About Higgins Island

Higgins Island is an outer-exposed rocky drop-off off Qualicum Beach in DFO subarea 14-3, where the bottom falls from roughly 260 to 660 feet. Chinook Salmon peak here from July through September and Coho Salmon run from June into October, both taken by trolling anchovy, herring, spoons, or hootchies along the edge of the structure. Lingcod hold on the rock through the winter peak of January to March, where jigging metal jigs, swimbaits, or leadhead jigs works the drop-off. Black Rockfish stack over the same reef from April to September and respond to jigging with metal jigs, leadhead jigs, or soft plastic swimbaits. The steep gradient and rock exposure also hold Pacific Cod, Copper Rockfish, and Spiny Dogfish, with Pacific Albacore Tuna moving through the outer water in warmer months.