Salmon · Rivers & streamsRiver salmonDFO, federal, fresh water

Fishing for salmon in a river

Salmon stay federally regulated even in fresh water during their spawning run, a different rulebook than the Province of BC's trout/char/kokanee regs. Search 157 named waters across BC for their current species, season, and daily limit.

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.
Openings and closures change in-season. Check current Fishery Notices before you go.

Not listed here yet? Only waters with a published DFO salmon rule are searchable. If a water isn't listed, that river or stream currently has no open recreational salmon fishery, DFO doesn't publish a fallback rule the way BC does for freshwater trout. Browse by region below to confirm.

Browse by region

Vancouver IslandLower MainlandThompsonKootenayclosedCariboo (Fraser River Watershed)closedCariboo (Coastal Watershed)SkeenaOmineca-PeaceclosedOkanagan

Tidal salmon by zone · Glossary

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.