, June excellent, July excellent, August good, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Flounder / Sole (Flatfish): January poor, February fair, March fair, April good, May excellent, June excellent, July excellent, August excellent, September good, October fair, November fair, December poor. Herring: January excellent, February peak, March peak, April good, May poor, June poor, July poor, August poor, September poor, October poor, November poor, December fair.
These are today's forecast windows, taken at the spot leading each species. They are not a standing schedule.
Peaks in June, July and August.
Bamfield sits on the outer West Coast Vancouver Island migratory highway, so feeder (winter) Chinook provide a steady low-to-moderate presence through winter and spring. The dominant peak is the summer offshore migration of maturing Chinook staging along Barkley Sound (late June through August) bound for Fraser, Columbia, and Puget Sound rivers, tapering sharply through September as fish move inshore to natal streams.
Peaks in June, July, August and September.
Bamfield coho are dominated by the summer-fall run, building through July as ocean-feeding fish stage off Barkley Sound and peaking sharply mid-August to early September (weeks 31-34) before fish push into rivers and thin out by October. A modest spring bump reflects early feeder/juvenile coho moving into nearshore waters through May-June, with near-absence in winter when returns have spawned and new cohorts are still small.
Peaks in April, May, June, July and August.
Pacific Halibut off Bamfield migrate to deeper offshore banks to spawn in winter, leaving nearshore waters sparse December–March. They move back onto shallower feeding grounds from spring, peaking in late spring/early summer and again in late summer/early fall as they fatten before returning offshore.
Good in February, March, April, July, August and September.
Lingcod are resident, non-migratory reef dwellers present in Bamfield's waters year-round, so abundance never hits zero. The late-winter/early-spring peak (Feb–Apr) reflects nest-guarding males concentrated in shallow rocky structure during spawning, and the late-summer peak (Aug–Sep) reflects strong feeding activity and mature fish moving onto reefs in warmer productive water.
Excellent in July and August.
Rockfish are non-migratory, long-lived residents of Bamfield's rocky reefs and remain biologically present year-round, so the curve stays broad with only gentle seasonal variation. Slight summer elevation reflects warmer water pushing fish shallower and more active feeding/aggregation on the reefs from late spring through early fall, with modest winter troughs as cooler temperatures reduce activity and some deeper dispersal.
Excellent in June and July.
Surfperch are resident year-round in Bamfield's surf zones and rocky shorelines, so abundance never drops to zero. The strongest peak is late spring/early summer (May–July) when gravid females aggregate in shallow beaches and eelgrass to give live birth, with a milder secondary bump in late summer/early fall as young-of-year recruit into the surf zone.
Excellent in May, June, July and August.
Flatfish are resident year-round in Bamfield's sandy bays and estuary flats, so the curve stays broad and never hits zero. Abundance rises through spring and peaks in summer (late May–Aug) as fish move onto warmer shallow flats to feed, with a modest late-summer/early-fall bump before dispersing to deeper water in the cold, stormy winter.
Peaks in February and March.
Pacific herring in Barkley Sound near Bamfield concentrate massively during the late-winter/early-spring spawn (roughly late February through April), when dense schools move inshore to deposit eggs on kelp and eelgrass, producing the sharp peak. Outside the spawn, herring disperse offshore and into deeper feeding grounds, so summer through fall abundance in nearshore waters is lower and relatively flat as juveniles and post-spawn adults filter through.
It depends on the species. Chinook Salmon peaks in June, July and August. Coho Salmon peaks in June, July, August and September. Halibut peaks in April, May, June, July and August. Lingcod is good in February, March, April, July, August and September. Rockfish (Aggregate) is excellent in July and August. Surfperch is excellent in June and July.
On November 1, 2026, the forecast windows are Chinook Salmon 4 PM to 7 PM, Coho Salmon 8 AM to 7 PM, Halibut 8 AM to 6 PM, Lingcod 8 AM to 6 PM, Rockfish (Aggregate) 8 AM to 6 PM, Surfperch 8 AM to 6 PM, Flounder / Sole (Flatfish) 8 AM to 6 PM and Herring 8 AM to 6 PM. These are today's model windows, not a standing schedule.