Salmon Fishing at Trailhead Lodge

Trailhead’s BC fishing lodge sits at Port Renfrew, on the west coast Vancouver Island, on the open Pacific Ocean and right at the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They all go right by our door. Big salmon heading to the Fraser River or the Columbia, or to Puget Sound.

Nothing beats sport salmon fishing on Vancouver Island with Trailhead Resort. WOW – silver bright Chinook (Kings) and Coho (Silver) salmon – they’re active feeding fish, hard hitting and lively fighters.

We are lucky with our own local runs as well – terrific San Juan and NitiNat Chinook and phenomenal San Juan Coho – all make for great beach and Swiftsure bank fishing days throughout the entire BC salmon fishing season.

Salmon Fishing on Vancouver Island’s Swiftsure Bank

We do a lot of salmon sport fishing out on the Swiftsure banks where fish migrate throughout the season to feed on the prolific schools of bait that congregate in the area. We target mature salmon who are taking on big stores of protein as they prepare for the big river run they are about to make.

But mixed in with these Chinook and Coho salmon are what we call feeders – 2, 3 and 4 year old fish that are just here to feed and grow and will make their river runs the following year.

These are nice Chinook salmon, bright and full of spunk. Lots of them are high teens and low twenty pounders, and great fighting and absolutely fantastic eating salmon.

Coho are there thick as thieves, sometimes making it impossible to get to the big Chinook below, but when they get some size to them are they ever fun to catch, action packed double and triple headers from start to finish.

B.C. Beach Salmon Fishing

Beach sport fishing for salmon is another story. All mature fish, not actively feeding but still when the bite comes on watch out, long screamer runs, wily fish turning and running straight at you, jumping and head shaking, epic battles won and sadly sometimes lost. It is always the big one that got away.

Salmon Fishing West Coast Style

At Trailhead Resort, we troll for Chinook and Coho salmon using:

• Down riggers and plugs, spoons, flashers and bait.
• Light 10.5’ long limber rods with both true BC coast salmon fishing mooching reels and level wind double action reels.
• 25 lb test quality monofilament line and multiple lures and baits depending on the fish of choice and what is working right then.

This is your BC salmon fishing adventure. Join in at what ever level you are comfortable with. Whether you want the guide to set up your fish and hand you the rod or you want to do it yourself, there is no problem either way.

If you want to help out with the rigging or learn how to do it yourself, that’s OK too. Talk it over with your guide and he will make it happen. We usually do the netting just so you don’t end up hating your best friend over a missed fish but that’s negotiable also.

We catch a lot of beautiful shiny salmon and you take a lot home. It’s fun and it takes skill. There are very few things that equal the heart-in-throat excitement of a big slab battling you with all his strength and the tricks, the fear and the anticipation you experience throughout this fight.

Come check it out, Vancouver Island saltwater salmon fishing, Trailhead Resort Port Renfrew style.