Salmon

Chinook salmon

Open for retention in 29 of the 29 zones that list chinook salmon. Click through to a zone for the full detail.

Rules merged from DFO baseline + notices, refreshed 1h ago

Is this the fish you have?

Black gums and spots on both tail lobes.

Coho. Open the mouth: chinook gums are black, coho gums are white.

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In the ocean (tidal)In a river (non-tidal)

Salmon in tidal water follow DFO area rules. The same fish in a river follow separate, non-tidal rules.

How to target chinook salmon in the ocean

The largest Pacific salmon species (commonly 10-30 lbs, capable of 40+ lbs), Chinook ("spring" or "tyee") are the hardest-fighting and most prized salmon targeted in BC tidal waters.

Where they hold

Low light pushes bait and fish up onto the shelf; run gear 10 to 50 ft over reef edges and points.

General holding zones, not a fish finder. Confirm depth on your own sounder. Try plug-cut herring behind a flasher (mooching or trolling) through that band.

Best seasonAvailable roughly April through September coastwide, but timing varies by region. In the Strait of Georgia and around Vancouver Island, resident "feeder" Chinook can be caught nearly year-round, while migratory fish peak seasonally. Fraser River-bound Chinook build through July and peak mid-to-late August as they stage in the Strait before entering the river; because many interior Fraser stocks are depressed, DFO has imposed chinook non-retention in Fraser-approach areas (e.g. Areas 12-20 and subareas) in recent seasons, so check current-year closures. On the west coast of Vancouver Island and in Juan de Fuca/Sooke, migrating Chinook move through mainly summer into early fall. North and central coast areas (e.g. Broughton Archipelago) see Chinook March through September, with June-August the best window.

Best time of dayTide state matters more than the clock. Resident "feeder" Chinook bite hardest in the hour before, through, and after slack tide, when baitfish rise in the water column and "the dinner bell" rings. Migrating, mature Chinook behave differently -- they tend to bite best starting just before low-water slack and well into the flood, essentially "into the teeth" of the incoming current, since the flood pushes bait and fish tight to shorelines and through choke points around points and reefs; a strong ebb can still produce in tight, deep shoreline pockets. Early morning and dusk, especially on overcast days, are also favoured because low light brings fish up into the 10-50 ft range versus 60-200 ft during bright midday.

TechniqueTrolling with a flasher is the dominant tidal-water method: a flasher (often 11-inch, green-splatter or glow finish) trailed by 20-30 inches of leader to a hootchie, cut-plug herring, whole anchovy, or spoon, fished off a downrigger. Typical trolling speed is slow, roughly 1.8-2.5 mph through the water (not over the ground) -- important because BC tidal currents commonly run 2-4 knots, so speed must be judged relative to the current, not the GPS. Chinook hold in 60-200 ft during bright daytime and move up to 10-50 ft in low light, so downriggers are worked through that range depending on time of day. Motor mooching -- slowly drifting/idling a plug-cut herring under a banana-style sliding weight on 20-25 lb mainline with a 10-20 lb leader -- is a long-standing traditional method, often fished with a long (10'6") soft-tipped mooching rod that acts as a shock absorber for big fish. Bar fishing/jigging (e.g. bucktailing, jigging a Buzz Bomb or similar) is used over shoal/bar structure and from shore near river mouths. Anglers position relative to tide: fishing choke points, points, and reefs on the flood for migrating fish, or slack-tide feeding zones for resident feeders. BC tidal regulations require barbless hooks and, outside downrigger lines, terminal weight under 1 kg. Note: a DFO variation order phases out treble hooks for salmon in all BC tidal waters in favour of single hooks (max 22mm point-to-shank gap; tandem single-hook rigs still permitted), effective September 1, 2026 -- confirm current-year hook rules before rigging Buzz Bombs, spoons, or spinners that ship with trebles.

Where to find themChinook are targeted in open tidal waters over structure such as reefs, points, drop-offs, and current-swept "bars" (e.g. Sooke/Race Rocks area, Strait of Georgia banks), as well as near river mouths and estuaries (notably the Fraser River approaches) where migrating fish stage before entering fresh water. Major migration corridors like the west coast of Vancouver Island, Johnstone Strait, and Juan de Fuca Strait see concentrated seasonal traffic of Chinook running tight schedules to natal rivers.

Bait & lures that work

Plug-cut herring behind a flasher (mooching or trolling)Whole or cut anchovy behind a flasherHootchie (plastic squid skirt) behind a flasherGreen splatter / glow-in-the-dark flashers (11-inch, a proven coastwide producer)Metal spoons (e.g. Gibbs Wonder Spoon) trolled behind a flasherBuzz Bomb (jigged, especially from shore or bar fishing)Blue Fox-style spinners in chrome, brass, red/orange, or chartreuseCured roe (mainly for river-mouth/estuary casting)

Before you keep oneMany interior Fraser River Chinook populations are in serious decline -- COSEWIC has assessed the majority of Fraser Chinook stocks (including runs like the endangered Upper Fraser spring 5-2 population) as threatened or endangered, and some populations are under consideration for listing under Canada's Species at Risk Act.

Where it's open right now

29 total

Zone	Rule	Source
Area 26Kyuquot Sound	Chinook salmon is open in 26,126 (daily limit 2, minimum size 45cm, barbless hook and line required). A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 3Portland Inlet, Alaska border	Chinook salmon is open in 3,103 (daily limit 2, minimum size 45cm, barbless hook and line required). A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 21Nitinat Lake,Tzuquanah Point	Chinook salmon is closed in 21; open in 22 (daily limit 2, minimum size 45cm, barbless hook and line required). A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 12Port Hardy, Robson Bight	Chinook salmon is open in 12-1 to 12-13 and 12-15 to 12-48 (daily limit 2, minimum size 62cm, barbless hook and line required); open in 12-14 (daily limit 2, minimum size 45cm, barbless hook and line required). A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 17Nanaimo	Chinook salmon is open in 17-1 to 17-4,17-8,17-10 to 17-12 and 17-21 (daily limit 2, minimum size 62cm, barbless hook and line required); catch-and-release only (non-retention) in 17-5 to 17-7,17-9 and 17-13 to 17-20. A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 8Bella Coola, Fitz Hugh Sound	Chinook salmon is open in 8,108 (daily limit 2, minimum size 45cm, barbless hook and line required). A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 25Nootka Sound, Esperanza Inlet	Chinook salmon is open in 25,125 (daily limit 2, minimum size 45cm, barbless hook and line required). A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source
Area 14Comox, Denman Island, Hornby Island, Parksville	Chinook salmon is open in 14-1 to 14-13 and 14-15 (daily limit 2, minimum size 62cm, barbless hook and line required); catch-and-release only (non-retention) in 14-14. A recent Fishery Notice (FN0723-RECREATIONAL, issued July 15, 2026 at 1534) may change this in-season -- check it before you fish.	July 15, 2026 at 1534 view source

Everywhere else

Every zone that lists chinook salmon shows it open right now. Nothing closed or restricted in the 29 zones on record.

This is a plain-language summary, not the regulation itself. Always confirm at the source link before you fish. Rules can change without notice.

You need a licence before you fishSaltwater / tidal waters (salmon, halibut, rockfish, crab, prawn): get a BC Tidal Waters sport fishing licence (DFO).

How to target chinook salmon in a river

The largest Pacific salmon species (commonly 10-30 lbs, capable of 40+ lbs), Chinook ("spring" or "tyee") are the hardest-fighting and most prized salmon targeted in BC tidal waters.

Where they hold

Chinook hold deep and slow, 4 to 14 ft, on the bottom of pools and tailouts.

General holding zones, not a fish finder. Confirm depth on your own sounder. Try cured roe through that band.

Best seasonFraser mainstem July to September; smaller coastal rivers peak with the first fall rains.

Best time of dayFirst and last light, and on a rising or lightly coloured river a day or two after rain.

TechniqueDrift cured roe or back-troll a plug (Kwikfish) through deep pools and tailouts; bar-fish a spin-n-glo on big tidal rivers like the Fraser. Fish the holding water slowly and get down near bottom.

Where to find themDeep pools, tailouts, current seams, and tributary confluences where fresh fish rest on the way up.

Bait & lures that work

Cured roeKwikfish plugSpin-n-gloColorado bladeSpoon

Where you can fish chinook salmon in a river

Non-tidal, federal (DFO) river rules, separate from the tidal-area rules and the Province's trout and char rules on the same water. Type a river or region to filter.

119 total

River	Region	When	Limit & gear
AllAll lakes or streams or part thereof in the aggregate (combined total), in Management Units 5-6 to 5-11 in Region 5B, unless otherwise stated below (i.e. Region 5 not including the Fraser River watershed).	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	4 per day, only 1 over 50 cm.
Atnarko River including tributaries	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Jul 23 to Dec 31	No fishing for chinook.
Atnarko River including tributaries	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Jan 1 to Jul 22	4 per day, only 1 over 65 cm.
Bella Coola River including tributaries (not including Atnarko River)	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	4 per day, only 1 over 65 cm (See exception below).
Bella Coola River including tributaries (not including Atnarko River)All tributaries to the Bella Coola River.	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	No fishing for chinook.
Chuckwalla River	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	No fishing for chinook.
Dean Riverfrom the confluence with Crag Creek downstream to the tidal boundary, except for the canyon as listed below.	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Jun 1 to Sep 30	4 per day, only 1 over 50 cm.
Kilbella River	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	No fishing for chinook.

Plain-language summary, not the regulation itself. River salmon rules change in-season, confirm at the DFO source before you fish.

You need a licence before you fishThe licence you need depends on the water, not the fish. In non-tidal fresh water (rivers and lakes above the tidal boundary), salmon go on the BC freshwater fishing licence (Province of BC) plus a Salmon Conservation Stamp. The BC Tidal Waters licence (DFO) is only for tidal waters. The rules on this page are DFO's either way.

Other salmon

Sockeye salmon Coho salmon Pink salmon Chum salmon All salmon species Chinook salmon in a river instead Fishery Notices behind these statuses

See something wrong?

Rules change in-season and we'd rather hear it from you than have someone fish on bad information. Tell us what looks off and we'll check it against the source.