Ucluelet, just thirty minutes south of Tofino on Vancouver Island, is a fishing hotspot for Chinook salmon and halibut. In fact, the history of fishing in Ucluelet goes back thousands of years. Ucluelet is one fishing spot on the west coast that has not seen a decline in limits for fish like other places around British Columbia. In the last few years the fishing seems to be getting better every year. The sport seems to run in the veins of the town and, more importantly, in the blood of the fishing guides. Ucluelet makes great fishing surprisingly accessible, as the town is located at the end of a stunning drive – there are no boats or float planes required to reach some of the best salmon fishing in British Columbia!
The waters of Ucluelet have two river resources feeding into it, which means double the amount of salmon compared to anywhere else. With plenty of bait to be found and numerous areas to fish, the Chinook and Coho stick around for long periods of time in order to eat their fill. Not only can you go salmon fishing, but halibut and lingcod are also caught in great numbers in Barkley Sound, Ucluelet’s fishing grounds. There are fewer charters in Ucluelet than in Tofino, which means less traffic in all the best spots. Ucluelet is known to be a steady producer of the sought after Tyee salmon (Chinook salmon over 30lbs) too – landing one of those is guaranteed to fill your freezer with fish for the whole winter! While out on the boat keep an eye out for whales, as you often see gray whales and humpback whales on the horizon!
As a bonus, the areas you can fish outside of Ucluelet also offer some sheltered spots, meaning even those prone to seasickness can find refuge from the swell and try their hand at catching some salmon or halibut. More so than its neighbour, Tofino, Ucluelet is the ultimate salmon fishing destination for longer trips designed to fill your freezer with the bounty of the sea. Having a salmon BBQ or dinner with fish you caught yourself is the ultimate, British Columbia experience.
The fishing is very good all summer for both salmon and halibut and some of the recommended times for fishing are:
- March and April: smaller chinook and some halibut starting to show in Ucluelet
- May – August for Halibut
- June -September: large amounts of chinook (Kings). Coho start showing around July 1 and last to near the end of September.
- July 15 – August 31: larger chinook (Kings)
If you wanted to fish inshore instead of travelling way offshore, the coho fishing is very good from Mid-July up into late September. It is not hard to get your limit of Coho at most times in the day. You can also fish Chinook inshore as well, though seasons seem to vary.
For fishing charters check out Salmon Eye Charters Ucluelet
For options on charters check out Ucluelet Fishing Charters – Ucluelet-Info.com
For local information on Fishing in Ucluelet check out FishingUcluelet.ca