Kyuquot Fishing Report

Find out what’s working and what’s not when fishing in the Kyuquot area on Northern Vancouver Island. Fishing tips, best practices, places, and the go-to lures are just a sample of what you’ll find in our fishing report.

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Kyuquot Marine Weather Forecast

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Kyuquot Fishing Report

Kyuquot Fishing Regulations Area 26/126

Kyuquot Winter 2025 Fishing Report

Winter Chinook fishing is great sport in Kyuquot especially on the inside waters of the inlets.  Winter Chinook are known as “feeder fish” because they’re younger and focused on food rather than migration up the rivers.  Chinook will be located in the deeper waters from 100 to 250 ft.  They’re omnivores so all types of lures with flashers while work well.  If you’re fishing deeper try lures with a glow element.  Needlefish or sand lance is an excellent bait for Chinook.  Because Winter Chinook are verocious feeders observing the feed fish in their stomach contents is your best clue for what bait fish to use.  Other than needlefish, you can try anchovies, lantern fish, or squid based on your observations.  Look for feed balls on your sounder and work your speed to an advantage. If you’re not catching at a slower speed, then experient and adjust for a slightly faster speed.  With hoochies you can try 36 inches for your leader length.

Bottom fishing is open in the winter with 1 halibut in possession and daily limit of 2 for Lingcod but always check the regulations for changes.  A strong vertical movement with your lure will trigger a cod or halibut’s attention.  Some good gear to try are mud rakers, large Zingers,  or any jig with a hook on the top.  In the winter the tides are moving faster and your boat will drift more too.  The top hook avoids snags.  The secret for great bottom fishing is find areas with ideal habitat.  Underwater pinnacles and massive rock structures make for great habitat but can also be hard on gear.  Learn the terrain and fish around the perimeters to find Lingcod that like dark, rocky lairs.  Lingcod don’t have a swim bladder to regulate their depth so they like to hunt along a rock ledge for other bottom fish.  Halibut like a flatter gravel bottom.  When you find a place with great fishing, be sure to make a note of its location for your next fishing adventure.

Don’t forget to set your prawn trap on the way out with your fish scraps.  Kyuquot is a great prawn fishing location.  Find a spot about 300 to 325 ft to set your traps and enjoy a great feed of prawns for dinner!

Written by Skip Plensky, Sea Otter Lodge

Skip Plensky
www.seaotterlodgebc.com
Kyuquot, BC

Skip’s cell: 250-702-7690

September 2025 Kyuquot Fishing Report

Throughout the fall, Lookout Island delivers consistent action, especially during tide changes when the bite is red hot. Chinook are beginning upriver migration and have increased in size.

Strong numbers of coho are now present all over Kyuquot, wherever feed is located. Both trolling and casting near kelp beds are effective strategies for coho.

Bottom fishing remains productive into the fall and continues well into the winter months. Halibut are caught consistently on deeper ledges and gravel bottoms, while lingcod and various rockfish species are active around reefs and rocky structures. These fisheries remain strong until annual closures come into effect in late winter.

As fall progresses and the salmon journey upstream, trade in your cannonballs for lighter tackle and head to the rivers. Whether you prefer fly rods or spinning gear, both are well-suited for casting into the clear, fast-moving waters of the Artlish, Tahsish-Kwois, and Kauwinch Rivers, where Chinook and coho salmon stage and move upstream in large numbers. Pink salmon move upstream early in autumn, peaking by early September.

The Kyuquot rivers offer rewarding experiences for anglers who enjoy active hiking and a scenic approach to fishing. If river angling is your passion, Kyuquot Sound provides countless opportunities to explore remote rivers filled with abundant wildlife. From drifting beads and casting spoons to swinging streamers, the diversity of techniques makes for engaging angling.

Autumn weather is a big consideration in Kyuquot. A large weather system that dumps great quantities of rain is a signal to the salmon that it’s time to run up the rivers. September can be a beautiful weather month in Kyuquot with few visitors in the region, creating solitary opportunities for fishing. By October, most Kyuquot lodges will be near 80% full for the 2026 season, so get your reservations in now for next year.

Written by Skip Plensky, Sea Otter Lodge

Skip Plensky
www.seaotterlodgebc.com
Kyuquot, BC

Skip’s cell: 250-702-7690

August 2025 Fishing Report

August is perhaps everyone’s favourite fishing time in Kyuquot—coho have arrived in large numbers. This great eating fish puts on a fantastic show when reeling. Coho love to run and circle the boat. A light rod such as Westcoast Fishing Tackle’s SWS rod sold by The Harbour Chandler is great for coho, along with jigging bottom fish. This graphite rod weighing under 6 oz is super light and strong. You’ll feel the coho fight your line, making your fishing experience highly dramatic.

Select some tackle that’ll make this rod even more fun. The Gibbs Skinny G and Wee G are super effective, as salmon are eating needlefish bait in August. The Gibbs Big Eye Spoon is always reliable tackle. For fishing amongst the kelp beds, use the Gibbs Minnow for casting. For dropping into balls of bait feed, try the Gibbs Mac Fish. A long-time favourite tackle we like is the Kingfisher Spoon in various colour patterns. Squid, which the spring salmon love to eat, are also in Kyuquot by August.

Jigging for squid to use as live bait is quite effective. Tackle that imitates squid works very well, too. A 4.5″ Gibbs Cuttlefish hoochie attracts springs. A bigger 6″ Westcoast Turd hoochie is best for imitating the live actions of squid offshore where bigger springs feed. Troll deep and you never know what you might catch. Halibut love this hoochie too.

The Kyuquot Reef in August produces great amounts of lingcod on the troll. We love trolling along the bottom with the Savage Gear 3D Burbot Golden Ambulance, available at The Harbour Chandler. Troll in areas with flat bottom and avoid reefs to avoid losing gear such as cannonballs. These days, anything lead is expensive to replace.

Now is the time to book for 2026. If you wait until the fall, you’ll find that Kyuquot lodges are close to fully booked. There is limited accommodation space in Kyuquot, making access to these fishing grounds very desirable. It’s worth it, though: limiting out on all species is a common experience in Kyuquot.

Written by Skip Plensky, Sea Otter Lodge

Skip Plensky
www.seaotterlodgebc.com
Kyuquot, BC

Skip’s cell: 250-702-7690

July 2025 Fishing Report Kyuquot

Chinook have arrived and coho will follow later in August. The numbers of fish pick up as all species come closer to shore to prey on bait fish amongst rocks, pinnacles, and along Kyuquot Reef. Baitfish nestle in Kyuquot to feed all summer, bringing salmon, cod, and halibut near Kyuquot Village.

Good weather comes with westerly winds, so watch the weather reports. Mornings tend to be better, as westerly winds pick up mid-afternoons. Evenings can also be a calm time.

On July 15, inshore fishing closes inside the inlets, Rugged Point, and Union Island White Cliffs. This still leaves plenty of excellent fishing grounds open all summer. Spring Island, Thorton Island, and Grassy Island are consistently great fishing spots. The offshore fishery, 10 miles out at Kyuquot Reef, is always good.

Kyuquot Reef is super productive with salmon and great bottom fishing. Cod fishing is best in shallower parts of the reef. Halibut will feed on the rock piles and then move out into the deeper water on the edges where they congregate. Use your depth sounder or chart plotter to follow contours and find the balls of bait fish.

Classic tackle (spoons, hoochies, and bait) all work well for our salmon. A classic Buzz Bomb or a Buzz Bomb Zinger Anchovy
are good dual-purpose tackle for cod and salmon in shallow rock piles where bait accumulates. Drop jigs are ideal for all bottom fishing, and large ones work best for local halibut. This summer we’re using Berkley PowerBait and Delta Power Paddle” “drop jigs for ground fish. A scent can be added as an attractant, but it’s typically not necessary. When using bait, jig it on a spreader bar. Herring or octopus will provide a natural scent to attract ground fish with. Our location is excellent because the fish are plentiful and the people are few.

Remote boat-only access means that the few places for accommodation always limit the number of anglers in the area. It’s wise to plan now for your 2026 fishing season in Kyuquot.

Written by Skip Plensky, Sea Otter Lodge

Skip Plensky
www.seaotterlodgebc.com
Kyuquot, BC

Skip’s cell: 250-702-7690

June 2025 Kyuquot Fishing Report

Long-time readers of Island Fisherman magazine might remember Sea Otter Lodge from about 8 years ago, when we first wrote the Kyuquot Area Reports. We’re pleased to return as reporters once again. Sea Otter Lodge is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the remote community of Kyuquot. Our family has lived in Kyuquot since the early 1960s—we’re loggers and fishermen. In the winter, we manage a woodlot in Kyuquot, and we’ve worked in both the commercial and sports fisheries. Since 2005, we’ve welcomed guests for unique adventure and fishing holidays. Although Kyuquot is off the beaten path, the journey is well worth it—the fish are plentiful and the people are few.

Kyuquot is also famous for being part of the ‘Super Salmon Highway’. The continental reef that runs along the entire west coast of Vancouver Island comes closest to shore right here in Kyuquot Sound. That means some of the very best fishing grounds in British Columbia are just minutes from the village. To the north of Kyuquot lies Brooks Peninsula, a massive land outcropping that acts as a natural fish trap. Salmon, cod, and halibut come in from the deep cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, hit the shallow bait-rich continental reef, and run along the reef like a highway straight into Kyuquot Sound. Once here, they don’t leave Kyuquot because the massive Brooks Peninsula blocks further travel. Cod, halibut, and salmon stay all summer in the rocks, reefs, and gravel shoals that teem with bait fish. The natural currents in Kyuquot also provide ideal feeding and resting zones, encouraging the fish in the area to stay longer, eager to feed and bite hooks. As a result, anglers here often reach their daily limits.

June is a great fishing month in Kyuquot. The weather is generally stable, and the inside waters down the inlets near Rugged Point and White Cliffs at Union Island are all open. Chinook have arrived, making Grassy Island, Thorton Island, Spring Island, and the Kyuquot Reef exciting fishing spots. Other great June fisheries are cod, halibut, and prawns.

Some new gear we’re trying this June is based on recommendations by Dane Christensen from The Harbour Chandler. For salmon, we’re using Silver Horde Trash Can spoons, spoons by Michigan Stinger, HC Custom Raspberry Gold flashers, and Yellow Green Mist Big Shooter Flashers by Oki. For lingcod, we’re eager to try Gibbs Paddle Tails, Lighthouse Mega Bites, and Lighthouse Max Shads. Dane’s favourites are usually a good tackle bet. Lingcod is our favourite fish to eat, so we’re hoping to catch lots.

Two exciting events this year in Kyuquot are Kayak Fish Kyuquot and the Women’s Fishing Derby. Sea Otter Lodge is the first lodge in British Columbia to offer all-inclusive kayak fishing holidays. We are kick-starting our kayak fishing program with a big event that will bring professional kayak anglers from all over North America to Kyuquot. Rugged Point Lodge is hosting its 6th annual Women’s Derby from June 20–23, 2025. This year’s theme is the Wild West—so bring your best cowgirl gear and giddy-up to Kyuquot to catch big fish. The derby is hugely popular, so if you’d like to participate in 2026, give Rugged Point Lodge a call soon to book your spot for next year!

Written by Skip Plensky, Sea Otter Lodge

Skip Plensky
www.seaotterlodgebc.com
Kyuquot, BC

Skip’s cell: 250-702-7690