Saltwater Shore Fishing around Vancouver

Q: Just curious if you know a list of areas for saltwater shore fishing around Vancouver. We have been having a hard time finding areas where we were aloud to fish.

Alyssa

A: Hi Alyssa, thank you for your question.

Unlike freshwater fisheries around Vancouver, shore accessed saltwater fishing opportunities are unfortunately not as available for a couple of reasons. The two main reasons are the lack of public access and the decline of groundfish populations.

There are several species that you can target throughout the year, except winter months when fishing tends to be slower and closures are in effect for some species. The main species that you can target are Pacific herring, perch (striped perch, pile perch, shiner perch), groundfish (English sole, starry flounder, kelp and White spotted greenling, rockfish and lingcod) and spiny dogfish. All these species can be caught from shore.

One important note is that rockfish and lingcod are usually closed with some openings available in the summer months, so it is best to check the regulations if you intend to target them.

For shore accessed spots, there are several options. These include:

• The pier in front of 15053 Marine Drive in White Rock (for perch and other groundfish)
• The pier in front of Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver (for perch and other groundfish)
• Ambleside Pier in North Vancouver (for perch and other groundfish)
• Ambleside Beach and Capilano River mouth in North Vancouver (for chinook, coho and pink salmon between July and September)
• Mouth of Seymour River (for salmon between July and September)
• The beach just north of Furry Creek in Howe Sound (for groundfish, and salmon in July and August)
• The beaches at Cates Park in Deep Cove (for groundfish, and pink salmon in July and August)

You should also note the rockfish conservation areas that have been designated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. These areas are closed for all types of fishing.

Other shore fishing options, although not exactly saltwater, are the beaches and piers along the Tidal Fraser River. Most species that you will encounter in the Tidal Fraser River are salmon, trout, sturgeon and other freshwater coarse fish, but if you are fishing close to the Fraser River mouth, you will catch the odd flounder, sole and perch.

I hope this information helps! Shore fishing in saltwater is generally slow in the winter months due to the colder water, but it can be very enjoyable from late spring to early fall. Good luck!

Rodney Hsu
Webmaster of Fishing with Rod and Public Advisor of Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC