Winter months here on BC’s south coast offer some great fishing, even if it’s not the time of year most people think of when it comes to a Vancouver fishing trip! December, January and February always offer solid saltwater salmon fishing charters for chinook salmon in local waters. The river fishing report focuses on fly fishing rivers near Vancouver for wild bull trout. There can even be some good sturgeon fishing in the Winter months, conditions dependent of course. On this page you’ll find more information and a detailed Vancouver fishing report for the Winter season. If you’re looking for a Vancouver fishing trip in anytime from December to February best to drop us a note and see what current conditions are, we’ll be happy to give you an updated winter fishing report.
DECEMBER
WINTER FISHING IN VANCOUVER
December is when most people are thinking about putting up the Christmas lights, but here on BC’s south coast we are thinking about lighting up a few Winter chinook salmon and some big coastal bull trout. Generally, the Vancouver area enjoys much milder climates than the rest of British Columbia, so we do have year-round saltwater and freshwater fishing. BC’s south coast but generally we have milder temperatures and lots of wetter weather, not so much snow. Weather does play the biggest factor when it comes to Winter fishing in Vancouver. Warmer Winter temps will allows make for better fishing conditions. Really cold weather, which isn’t something we get a lot of, does slow fishing down. If you’re interested in a December fishing experience in Vancouver, you’ll want to look at our Winter salmon charters or our bull trout river fishing trips.
- Good Winter chinook fishing on our saltwater charters.
- Options to go crab and prawn fishing too, which is always fun.
- Good bull trout fishing on our Squamish River guided trips.
- Sturgeon fishing is not available in December.
JANUARY
WINTER FISHING IN VANCOUVER
January can be a bit of a challenging month for fishing in Vancouver. It is when we see our overall coldest temperatures of the year, which has an effect on local angling. Now, that’s not to say there isn’t some solid opportunities to get out and get your line wet. The best fishing is on a salmon charter, you’ll have the opportunity to fish for Winter chinook salmon and dropping traps for crabs and prawns is also on the agenda. River fishing is hit-or-miss, very dependent on the right conditions. When conditions are right we can have some good January fishing for bull trout on the Squamish River. Although it’s not prime season, from a guiding perspective it is one of the most enjoyable times of year to be on the water. If people are coming fishing in Vancouver with us in January it’s usually because they really love it, which makes for fun trips despite the fish cooperating or not.
- Best fishing is on our Winter salmon charters.
- Great time to drop crab & prawn traps.
- Variable success on Winter fly fishing trips for bull trout.
- Weather plays a big part in river and fishing conditions.
FEBRUARY
WINTER FISHING IN VANCOUVER
February can bring a mix of weather and fishing conditions. It can be an interesting month as we transition from the BC Winter into the Spring. Over the period of February average daytime temperatures will fluctuate, cold in the early month, warming as we move towards March. Like January, if we have really cold weather fishing will be more challenging. If we have warmer weather fishing on the ocean and rivers will be significantly better. Saltwater salmon fishing usually consistent throughout February as is Winter fly fishing for Bull Trout. By mid February you’ll find the first push of Winter steelhead entering the Cheakamus River in Squamish. Weather dependent, we sometimes see some good early season Fraser River sturgeon fishing.
- Winter salmon fishing for chinooks is good.
- Prawn and crab fishing on our Winter charters.
- Welcome the first push of steelhead in local rivers.
- Sturgeon fishing season starts on the Fraser River.