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PFMA 17-13Coho Salmon · Open

Departure Bay Beach

49.19°N · 123.96°W

PFMA 17-13Coho Salmon · Open

Departure Bay Beach Fishing Forecast

Updated today

What's biting now around Nanaimo: Coho

Coho fishing at Departure Bay Beach looks good today.
The best time to go is 2 PM to 8 PM, with the tide ebbing.

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

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Departure Bay Beach, on the live map

Every spot is scored for today, out of 100. Green is worth the trip, amber is fair, red is slow.

Best score for the day · 6 PM
86/100
GOOD

Now 86 · 7 PM PDT

BEST WINDOW
2 PM-8 PM
Tide ebbing
DFO · PFMA 17-13 · Coho Salmon openRegulations ↗2 per day · min 30 cm · barbless hook and line
14-Day Forecast
Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Thu
Sep 24
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Sep 26
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Sep 27
Mon
Sep 28
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Sep 29
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24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

Tap or drag to read any hour

Conditions
Time
7 PM
Now
Score
86
Good
Tide
12.2 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
—
Ebb
Wind
2 kn
NNW · steady
Sea state
Flat
est. from wind
Air temp
15°
Mild
Weather
Overcast
100% cloud
Hour 7 PM. Score 86 Good. Tide 12.2ft Falling ▼. Current -0.8kn Ebb. Wind 2kn NNW G4. Sea Flat (est. from wind). Air 15.0°.

What others are saying about ReelCaster Pro

ReelCaster Pro Testimonials
5.0
I’ve been using ReelCaster for about a month and I love it! Having all the conditions listed together is really handy and makes deciding when to go a no brainer instead of checking multiple apps and sites to get wind, current, sea conditions and tides. I highly recommend ReelCaster!
Nick S.Tacoma WA
5.0
ReelCaster has completely changed how I plan my fishing trips. It brings together tides, currents, wind, swell, and water temperature in one place, then pinpoints the best times and locations to fish. It saves me time and gives me real confidence I’m on the water when conditions are ideal.
Bob N.Victoria BC
5.0
ReelCaster was very helpful in helping me figure out where and when to fish! I was lucky enough to catch a 7 lb Coho right off the beach. The info that the app provided was really helpful and it saved me the trouble of looking at multiple sources to figure out tides, weather, and regulations.
KevinMarrowstone Island WA
Why this score
Light
Low sun
Prime
Tide
Early ebb
Fair
Current
0.3 kn light
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Coho Salmon
Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
4 in possession
Size
Minimum 30 cm
Gear
barbless hook and line
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Daily limit: 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked 0 - Wild - unmarked. DFO closes Departure Bay Finfish Closure (part of 17-13) Aug 4 to Oct 25. Check DFO's map.
Other species here
Chinook Salmon Catch & release
Always check with DFO ↗

Source: DFO/MPO · PFMA 17-13 · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Coho Salmon is best at this spot

Peak seasonCurrently in peak season for Coho Salmon
~2 more weeks at peak
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff season
SPOT PROFILE
DEPTH
—
STRUCTURE
Beach

Departure Bay Beach sits on the Nanaimo shoreline of British Columbia at 49.1928, -123.9556, a beach-access spot within DFO subarea 17-13. Coho and Chinook salmon are the primary targets here, both peaking from June through September. Trolling dominates for both species, with trolling spoons, hootchies, flashers, and cut plug herring for coho and anchovy, herring, flashers with hoochies, and trolling spoons for chinook. Anglers working from the beach also turn to jigging with metal jigs for both species, while bucktailing with bucktail flies adds a supporting option for coho and mooching cut-plug or whole herring covers chinook. Fishing the beach margins and the tide movement along this stretch keeps both species within reach through the summer window.

CUSTOM ALERT
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Departure Bay Beach is one of the spots we track around Nanaimo. See every scored spot in British Columbia.

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