Campbell River, BC

Have a trip planned to the Campbell River area for the end of June, just wondering if any one has any experience with this area and can pass along any expectations for that time of year. This will be my first time there so don't really know anything about the area. Is late June a good time for Kings up there??

Thanks for any info,

Tight Lines!!

The fishing can be hit and miss. It certainly not what it used to be, but I have talked to people who still go up and get 20 fish days occasionally (at least thats the story they are telling). But the peak is in August.

Do you have a package set up? I was up there on a charter and this particular day nobody was catching anything, except this one boat. So my guide and I were talking and he points out this boat and says "thats famous grouse, (SP?)he is allways catching fish". I was pretty surprized that he would make that remark since next time I get up that way, I know who I am fishing with.

In June all your going to see is Chinook. The Coho & Pink runs wont move in until August. You may have some interesting regs to follow at that time. They had a special size restriction in effect in the past because its Puget Sound Chinook that are passing through durring that time and they worked out and agreement to minimize catch of the wild fish.

You will probably be fishing the lighthouse area off the south tip of Quadra island. In this area and the entire west passage of the island had extreme tidal movement. You will really be fishing near the bottom alot except for on the tide change because the fish need to sit on the bottom to get out of the current.

If its great fishing or not you will probably have a good time. Lots of marine life, cruise ships going by almost daily. There is just alot to see. If you get a chance, check out Seymore narrows when the tide is runing. Lots of feeding eagles there for the fish that get churned up in the current.

thinker, thanks for the info. have a package sert up with Sea Blue Charters, ever hear of them. They did mention that light house run that you were talking about. Well sounds like it should be a good time, and hopefully the fish will cooperate.

Tight Lines!!

I use to go up that way all the time in late June/1st week of July, we did ok w/kings, but we went mainly for the silvers. They were always heavy until the commercial trollers started in on them. I doubt if they will have a silver season, has been closed in recent years. The king fishing can be real good if your guide knows what he is doing. Most everyone there uses live herring and fish deep to get below the dogs. If by chance silvers are open, fish early 4:30 AM at about 25-35 feet deep. Good luck

I've been doing some research the past few days on the Cambell River, and the last week in the June isn't the absolute best time to be there, but it still is a good time...I could think of a lot of worse things to be doing that week. Fish-on!

Well I've been up there twice, and both times we stayed at the silver king lodge. One trip was in the middle of june and the other in the end of july. We didn't do well on either trip for kings though. We spent most of our time fishing "livies" (live herring) and you just couldn't keep the dogfish off. Most everyone fishes out by the lighthouse hole, it seems to have the best concentration of kings. My buddy and I spent more time on the second trip fishing for steelhead. We went up and caught several summer steelhead on the gold river, we also caught some fish on the heber river, now that is a cool little creek! While we were out fishing the salt though we did get into some killer bottom fishing for lings and caught several lings in the upper 20's. I truly don't plan to ever go back. I had spent the two junes prior up in sitka for a week each time. Now that is worth the money. 30-40 fish days on fish that are 25-35 lbs. and an occasional slab.. We guided ourselves up there though. We had stayed on Mertz Island and had access to our own boats.
keith

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Try this web site for more info.
www.campbellriver-fishing.com

[This message has been edited by scotty (edited 01-30-2001).]