About Colburne Passage / Moresby Island

Colburne Passage runs along the rocky flanks of Moresby Island near Sidney, British Columbia, a mid-exposure corridor in DFO subarea 18-4 where depths drop from roughly 40 to 180 feet. The rock bottom and channel structure hold aggregate rockfish, which fish through the warmer months into fall. Jigging is the dominant approach here, working metal jigs, leadhead jigs with soft plastics, or swimbaits down along the rock walls and ledges. Bait fishing with herring, squid, or cut bait works the same structure, while mooching whole herring or herring strip covers the mid-depth water as tides move through the passage. Anglers target the transitions where the rock meets deeper water to stay on fish.