Salmon

Pink salmon

Open for retention in 28 of the 29 zones that list pink 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?

Big oval blotches on both tail lobes, and tiny scales.

A small chinook. Pink blotches are oval and huge; chinook spots are small and irregular.

Compare all five →

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 pink salmon in the ocean

Pink salmon are BC's most abundant and predictable saltwater salmon, arriving in massive, aggressive schools on a strict odd-year cycle that makes them an easy, action-packed target for light-tackle anglers.

Where they hold

Pinks school near the surface in nearshore bays and off river mouths, 5 to 20 ft, best on a strong incoming tide.

General holding zones, not a fish finder. Confirm depth on your own sounder. Try pink hoochie behind a small (8-inch) white, chrome, or uv flasher through that band.

Best seasonOdd-numbered years produce BC's dominant pink runs (even years are very light to absent in most systems, though parts of eastern Vancouver Island see some even-year returns). Fish begin staging in tidal waters and estuaries in late July/early August. In the Fraser system the run builds through mid-August, peaks in the last week of August through the first two weeks of September, and tapers off by the third week of September, occasionally extending into early October. Gulf Islands and inshore Vancouver Island waters see pinks arrive as early as early August as fish stage offshore before pushing into home-river estuaries.

Best time of dayTide state matters more than clock time. At tidal river mouths such as the tidal Fraser, the best window runs from about three hours before high tide until the tide begins to ebb - large incoming tides (8+ feet of exchange) push big schools in ahead of the flood, so fish show up several hours before peak flood. In open saltwater, trollers work a flood current along the migration route and troll with the tide rather than against it. Because pinks feed at or near the surface, there is no strong dawn/dusk requirement, though many anglers start shallow (around 20-30 feet) in early morning and fish deeper as sunlight increases through the day.

TechniqueTrolling is the dominant BC saltwater technique for pinks. The standard rig is a flasher (8-inch mini flasher, or full 11-inch flasher) in white, chrome, pink, or UV finish paired with a small pink hoochie or Ace Hi Fly on a stiff 16-20 inch leader (mini flasher) or 24-36 inch leader (full flasher) of 20-40 lb fluorocarbon, fished on 2/0 sickle-style octopus hooks. Troll slowly - about 1-2 knots (roughly 1.2-2 mph), just fast enough for the flasher to wobble without spinning - using a long setback and a zig-zag pattern to keep gear in front of moving schools. Because pinks hold in the upper water column, gear is typically run shallow to mid-depth (roughly 20-60 feet, occasionally out to 100 feet), with multiple rods staggered at different depths until a producing depth is found. At tidal river mouths and estuaries (e.g., the tidal Fraser, Chilliwack, Harrison), casting and spincasting with 1/4 oz spoons or spinners on 4-10 lb line and an 8-foot spinning rod is the standard approach, retrieved just under the surface with rod tip low; float-fished jigs one to two feet off the bottom are also effective in faster river-mouth currents, and fly anglers use small pink/orange/chartreuse streamers (size 4-6) on 5-6 weight rods in slower water.

Where to find themPink salmon school and feed near the surface in nearshore saltwater - bays, kelp-lined shorelines, and points along their migration route - before staging in large numbers off river mouths and estuaries (notably the tidal Fraser River and its approaches, Howe Sound/Cheakamus, and Gulf Islands/east Vancouver Island shorelines) as they prepare to move upstream to spawn.

Bait & lures that work

Pink hoochie behind a small (8-inch) white, chrome, or UV flasherAce Hi Fly (pink or pink-splatter) trolled behind a flasherSmall pink or chartreuse dodger with a mini hoochie for light-tackle trollingBuzz Bomb (pink/chrome) cast and jigged from shore or a drifting boat1/4 oz pink, chartreuse, or silver spoon cast and slow-retrieved at river mouthsPink or orange marabou/streamer jig fished 1-2 feet off bottom under a floatSmall pink or chartreuse spinner for estuary and shoreline castingRoe or small pink soft-bead under a float in slower tidal channels

Where it's open right now

28 total

Zone	Rule	Source
Area 25Nootka Sound, Esperanza Inlet	Pink salmon is catch-and-release only (non-retention) in 25; open in 125 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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	Pink salmon is open in 3,103 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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 5Banks Island	Pink salmon is open in 5,105 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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	Pink salmon is open in 17 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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	Pink salmon is open in 12 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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 27Cape Scott, Quatsino	Pink salmon is catch-and-release only (non-retention) in 27; open in 127 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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	Pink salmon is open in 14 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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 20Port Renfrew, Sooke	Pink salmon is open in 20 (daily limit 4, minimum size 30cm, 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

Everywhere else

Zone	Status	What applies	Source
Area 21Nitinat Lake,Tzuquanah Point	non retention	Pink salmon is closed in 21; catch-and-release only (non-retention) in 22. 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

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 pink salmon in a river

Where they hold

Pinks hold shallow and soft, 2 to 6 ft, off the current edge.

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

Best seasonOdd-numbered years, August into September, in huge numbers.

Best time of dayAll day during the run, best in low light and slightly coloured water.

TechniqueCast and slowly retrieve a small pink jig, spoon, or spinner; pinks hold in soft water and hit a slow, flashy presentation. Very beginner friendly on the swing.

Where to find themSoft water and inside seams off the main current, and the lower reaches near tidewater.

Bait & lures that work

Pink jigSmall pink spoonPink spinnerPink hoochie

Where you can fish pink 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.

31 total

River	Region	When	Limit & gear
Atnarko River including tributaries	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	2 per day
Bella Coola River including tributaries (not including Atnarko River)	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	2 per day
Chuckwalla River	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	No fishing for pink.
Kilbella River	Cariboo (Coastal Watershed)	Apr 1 to Mar 31	No fishing for pink.
All waters	Cariboo (Fraser River Watershed)	--	No fishing for salmon in Region 5A - Cariboo (Fraser River Watershed) until further notice.
All waters	Kootenay	--	No fishing for salmon in Region 4 - Kootenay until further notice.
All waters	Omineca-Peace	--	No fishing for salmon in Region 7 - Omineca-Peace until further notice.
A. All Region 6 watersAll lakes or streams or parts thereof in the aggregate (combined total), in Region 6, unless otherwise stated below. Please review sections B, C, D, E and F carefully.	Skeena	Apr 1 to Mar 31	No fishing for sockeye, pink or chum salmon, unless otherwise stated below

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

Chinook salmon Sockeye salmon Coho salmon Chum salmon All salmon species Pink 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.