About Sykes Reef

Sykes Reef is a rock pinnacle off Ucluelet, British Columbia, sitting in exposed outer waters where depths run from 60 to 180 feet. The structure holds resident bottomfish year-round, with Lingcod peaking March through May and Pacific Halibut moving through from April into August, while Quillback and Copper Rockfish stay catchable across all twelve months. Anglers work the rock with metal jigs, leadhead jigs, and soft plastic swimbaits for the rockfish and lingcod, while drift jigging leadhead jigs with soft plastics or metal jigs suits the halibut over the deeper edges. Chinook Salmon build from May through August and Coho follow May into September, both taken by trolling anchovy, herring, hootchies, and trolling spoons through the exposed water above the reef. The pinnacle's vertical relief concentrates fish tight to the rock, making precise depth control over the 60-to-180-foot range the key to fishing it.