🎣 Fishing Conditions
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📅 7-Day Forecast
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Montague Harbour fishing & marine conditions
Montague Harbour is a sheltered anchorage on the west side of Galiano Island, protected by a spit and a small island at its entrance. It is one of the best-protected spots in the southern Gulf Islands and a popular anchorage, with shallow, warm water compared with the channels outside.
What runs here, and when
The surrounding channels hold chinook through much of the year and see coho move through later in the season. Crab and prawn are taken in the sheltered water nearby, subject to the seasonal openings and area closures. Fishing generally happens outside the harbour rather than within it.
Local hazards
The harbour entrance is shallow and the approaches require attention to the chart, particularly at low water. Active Pass lies a short distance south and carries strong currents plus frequent ferry traffic - it is the hazard to plan around when moving between here and the mainland side. The harbour is busy with anchored vessels in summer.
Tides, current and sea state
Inside the harbour the tidal range matters more than the current, and the shallow areas change character substantially between high and low water. Outside, the channels carry significant tidal flow. Montague is a useful tide reference for the middle Gulf Islands, but current planning for Active Pass and Porlier Pass must come from current tables.
Live data on this page
Conditions above are for 48.895°N, 123.398°W. Wind, wave and pressure data come from Open-Meteo and refresh every three hours; tide predictions come from the Canadian Hydrographic Service station 07420. The fishing score combines wind, wave height, barometric trend, moon phase, tide movement and time of day.
Marine forecast & warnings
Montague Harbour lies in Environment and Climate Change Canada's Strait of Georgia marine forecast zone.
No marine warnings are in effect for this zone.
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.
Tidal currents
Fishing Montague Harbour is timed by the current, not the tide height. The passes that govern it are Active Pass and Porlier Pass.
Active Pass floods to the northeast and ebbs to the southwest, running to 5.1 knots. Slack on September 17: 03:18, 10:22, 16:49, 20:28.
Porlier Pass floods to the north-northeast and ebbs to the south-southwest, running to 7.7 knots. Slack on September 17: 02:51, 10:14, 15:52, 20:29.
Predictions for the pass itself, not the water around it. Slack shifts about 50 minutes later each day, so these times are wrong for any other date. The Tidal Currents panel above gives every turn with its maximum-flow speed; CHS is the source.
Regulations
Montague Harbour lies in DFO Pacific Area 18. Openings, closures and limits change in-season and differ between subareas, so check the DFO Area 18 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 September 17, 2026, seven closure areas are in effect in DFO Pacific Area 18, among them Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Recreational Salmon Fishing Closure, Cowichan Bay and Satellite Channel and Pender Island Vessel Restricted Zone. Salmon limits for the area: chinook 2 per day in 18-1 to 18-7 and 18-9 to 18-11, non retention in 18-8; chum 2 per day; coho 2 per day; pink 4 per day; sockeye non retention.
Read from the DFO Area 18 page, last updated 2026-09-11. See the full Area 18 regulations for every closure and limits table, or the Fishery Notices for changes newer than that date.
Nearby locations
- Saltspring Island South (Area 18)
- Saltspring Island North (Area 18)
- Mayne & Saturna Islands (Area 18)
- Fulford Harbour
- Sansum Narrows (Area 18)
- Pender Islands (Area 18)