🎣 Fishing Conditions
📍 No location🌊 Current Conditions
📅 7-Day Forecast
📊 Historical Data
Horseshoe Bay fishing & marine conditions
Horseshoe Bay sits at the south-western corner of Howe Sound, tucked behind a point at the entrance to the sound. It is the mainland ferry hub for the Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island and Nanaimo, and the bay itself is small and sheltered while the water immediately outside is open Howe Sound.
What runs here, and when
The surrounding waters of Howe Sound hold resident winter chinook through the colder months, with migratory chinook in summer and coho later in the season. Prawn and crab are taken in the sound, subject to the seasonal openings and area closures that change through the year.
Local hazards
Ferry traffic is intense and continuous - three routes operate from this small bay, and the approaches must be kept clear. Outflow winds from Howe Sound funnel south past the bay in cold weather and can be strong just outside the shelter of the point. The transition from sheltered bay to open sound happens within a very short distance.
Tides, current and sea state
Tidal heights follow the general Lower Mainland pattern, and the nearby Point Atkinson station is the standard reference for this water. The more important local variable is wind rather than current: a northerly outflow running down Howe Sound produces a steep sea just outside the bay while the bay itself stays calm.
Live data on this page
Conditions above are for 49.373°N, 123.276°W. Wind, wave and pressure data come from Open-Meteo and refresh every three hours; tide predictions come from the Canadian Hydrographic Service station 07795. The fishing score combines wind, wave height, barometric trend, moon phase, tide movement and time of day.
Marine forecast & warnings
Horseshoe Bay lies in Environment and Climate Change Canada's Howe Sound marine forecast zone.
⚠ Gale warning in effect for Howe Sound, issued Sunday November 01, 2026 at 04:00 PCT.
ECCC reissues the forecast through the day and can post a warning at any hour, so the Marine Forecast panel above carries the current wind, visibility and multi-day outlook word for word. It describes the open water of the zone, not a particular bay inside it, and is no substitute for the VHF or weatheradio broadcast.
Regulations
Horseshoe Bay lies in DFO Pacific Area 28. Openings, closures and limits change in-season and differ between subareas, so check the DFO Area 28 recreational fishing page before you go. Nothing on this page is a substitute for the current regulations, official charts, or the marine forecast.
As of November 1, 2026, seven closure areas are in effect in DFO Pacific Area 28, among them Night closure area, Point Atkinson and Porteau Cove. Salmon limits for the area: chinook 2 per day; chum 4 per day; coho 2 per day in 28-1 to 28-10, non retention in 28-11 to 28-14; pink 4 per day; sockeye non retention.
Read from the DFO Area 28 page, last updated 2026-10-20. See the full Area 28 regulations for every closure and limits table, or the Fishery Notices for changes newer than that date.