4 Day Guided Salmon Fishing Trip In Port Renfrew
Private Trip
Offshore Fishing
Four days targeting Chinook, Coho, and halibut offshoreTwo guests per boat with professional guide includedLodging, meals, licensing, and fish processing provided
Picture this: four straight days of world-class salmon fishing in one of Vancouver Island's most productive waters, with a seasoned guide who knows every productive ledge, current break, and salmon highway around Port Renfrew. This top-rated fishing package puts you in the heart of some of British Columbia's best Chinook and Coho action, where the continental shelf drops off just minutes from the harbor and creates the perfect feeding zone for hungry salmon. You'll spend 32 hours total on the water targeting trophy-sized fish, stay in comfortable waterfront lodging steps from your boat, and have Chef Ian taking care of all your meals so you can focus entirely on fishing. With only two anglers per boat, you get personalized attention and prime fishing spots without the crowds that bigger operations deal with.
Your day starts early with coffee and a hearty breakfast before heading out to the fishing grounds. Port Renfrew sits right where the Juan de Fuca Strait meets the open Pacific, creating incredible upwelling and baitfish concentrations that draw salmon from miles around. The continental shelf here drops from 200 feet to over 1,000 feet within a short boat ride, giving you access to both nearshore structure fishing and deep-water trolling opportunities. Each morning, your captain reads the conditions and adjusts the game plan – maybe it's working the kelp beds for aggressive Coho, or heading to the deeper waters where the big Chinook cruise. With 8 hours on the water daily, you have time to work multiple spots and techniques without feeling rushed. The boats are equipped with downriggers, fish finders, and all the gear you need, plus your guide handles everything from rigging to net work so you can concentrate on fighting fish. When you hook into a 30-pound Chinook in 400 feet of water, you'll understand why anglers travel from across North America to fish these waters.
This is primarily a trolling operation, which is hands-down the most effective way to target salmon in these deep offshore waters. Your guide sets up a spread of downriggers running at different depths, typically from 80 feet down to 200+ feet depending on where the fish are showing on the sounder. The standard setup includes flashers and spoons, hoochies, or cut plug herring – all proven producers in Port Renfrew waters. You'll learn to read the downrigger rods for the subtle taps that signal a fish investigating your bait, then feel the rod load up when a salmon commits. The key here is covering water efficiently while maintaining the right speed and depth, something your experienced captain has dialed in after years of fishing these exact spots. When targeting halibut, the approach shifts to bottom fishing with heavy jigs or bait rigs near structure in 150-400 feet of water. All rods, reels, tackle, and terminal gear are provided, along with your BC tidal waters fishing license. Your guide handles the technical stuff like adjusting downrigger depths and changing lures based on conditions, but you're welcome to get involved and learn the finer points of West Coast salmon trolling.
The Chinook salmon here are the real draw – these are the legendary "King" salmon that can push 40+ pounds and provide fights you'll be talking about for years. Port Renfrew Chinook are known for their incredible size and strength, with the deep offshore waters producing some of the biggest salmon on the entire West Coast. Most fish range from 15-25 pounds, but 30+ pounders are caught regularly, especially during peak season from July through September. These fish feed heavily on herring, anchovies, and juvenile rockfish in the nutrient-rich waters where warm and cold currents mix. What makes Chinook so exciting to catch is their raw power – they make long, sustained runs and often jump multiple times, testing both your drag settings and your arms. The best fishing typically happens early morning and late afternoon when the fish move up in the water column to feed.
Coho salmon provide non-stop action and are absolute dynamite on the line. These acrobatic fighters rarely weigh more than 12 pounds, but they make up for size with pure athleticism and attitude. Coho love to jump, often clearing the water completely multiple times during a fight, and they're aggressive biters that will hit lures with authority. They're particularly active near kelp beds and structure in 60-120 feet of water, and your guide knows exactly where to find the schools. The Coho run peaks from August into October, with September often producing incredible numbers of bright, chrome-sided fish fresh from the ocean. What anglers love about Coho is their willingness to bite and their spectacular aerial displays – it's not uncommon to have double hookups where both anglers are fighting jumping fish simultaneously.
While the focus is primarily salmon, you'll also target Pacific halibut when conditions are right. These flatfish can reach impressive sizes in Port Renfrew waters, with fish over 100 pounds caught each season, though most range from 20-60 pounds. Halibut fishing adds variety to your trip and puts some excellent eating fish in the cooler. They're typically found on sandy bottoms near rocky structure in 150-400 feet of water, and they hit heavy jigs or large bait rigs fished right on the bottom. The fight is different from salmon – more of a bulldogging, head-shaking battle than the long runs and jumps you get with kings and Coho. Your captain knows the productive halibut spots and will work them when salmon fishing slows down.
This customer favorite fishing package delivers everything serious salmon anglers want – productive waters, experienced guides, comfortable accommodations, and the kind of personalized service you only get with smaller operations. With all meals handled by Chef Ian, airport transfers included, and your catch professionally processed and packed for travel, you can focus
Our fully equipped motorboat puts you right where the salmon are running thick in Port Renfrew's productive waters. Built for serious fishing with a dependable outboard engine, she handles the offshore swells like a champ while you target monster Chinook and feisty Coho. The spacious deck gives you plenty of room to fight fish without getting tangled up, and modern electronics help us locate schools and structure where the big halibut hang out. Safety gear and fish-finding tech come standard, so you can focus on what matters – getting your lines tight and landing fish. Perfect for two anglers who want their own space to work the water without feeling crowded. When the salmon are feeding and the action heats up, you'll appreciate having a solid platform under your feet.
Oncorhynchus TshawytschaKings are the heavyweights here in Port Renfrew waters, running 15-30+ pounds with that classic silver body and black-spotted fins. These fish stay deep most of the day since they're light-sensitive, so we'll run downriggers and heavy tackle to get your bait down where they're holding. Summer through early fall gives us the best action when they're feeding hard before their spawning run. What makes Chinooks special is that bulldogging fight - no flashy jumps, just pure power trying to strip line. The meat is rich and oily, perfect for the barbecue. Here's a local trick: when we're trolling herring, I like to add a small bend to the bait's back to give it that wounded roll that drives these kings crazy.
Oncorhynchus KisutchCohos are the acrobats of the salmon world, typically running 8-12 pounds with bright silver sides and that distinctive white mouth. Unlike their bigger Chinook cousins, these fish love to jump - sometimes clearing 6 feet when hooked. We find them in the upper water column, often near baitfish schools or kelp beds. Late summer into fall is prime time when they're aggressive and feeding heavily before heading to spawn. What guests love about Cohos is that aerial show and solid fight on lighter tackle. The orange-red meat has a clean, mild flavor that's hard to beat. My go-to tip for landing more silvers: when you see one jump, don't horse it - keep steady pressure and let your drag do the work, or that hook will pull right out of their soft mouths.
Oncorhynchus NerkaSockeyes are smaller than Kings and Cohos, averaging 4-8 pounds, but don't let size fool you - they're scrappy fighters with deep red meat that's prized by chefs. These fish have a blue-green back with silver sides and no black spots like other salmon. They travel in schools and feed primarily on plankton, making them trickier to target than other species. When we do encounter them, it's usually during their migration periods in late spring through summer. The challenge is what makes sockeye fishing rewarding - they're selective feeders. The payoff is that rich, oily flesh with intense flavor. Since they feed near the surface on small organisms, I'll often switch to smaller lures and lighter presentations when we mark schools on the sounder.
Port Renfrew