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Fishing near Nanaimo, BC

23 curated fishing spots within 45 km of Nanaimo, what's biting in October, the rig to tie and the licence you need. For today's best tide and weather window, open the live plan.

Spots

• Maffeo Sutton Park / Swy-a-lana pier

  Shore · 1 km

  Public pier over 15–30 ft mud and sand; pilings hold perch.

• Jack Point / Nanaimo River estuary

  Shore · 3 km

  Gravel beaches, eelgrass flats and the river mouth drop-off.

• Brechin Point boat ramp

  Boat · 3 km

  Public ramp for Departure Bay, Snake Island and Five Finger

• Jesse Island / Departure Bay

  Boat · 5 km

  Rock wall off the island dropping to 90 ft; bait holds on the Newcastle Channel tide line.

• Westwood Lake

  Shore · 5 km

  Small deep lake with a walking trail and docks

• Snake Island

  Boat · 7 km

  Steep drop-off to 200 ft on the east side; bait stacks on the tide line.

• Five Finger Island / Hudson Rocks

  Boat · 7 km

  Reef complex and pinnacles 40–120 ft with strong eddies on the ebb.

• Pipers Lagoon / Page Point

  Shore · 7 km

  Rock ledges and kelp on the outside of the spit; eelgrass and mud inside the lagoon.

• Neck Point Park

  Shore · 8 km

  Rocky points with kelp beds dropping to 30–60 ft on the north side; gravel coves between.

• Dodd Narrows

  Boat · 9 km

  Narrow pass with 8 kt currents; rock walls and back-eddies on both sides.

• Entrance Island

  Boat · 11 km

  Rocky lighthouse island with a 100–250 ft shelf; current seam on the north side.

• Lantzville / Sebastion Beach

  Shore · 14 km

  Sand and gravel flats with eelgrass; shallow

• Quennell Lake

  Boat · 14 km

  Shallow weedy lake with many arms

• Nanoose Bay / Maude Island

  Boat · 17 km

  Rock reefs around Maude and Southey Islands 30–100 ft; mud and eelgrass bay for crab.

• Yellow Point / Kulleet Bay

  Boat · 20 km

  Rock reefs 30–90 ft off the point; mud bottom in Ladysmith Harbour for crab.

• Thrasher Rock / Gabriola Reefs

  Boat · 20 km

  Gravel and sand banks 120–250 ft off the reef, exposed to the Strait.

• Transfer Beach, Ladysmith

  Shore · 21 km

  Sand beach and harbour mud 10–40 ft

• Rathtrevor Beach

  Shore · 29 km

  Huge sand flat; 1 km of beach at low tide

• French Creek / Parksville flats

  Boat · 36 km

  Broad sand and gravel flats 60–150 ft with a tide line off the creek mouth.

• French Creek Harbour ramp

  Boat · 36 km

  Ramp for the Parksville flats, Ballenas Islands and the Strait

• Porpoise Bay / Sechelt Inlet

  Boat · 38 km

  Deep inlet, rock walls 200–400 ft; mud heads

• Gibsons government wharf

  Shore · 41 km

  Wharf over 20–40 ft in Gibsons Harbour

• Cowichan Lake, Honeymoon Bay

  Boat · 42 km

  Large deep lake; creek mouths and rocky points

What's biting in October

• Cabezon
• Lingcod
• Kelp greenling
• Coho salmon
• Chum salmon
• Sea-run cutthroat
• Surfperch (pile, striped, redtail)
• Flounder / sole
• Dungeness crab
• Clams (manila, littleneck, butter, cockle, varnish)
• Geoduck and horse clam
• Pacific oyster
• Mussels (blue, California)
• Scallops (rock, pink/spiny, weathervane)
• Sea urchin (red, green, purple)
• Sea cucumber
• Octopus
• Squid
• Goose barnacles
• Giant barnacles
• Limpets
• Sand dollar
• Sea star
• Abalone
• Moon snail and whelks
• Rainbow trout / steelhead
• Yellow perch

Rig to tie

Rig library ↗

Jig and grub

Rig 1Rig 2

1. 1Main line 20–30 lb braid
2. 2Swivel Size 4 barrel swivel
3. 3Leader 20 lb fluorocarbon, 60 cm
4. 4Jig head 1–2 oz round head, 3/0 hook (1/2–1 oz for greenling)
5. 5Soft plastic 4–5 in curl tail or paddle tail, dark, motor oil or white

How to tie and fish it

Tie it:Tie braid to swivel with a Palomar. Tie leader to swivel and to the jig head with an improved clinch. Thread the plastic straight so it does not spin.

Fish it:Cast to the kelp edge or boulder seam, let it hit bottom, lift 30 cm and drop. Hits come on the drop. Set hard and lift the fish off the rocks immediately.

Licences and rules

Fishing licences across Canada

Questions

Where can I fish near Nanaimo?

CastWhen lists 23 curated spots within 45 km of Nanaimo, including Maffeo Sutton Park / Swy-a-lana pier, Jack Point / Nanaimo River estuary, Brechin Point boat ramp.

What is biting near Nanaimo in October?

In October the in-season species at nearby spots include Cabezon, Lingcod, Kelp greenling, Coho salmon, Chum salmon.

Do I need a fishing licence near Nanaimo?

Yes. Tidal waters need a federal DFO tidal licence and fresh water needs a provincial licence. See the CastWhen licences page for direct links.