Fishing spots in Vancouver Island, British Columbia

This directory lists named lakes and rivers across British Columbia by tourism region, from Vancouver Island and the Coast Mountains to the Thompson Okanagan plateau lakes, the Kootenays, the Cariboo Chilcotin and the north. Names and locations come from the provincial geographical names database, so most entries tell you where the water is rather than what lives in it. A species appears only where an angler has reported it, so an empty list means nobody has told us yet, not that the water is empty.

Anglers 16 and older need a BC freshwater fishing licence, and barbed hooks are banned in every river, stream and creek in the province. Quotas, bait bans and closures are set lake by lake in the regional synopsis, so read the BC fishing licence and rules guide before you go. To see whether a lake sits in a park, a recreation site or open Crown land, find it on the map, and check the Crown land camping rules if you plan to stay the night.

Tidal waters need a federal licence from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which also sets salmon openings, and national parks need a Parks Canada fishing permit instead of a BC licence.