Rockfish (Aggregate) Fishing in Vancouver, BC

Rockfish sit on the same rock their whole lives, so Vancouver gives you a fishery that holds up in any month you book. Quillback, copper, black, yelloweye and china rockfish all show extreme site fidelity to specific reefs and pinnacles, which means abundance across Howe Sound, the Strait of Georgia and Indian Arm stays close to flat year-round. Summer brings a slight bump as juveniles recruit and fish feed on shallower reefs, and winter shows a minor dip as some move a little deeper, but presence never drops off. We cover 19 spots that hold these fish, including Bowen Island in Queen Charlotte Channel, Bowyer Island, Capilano Mouth, Comet and Hood Point off north Bowen, Cowan Point, Gower Point, Hole in the Wall, and the Pam Rock and Worlcombe Island area.

Current runs the day here. Fish the slack, from dead stop up to about 0.5 knots, and expect the ground to be unfishable by roughly 2.5 knots. Plan your drops for the window either side of high or low water, when your gear hangs where you put it instead of sweeping off the structure.

Jigging carries the fishery. Drop metal jigs, leadhead jigs or soft plastic swimbaits onto rocky structure and pinnacles in 60 to 300 feet and work them near bottom. Bait fishing with herring, squid or octopus over reefs pulls quillback, copper and yelloweye, and a mooching rig with herring works steep drop-offs.