Campbell River cheat sheet
Every run, the licence and the in-season limits, the methods and the box of tackle. One page to take to the water.
Campbell River
Chinook July to September (the Tyee run), coho August to October, pinks in cyclic-year late summer, chum in autumn. DFO sets chinook retention in-season, so check the current Area 13 notice.
Licence
The federal DFO Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence (NOT the provincial BC freshwater one), plus the Salmon Conservation Stamp if you will keep salmon. Bought online at the DFO NRLS in 1-day, 3-day, 5-day and annual terms; confirm the term fee and stamp cost in the NRLS. Carry it while you fish.
The rules
DFO sets the Area 13 chinook limit and size in-season, so check the current notice the day you fish. Illustration only: an 80 cm maximum in the mid-summer window easing to 2/day with a 62 cm minimum from 1 September, a coastwide annual limit of 10 chinook, and non-retention (0/day) windows at other times. Barbless hooks are the law, and record every chinook you keep at once.
Release / handle with care
Non-retention windows apply for stocks of concern, so you fish and release; handle and revive each fish in the water. Rockfish and halibut have their own DFO rules and Rockfish Conservation Areas. Clean your kit between waters.
Bank vs boat · season · time → rig
| Fish | From shore (pier) | From a boat | Best tide / time | Method / rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook (king) / Tyee | Limited, some from the pier | Yes, the proper way | Tide changes; early and late in the day | Trolling rig (flasher-and-hoochie / cut-plug on a downrigger); mooching a cut-plug |
| Coho (silver) | Yes, cast from the pier | Yes, the best water | Tide changes; first and last light | Trolling rig (flasher-and-hoochie / spoon), or cast spoon / buzz-bomb |
| Pink | Yes, good from the pier in cyclic years | Yes | Through the run in a cyclic year | Small pink hoochie / spoon, cast or trolled |
| Chum | Some from the pier in autumn | Yes | Autumn, on the tide | Trolling rig (flasher-and-hoochie); mooching a cut-plug |
| Halibut / lingcod / rockfish | No | Yes, offshore over reef | Slack and the turn of the tide | Jigging rig and bottom bait (charter-supplied) |
No boat is a Discovery Pier trip for coho and pinks (and a chance at a chinook) on a cast spoon or buzz-bomb. A boat or charter adds the troll and the mooch for the big chinook and the Tyee, and a bottom-fishing leg for halibut and lingcod.
The rigs
Main line → downrigger release → flasher → hoochie or cut-plug herring at the fish's depth on the tide, for chinook, coho, pink and chum
Palomar · snell (cut-plug)Short stout leader → a baitfish or flesh streamer on a non-slip loop, swung or stripped for coho, for the fly-minded visitor
Non-slip loopHeavy braid → FG-knot leader → a 100 – 300 g metal jig with assist hooks dropped to the bottom over reef, for halibut, lingcod and rockfish
FG knot · PalomarWhat you need
A charter supplies the boat rods, downriggers, flashers and cut-plug bait, so your own kit is really the pier kit: a medium salmon spinning outfit (4000 – 5000 reel, strong line, fluoro leader), spoons and buzz-bombs, and barbless hooks.
The knots
| Knot | Ties | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Palomar | A strong, simple join at the flasher, spoon, buzz-bomb and jig ring. | Trolling / spinning / jig terminal |
| Snell knot | A snelled hook for the cut-plug and the bottom bait rig. | Cut-plug and bottom bait hook |
| Non-slip loop | A fixed loop so a swung streamer or casting lure moves freely. | Streamers and casting lures |
Learn the Palomar and the snell first. Wet every knot before you pull it tight. The braid-to-leader join on a spinning or jigging outfit uses the FG knot; each rig page links the knots it needs.
This one page is the printable I take to the water.
Give me an email and I will show it to you, ready to print. A one-page reference: what's on by month, the licence and rules, a rig for every fish, the shared tackle box and the knots.
I'll send you the cheat sheet, and email you when I add a new place to fish. Nothing else.