Coho Salmon Fishing in BC

Coho Salmon fishing in British Columbia

Coho, or silvers, are aggressive surface-oriented fighters that take a fast troll or a cast fly and build through late summer into fall. In much of BC only hatchery-marked coho (adipose fin clipped) may be kept while wild coho are released, and the marked/wild rule is one the tables below spell out per area.

Coho Salmon closures in effect today (September 16, 2026)

45 closures affecting Coho Salmon are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limit wherever the two overlap.

Area 2 — Mathers Creek (Aug 15 – Oct 31)
Area 7 — McLaughlin Bay (Jul 1 – Oct 31)
Area 8 — Namu River (year round)
Area 13 — Discovery Passage (year round)
Area 13 — Phillips Arm (year round)
Area 13 — Proposed Homayno Marine Refuge - Northern Portion (no end date given)
Area 13 — Salmon Bay (Jun 1 – Dec 31)
Area 13 — Village Bay (Jul 1 – Oct 31)
Area 13 — Proposed Homayno Marine Refuge - Southern portion (no end date given)
Area 14 — Area 14 - River Mouth Closures (Sep 1 – Nov 30)

… and 35 more — see the area pages linked below.

Coho Salmon limits and size by DFO area

Recreational tidal-water limits for Coho Salmon, by DFO Pacific area. An area can list more than one row where the rules split by species group or subarea — read the Species column so a 0 (non-retention) is never mistaken for the neighbouring row. Confirm on the DFO page before fishing.
Area	Species	Subareas	Min size	Daily limit	Status
Area 1	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	1,101	30cm	4	Open
Area 2	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	2,102,130,142	30cm	4	Open
Area 4	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	4,104	30cm	4	Open
Area 7	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	7,107	30cm	4	Open
Area 8	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	8,108	30cm	4	Open
Area 13	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	13	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 14	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	14-1 to 14-10,14-12,14-13 and 14-15	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	14-11,14-14	30cm	4 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 4 - Hatchery - marked; 2 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 15	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	15-1	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	15-2 to 15-6	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 16	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	16-1 to 16-4 and 16-6 to 16-22	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	16-5	30cm	4	Open
Area 17	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	17	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 18	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	18	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 19	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	19	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 20	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	20-1 and 20-3 to 20-7	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	20-2	30cm	4 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 4 - Hatchery - marked; 2 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 23	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	23-1 to 23-3	30cm	4 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 4 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	23-4 to 23-11	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	123	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 24	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	24	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	124	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 28	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	28	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Area 29	Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	29-1 to 29-5 and 29-8	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
	Coho 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.

Plan a Coho Salmon trip

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.

Coho Salmon fishing in British Columbia

Coho Salmon closures in effect today (September 16, 2026)

Coho Salmon limits and size by DFO area

Plan a Coho Salmon trip

Other species