FSC Daily Fishing Report - Sunday, February 8, 2026

Winter Chinook Double Header in Discovery Passage — February 8, 2026

There's a quiet magic to February fishing in Campbell River. The summer crowds are months away. The water is still. And the winter Chinook feeders are out there in Discovery Passage, doing what they do — feeding hard and fighting harder than any 10-pound fish has a right to.

Today Captain Bruce ran the 17-foot Boston Whaler Montauk out of Discovery Harbour Marina and put two anglers on a proper double header. Two chrome bright winter Chinook, both in the 10-12 lb range, came up from depth as the tidal current eased toward the afternoon slack. The water temperature was sitting at 7.6°C, which meant the fish were holding deep — downriggers working in the 180-220 foot range to find where the feeders were stacked.

Conditions on the water were about as good as February gets. Broken clouds overhead, light northeast wind barely touching 4 knots, and the surface of Discovery Passage was glassy calm. Visibility was excellent at 10 km — no fog for once, which is a welcome change from the typical winter mornings on the coast. The kind of day where you can see Quadra Island sharp against the sky and the eagles working the shoreline.

The timing lined up well. The Seymour Narrows slack before flood came at 4:03 PM, and the solunar forecast had a major feeding period from 4:10-6:10 PM with the moon underfoot. When tide and solunar windows overlap like that, you pay attention. The fish did too.

Winter Chinook fishing in Campbell River is one of the best-kept secrets on the British Columbia coast. These are feeder fish — actively eating, chrome bright, ocean fresh — and they put up a fight that surprises people who expect winter fishing to be slow. The truth is, it's anything but slow when you're connected to a Chinook that's been feeding in the cold, rich waters of Discovery Passage.

Captain Bruce runs three departures daily — 6 AM, 11 AM, and 4 PM — with 4-hour trips that put you right in the action. The Montauk is nimble enough to work specific current edges and tide lines where the fish concentrate, and with just two anglers aboard, every trip is personal and focused.

If you've been waiting for summer to book a fishing trip to Campbell River, you're missing the good part. The winter feeders are here now. The water is calm. And the fish are chrome bright and hungry.

Weather: 8°C with broken clouds, light NE wind at 7 km/h, good visibility at 10 km, comfortable winter fishing day | Water: Glassy calm to very light ripple, green-grey water, no whitecaps, excellent boat conditions