Fishing in British Columbia
7 regions · 497 verified fishing spots · 37+ species
British Columbia has over 20,000 lakes and thousands of kilometres of spectacular Pacific coastline. The province offers world-class salmon fishing — chinook, coho, sockeye, pink, and chum — in coastal rivers like the Skeena, Dean, and Fraser Rivers. Interior lakes including Kootenay, Okanagan, and Shuswap provide excellent rainbow trout, kokanee, and burbot fishing, while the remote lakes of northern BC offer trophy lake trout and Arctic grayling in pristine wilderness settings.
Fishing Regulations
- Barbed hooks are ILLEGAL in any river, stream, creek or slough in BC (barbless mandatory there all year). Barbed hooks permitted in lakes unless the water table says otherwise. Region 1 streams: single barbless hook all year.
7 species limits are shown per spot in the CatchTales app.
Pick a region below to explore its fishing spots.
Haida Gwaii & the North Coast
Langara Island, Masset & Graham Island, Prince Rupert Area, Skeena River Mouth
40 spots
Vancouver Island
Campbell River, Port Alberni, Sooke, Victoria Harbour & Area
118 spots
Cariboo & Chilcotin
Horsefly River, Quesnel Lake, Quesnel River, Chilko Lake
65 spots
Kootenays
Kootenay Lake, Elk River, Columbia River, Kootenay River
36 spots
Lower Mainland & Vancouver
Fraser River, Howe Sound, Capilano Reservoir, Seymour River
89 spots
Skeena & North Central BC
Skeena River, Babine Lake, Bulkley River, Kitimat River
66 spots
Thompson & Okanagan
Thompson River, Okanagan Lake, Kalamalka Lake, Skaha Lake
83 spots
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