Daily limits, minimum size and closures by DFO area · updated daily
Chinook — also called king, spring or, at 30 lb and over, tyee — is the largest and most prized of the Pacific salmon, and the most tightly managed. Most BC chinook fishing is trolling bait or hoochies deep along drop-offs and bait balls. Retention swings through the season between hatchery-marked-only, full retention and non-retention windows that protect at-risk stocks, and those windows differ by subarea and change in-season, so the limits and status below are the ones to read before you go.
45 closures affecting Chinook Salmon are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limit wherever the two overlap.
… and 35 more — see the area pages linked below.
| Area | Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 1,101 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 2 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 2,102,130,142 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 4 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 4,104 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 7 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 7,107 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 8 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 8,108 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 13 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 13 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 14 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 14-1 to 14-13 and 14-15 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 14-14 | 62cm | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Area 15 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 15 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 16 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 16 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 17 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17-1 to 17-4,17-8,17-10 to 17-12 and 17-21 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17-5 to 17-7,17-9 and 17-13 to 17-20 | 62cm | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Area 18 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 18-1 to 18-7 and 18-9 to 18-11 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 18-8 | 62cm | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Area 19 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-1,19-3 and 19-4 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-2 | — | 0 | Closed | |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-5 to 19-11 | 62cm | 2 | Open | |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-12 | 62cm | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Area 20 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 20-1 to 20-5 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 20-6 and 20-7 | 45cm | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Area 23 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 23,123 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 24 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 24,124 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 28 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 28 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Area 29 | Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 29-1 to 29-5 and 29-8 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 29-6,29-7 and 29-9 to 29-17 | — | 0 | Closed |
Read from DFO’s per-area recreational fishing pages and refreshed daily. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates, so this is a reading of DFO’s pages, not a substitute for them. Check the Fishery Notices for changes newer than the update dates, and always confirm on DFO before fishing.
Pick calm water first: see which areas are fishable tomorrow or this weekend, or open any fishing area for its live wind, waves, tides and hourly fishing score. The full rules for a place are on its area regulations page.