About May Island

May Island sits off Campbell River in DFO subarea 13-3, a mixed-bottom drop-off with mid-range exposure and depths running 120 to 240 feet. Lingcod anchor the fishery here, peaking May through June and again August through September, alongside Chinook Salmon from June to August and Coho Salmon across a long window from May to September. The steep structure suits jigging for lingcod with metal jigs, leadhead jigs and swimbaits, or bucktail jigs worked close to the bottom, with whole herring, live greenling, or octopus fished as bait along the same edges. Chinook respond to trolling with anchovy, herring, spoons, or hootchies over the drop, while Coho take trolling spoons, hootchies, and cut-plug herring behind flashers. Canary Rockfish, Pacific Cod, Rougheye Rockfish, and Sablefish round out the mixed catch across the deeper portions of the profile.