PFMA 14-3Halibut · Open

Ballenas Islands

49.35°N · 124.17°W

Species
tap to switch species
Best score for the day · 6 AM
90/100
GOOD

Now 21 · 11 PM PDT

BEST WINDOW
6 AM-10 AM
Tide flooding
DFO · PFMA 14-3 · Halibut openRegulations ↗1 per day · max 112 cm · angling, spear fishing while diving
14-Day Forecast
Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster

24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

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Conditions
Time
11 PM
Now
Score
21
Tough
Tide
11.5 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
Ebb
Wind
14 kn
SE · steady
Sea state
Rippled
0.2 m
Air temp
17°
Mild
Weather
Overcast
100% cloud
Hour 11 PM. Score 21 Tough. Tide 11.5ft Rising ▲. Current -0.7kn Ebb. Wind 14kn SE G17. Sea 0.2m Rippled. Air 16.9°.
Why this score
Current
0.3 kn light
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Halibut
Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
1 in possession
Size
Maximum 112 cm
Gear
angling, spear fishing while diving
Annual quota
10 per year
Other
Annual limit 10 (Apr 1 2026–Mar 31 2027). Max size 112 cm head-on (85 cm pectoral/head-off). Possession limit equals daily limit.
Other species here
Lingcod Retention openChinook Salmon Retention openCoho Salmon Retention openRockfish (Aggregate) Retention open
Always check with DFO

Source: DFO/MPO · PFMA 14-3 · synced 4 days ago

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Halibut is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for Halibut
~6 more weeks in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff season
SPOT PROFILE
DEPTH
70-220 ft
Rock
LAUNCH
Not mapped
PEAK
Shoulder
STRUCTURE
Kelp Reef
Outer Exposed

The Ballenas Islands sit in the outer, exposed waters off Nanaimo, British Columbia, where a rocky bottom and kelp reef structure drops through depths of 20 to 120 feet. This terrain holds Lingcod, which peak from March through April and again May through August, alongside Pacific Halibut running strong March through August and a year-round aggregate rockfish fishery. Chinook and Coho Salmon move through from June to September, drawing anglers who troll anchovy, herring, and flashers with hoochies through the passages. Over the rock and reef, jigging metal jigs, swimbaits, and leadhead jigs works the resident Lingcod and rockfish, while drift jigging with leadhead jigs and soft plastics or herring covers the deeper halibut ground. The exposed setting and steep depth changes reward working the structure edges where these species stage.

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Ballenas Islands is one of the spots we track around Nanaimo. See every scored spot in British Columbia.

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