Fishing in Tofino, BC

Tofino Fishing Charters

Mmmm... salmon!

Thanks to Jay Mohl for this great article about fishing in Tofino, BC

There are three types of fishing charters that you can hire in Tofino, BC:

1. Offshore Fishing for Salmon and Halibut
2. Nearshore Fly Fishing for Salmon
3. Inshore Fishing for Trout and Steelhead

Offshore Fishing

There are some very big fish around Tofino and Ucluelet. Generally speaking, if you want big salmon and halibut, expect to wake up early and expect to get seasick.

Many fishing charter companies take folks from Tofino's docks to find 40 pound spring salmon and 100 pound halibut. Expect to pay around $800 per day or more. Remember that the cheaper charter company isn't necessarily the first one you want to pick. Ask what size boat you'll be in, how many people you'll be fishing with, and how long the guides have been fishing in Tofino.

The offshore fishing can be picky, so make sure to ask the prospective company what the best time of year is to go for the big ones. Generally speaking, you'll have decent luck June through August.

Bring warm clothes and a big cooler.

Nearshore Flyfishing

Saltwater flyfishing in Tofino has gotten very popular in the last few years, which is a better alternative to offshore fishing for spring salmon and halibut if you have a tendency towards leaning over the boat (if you know what I mean).

Bucktailing (fishing with a fly but not casting) is one of the fastest growing sectors in BC's coastal fishing industry. Small boats drag flys with fly rods in shallow water behind the boat, creating the illusion of needlefish or other small baitfish. The fight is more fun on the light gear, and the fishing is generally more amusing when there is less fishing stuff to configure. There aren't any downriggers, flashers or canonballs to get in your way of having fun.

When the bite is on, coho salmon are notoriously hungry and aggressive. It's not uncommon for a school of coho to smash into your boat in search of smaller fish to eat. Doesn't really seem fair, does it?

Inshore Fishing

If you're looking for trout or steelhead in the Tofino area, head inland to the many rivers and lakes that are so remote that many don't even have names. You can easily find an entire lake or river all to yourself, and the best part is that you can expect to catch fish!

Trout Fishing

Trout in Clayoquot Sound and the Tofino area are usually found in cool, clear streams and lakes. If you're not sure what a trout is, you might want to stop reading. If you really need to know, trout have no spines on the fins, and all of them have a small adipose fin along the back, near the tail.

There may be many populations in Clayoquot Sound that are isolated from each other and morphologically different. Depending on your sources, cutthroat trout has 14 recognized subspecies, which gives you an idea of their adaptability.

The more common trout around these parts (and really the only one that you're likely to catch!) is the cutthroat trout. The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae) of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many trouts.

Cutthroat trout are native to western North America. Some populations will live in the Pacific Ocean as adults and return to fresh water to spawn in the spring. These sea-run cutthroat trouts are very sought after in Tofino's fly fishing recreation and industry.

Cutthroat are similar to rainbow trout and will readily interbreed. Cutthroat trout have greenish backs with black spots and red marks in the bottom of their jaws.

Fly fishing is really the only sporting way to catch these fish. When their's a bite on around Tofino, you'd have to be a chump not to land a few. FYI, Fly fishing was actually a distinctive method developed primarily for trout and now extended to other species.

Steelhead or Rainbow Trout

Most trout are restricted to fresh water, but many, like the steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) – which is the same species as the landlocked rainbow trout – spend their adult life in the ocean and then return to spawn in the streams in which they were hatched. This is called anadromous reproduction and is more often seen in salmon. Brook trout, Brown trout, Cutthroat trout, Bull trout, and Arctic char also have populations that run to salt water.

Trout generally feed on soft bodied aquatic invertebrates, such as Diptera, mayfly, caddis fly, and stonefly, although larger specimens of trout regularly feed on other fish.

As a group, trout are somewhat bony, but the flesh is generally considered good eating. Additionally, they provide a good fight when caught with a hook and line, and are sought after recreationally. Because of their popularity, trout are often raised on fish farms (YUCK!) and are often introduced into streams.

Tofino Fishing FAQs