The Winchelsea Islands sit in exposed outer waters off Nanaimo, British Columbia, where a rocky, kelp-covered reef rises through depths of 20 to 80 feet. Lingcod hold on this structure with peaks in March and April and again from May through August, while Chinook and Coho Salmon move through from June to September and rockfish stay catchable year-round. Anglers work the reef for lingcod and rockfish by jigging metal jigs, leadhead jigs, and soft plastic swimbaits over the rock, dropping into the deeper edges where fish stack against the kelp. Salmon fishing centers on trolling anchovy, herring, and flashers with hoochies through the passing schools, with mooching cut-plug herring an effective alternative for Chinook. The outer, exposed setting concentrates bait and predators along the reef edges, making depth and structure the keys to locating fish here.

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

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