ReelCaster

Campbell River Fishing Report & Forecast

Today's best window: 8 AM to 11 AM

Do I need a licence in Campbell River?

Updated today

Chinook fishing at Entrance Bank looks good today.

ReelCaster scores every hour at Entrance Bank from 0 to 100, reading the tide, current, wind and weather for Chinook. The higher the score, the better your odds. Green means go.

Chinook
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Every spot around Campbell River, scored

Each number is today's best score out of 100 at that spot. The card walks the most-fished spots.

View Campbell River fishing map

The next 14 days in Campbell River

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster

  • Two weeks ahead

    Most forecasts stop at the weekend. This one runs a full 14 days, so you can pick the day before you book the time off.

  • One number, out of 100

    The best score anything in Campbell River reaches that day. Green is good, amber is fair, red is slow, and you can read it from across the room.

  • 15,792 scores behind it

    47 spots, every hour of every day, out to 14. This row is the best of them.

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Hour by hour today at Entrance Bank

All times PDT

  • One real spot

    A city has no tide or wind of its own, so this is Entrance Bank, the most fished spot in Campbell River, scored for Chinook Salmon.

  • Six readings, one clock

    Tide, current, wind, sea, air and sky, all lined up on the same hour, so you can see what is actually driving the score.

  • Currents, not just tides

    Modelled flow for the water off Campbell River, so you can see slack coming before you leave the dock.

Conditions
Time
9 AM
Now
Score
83
Good
Tide
11.5 ft ▲
Flooding
Current
—
Flood
Wind
3 kn
N · steady
Sea state
Flat
est. from wind
Air temp
5°
Cold
Weather
Overcast
92% cloud
Hour 9 AM. Score 83 Good. Tide 11.5ft Rising ▲. Current +1.0kn Flood. Wind 3kn N G6. Sea Flat (est. from wind). Air 5.2°.

The spots people actually fish in Campbell River

41 more on the map

  • A year of catch reports

    The order here is how much each mark actually gets fished, not today's guess. The busiest water in Campbell River comes first.

  • Today's number too

    Beside each name is the best score that spot reaches today, so you can weigh a proven mark against a good forecast.

  • Every spot has a page

    Its own chart, its own species and its own rules, worked out the same way as everything above.

Every spot we score in Campbell River

Bathymetry: NONNA-10 + NRCan

  • Real charted seabed

    Depth soundings, not a stock map. The banks, reefs and drop-offs are where you can see them.

  • 47 spots, all scored

    Every spot we cover around Campbell River, each one carrying its own number for today.

  • Point at any of them

    The name, how busy a mark it is, and the tide, sea and seabed at its best hour.

Create custom spots

Our full model on your custom private spots.

  1. Drop a pinAnywhere on the water. The ledge you found, the bay nobody talks about.
  2. Name itYour name for it, not ours. It stays private to your account.
  3. Choose speciesPick what you fish there, and it starts scoring from the next run.

What you can keep in Campbell River today

  • Chinook SalmonKeep2 a day · min 62 cmOpen at all 46 spots we cover
  • Coho SalmonKeep2 a day · min 30 cmOpen at all 42 spots we cover
  • HalibutKeep2 a dayOpen at all 1 spot we cover
  • SurfperchKeep8 a dayOpen at all 9 spots we cover
  • Flounder / Sole (Flatfish)Keep8 a dayOpen at all 7 spots we cover
  • HerringKeep20 a dayOpen at all 3 spots we cover
  • LingcodClosedShut at all 41 spots we cover
  • Black RockfishClosedShut at all 18 spots we cover

Rules differ between PFMAs and change in season. Check DFO for the PFMA you are fishing before you keep anything.

All 45 spots in Campbell River

Every spot we cover around Campbell River has its own page, with the tide, the wind and the next 14 days.

That was one day. Pro opens the next fourteen.

Every spot on this map, hour by hour, two weeks out, with alerts when your water crosses the score you set.

$0 today, then $33 CAD a year, which is $2.75 a month. Card required, cancel any time.

When to fish Campbell River

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.

Relative abundance by month for each species around Campbell River
SpeciesJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Chinook Salmon
Coho Salmon
Halibut
Lingcod
Black Rockfish
Surfperch
Flounder / Sole (Flatfish)
Herring

Chinook Salmon: January poor, February poor, March fair, April good, May good, June peak, July peak, August peak, September fair, October poor, November poor, December poor. Coho Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April poor, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September peak, October none, November none, December none. Halibut: January none, February poor, March fair, April excellent, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September good, October poor, November none, December none. Lingcod: January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October good, November fair, December fair. Black Rockfish: January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May good, June good, July excellent, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Surfperch: January poor, February fair, March fair, April good, May excellent, June excellent, July good, August good, September excellent, October fair, November fair, December poor. Flounder / Sole (Flatfish): January fair, February fair, March good, April good, May good, June good, July excellent, August excellent, September good, October fair, November fair, December poor. Herring: January peak, February peak, March peak, April fair, May poor, June none, July none, August poor, September fair, October good, November good, December excellent.

  • Chinook Salmon. Campbell River sits on the migratory highway to the Fraser and local Campbell/Quinsam systems, so summer abundance peaks mid-July through mid-August (weeks 29–31) as mature Chinook stage off the Discovery Passage before spawning. A secondary winter/spring presence of resident feeder (blackmouth) Chinook holds a moderate baseline through the colder months, giving the curve a bimodal but summer-dominant shape.
  • Coho Salmon. Saltwater abundance is zero in winter as adults die post-spawn. Immature resident 'bluebacks' appear in spring (April/May) and build until the massive migratory run of large 'Northern' Coho funnels through Discovery Passage from July to mid-September, before rapidly exiting the saltwater to spawn in the Campbell and Quinsam rivers by late October.
  • Halibut. Pacific halibut migrate from deeper offshore wintering/spawning grounds into Campbell River's shallower feeding banks as waters warm, with peak abundance from late spring through mid-summer (May–July) driven by feeding aggregations. Numbers taper through fall as fish move back offshore, leaving a low but non-zero baseline in winter since some fish remain in deeper local waters year-round.
  • Lingcod. Lingcod are a resident, non-migratory bottomfish present year-round in Campbell River's rocky reefs and channels, so abundance stays near baseline with no true zeros. Spring peaks reflect post-spawn males guarding nests and aggregating on structure (late Feb–Apr males are catchable but egg-guarding lowers the early-season count), while a broader late-summer/fall peak reflects concentration on productive reefs and improved feeding activity before winter dispersal into deeper water.
  • Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are non-migratory resident reef fish in Campbell River's waters year-round, so abundance stays close to baseline all seasons. The modest summer bump (July–September) reflects warmer nearshore water pulling fish shallower and more concentrated over rocky structure and kelp, with juveniles recruiting to nearshore reefs, while winter fish remain present but disperse deeper.
  • Surfperch. Surfperch (shiner and pile perch) are resident year-round in Campbell River's nearshore waters, so abundance never drops to zero. A spring peak reflects pre-spawn aggregations near eelgrass and pilings (viviparous perch gather to mate/give birth May–June), and a stronger late-summer/early-fall peak (Aug–Sep) reflects warm water concentrating fish and abundant juveniles along beaches and structure before winter dispersal.
  • Flounder / Sole (Flatfish). Flatfish are resident year-round in Campbell River's sandy/muddy bottoms, so abundance stays relatively broad and flat. Warmer summer and early-fall water pulls fish into shallower feeding grounds with a peak around August-September, while cold winter months push them deeper and slightly reduce nearshore density.
  • Herring. Pacific herring peak in early-to-mid spring (March–April) when mature adults mass in Strait of Georgia waters near Campbell River to spawn on kelp and eelgrass shallows. After spawning the adults disperse offshore and juveniles are dispersed, so presence drops through summer, with a modest fall buildup as schools reaggregate over winter feeding grounds.

Before you go

Management areas

Water around Campbell River falls into 9 areas, and the rules can differ between them. Fisheries and Oceans Canada sets them.

  • 13-1
  • 13-2
  • 13-3
  • 13-4
  • 13-5
  • 13-6
  • 13-13
  • 13-15
  • 14-13
Licence you need

Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence

Fisheries and Oceans Canada · 2026-27

Annual, Canadian resident aged 16 to 64: $25.86

Salmon Conservation Stamp $7.39, required to keep any salmon. Releasing does not need it.

This is the federal tidal licence. Fishing fresh water in BC needs a separate provincial licence, and one does not cover the other.

Do I need a licence in Campbell River?Buy from Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Fishing Campbell River

Campbell River sits on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island along the Discovery Passage, where tidal channels and offshore banks funnel migrating fish through its waters. Chinook Salmon anchor the fishery with a peak from June through August, and Coho Salmon run from May into September. The area's 40 spots span sheltered passages and island shorelines through to exposed shoals and deeper open banks. Anglers work the Chinook run mainly by trolling across these currents, and the calendar carries steadily from the Lingcod months of spring into the salmon-heavy summer.

Common questions about Campbell River

›Do I need a fishing licence in Campbell River?

Yes. Fishing around Campbell River needs the Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. $25.86 a year for a Canadian resident aged 16 to 64 in 2026-27. The Salmon Conservation Stamp ($7.39) is required to keep any salmon. Releasing does not need it. This is the federal tidal licence. Fishing fresh water in BC needs a separate provincial licence, and one does not cover the other.

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