Swiftsure Bank
Just a few miles off shore lies the Swiftsure Bank, the feeding grounds for halibut & migratory salmon bound for the Fraser River, Puget Sound, and Southern Vancouver Island streams and rivers.
Located just 15 miles off shore on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, at the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait, lies the legendary Swiftsure Bank, a marine sactuary for summer breeding of pacific halibut and other bottom fish. While the Bank itself is a protected breeding ground and is closed to sports fishermen, we fish the perimeter around the closed area, and the fishing is phenomenal!
The Swiftsure Banks are formed where the ocean floor rises up to the surface and ocean currents meet the outflow of the Juan de Fuca Strait, creating nutrient-rich waters and attracting baitfish like krill, herring, pilchard and anchovy to the area. With its high concentrations of baitfish, larger fish like halibut, lingcod, red snappers and migrating salmon are drawn to the area and use it as a feeding grounds as they pack on the pounds in preparation for spawning.
Abundant wildlife feed off of the fish, including killer whales, humpback whales, porpoise, sealions and many, many seabirds. Apart from the legendary fishing, the Swiftsure Bank is a great place for wildlife watching as well, so you can be sure to have an amazing time on the water, and you’ll have plenty of stories and memories to take home with you as well.