Campbell fishing pier

[Northdogboy]

I live down in Nanaimo and have heard of the fishing pier in Campbell River. How is it? Is it very busy during the season? Is it a fun place to bring the kids for a few hrs in the summer (don't have a boat so it's shore fishing for salmon for them.) And how successful are people on it?

 

[Plug”N”away]

Always a few dandy fish caught off the pear in late July and august.

 

[chris73]

It can get very busy. It's not as easy fishing as it may appear first. When the tide runs it is like a fast river and difficult to fish. Plus will cost you lures through snags. Best to fish the slack tide and that's when it gets busy. As a beginner you will need much luck to hook a salmon. More likely to get a rock fish or baby ling. Kids won't care as long as something happens. Also, if you do happen to hook a decent salmon, the odds are against you. Fighting a fish with a barbless hook from 5m high, keeping it out of the pilings and other fishermen's lines and then managing to pull the fish over a rope net from that height in fast flowing water seems like a miracle. I have witnessed it being done a few times but more often not. Best for patient kids would be the peak of the pink run. With polarized glasses you can often see schools swim by and when you drop a small pink lure in front of them you will have a good chance of a hook up. With some sturdy gear you can just hoist them quickly up for at least a 50/50 chance of landing the fish.
For kids I would actually recommend bottom fishing there. Done this some years back and it was entertaining. A hook with a chunk of herring or shrimp, a sinker to stay on bottom and then wait. I caught a fish every 10 min and every weird species you can imagine. Nothing big. A dog fish on lighter gear will give you a good scrap. Even caught a little octopus that way. Cheers!

 

[RiverBoy]

friend of mine caught a 38 off the pier a few years ago. that has me beat and i’ve lived here my whole life. my kids love it. plus if they are bored there is a cool aquarium there for a price. and the pier sells ice cream. think it was closed during covid.

 

[CRGreg]

If the Pinks are there, you will be better off with kids fishing off the rocks to the south of the Pier. easier to land them and easier for the kids.

CRGreg

 

[eroyd]

I've personally caught and lost a few springs off there. As noted, landing them is tricky but there is usually a local expert there with a hoop net willing to help. Seals can be pretty quick there to. Fish the tide changes. Watch for whales, cruise ships in the evenings. Enjoy an oversized ice cream cone.

 

[Northdogboy]

Thanks all I'll probably wait out till pinks run and bring the kids up then for it.

 

[Powerset]

I have 26 years off the Pier, have had many many multiple fish days off there. Tides are the key, check your local tide guide and fish the last 90 minutes of the incoming tide(flood) and the first hour of the outgoing ebb. This is even better when this change over happens at 8 am or 7 pm. High tide at 6:30am-8:30 am is golden off the pier from July 25 - Sept 15. Lots of fish around. For the kids, 2021 is our big pink return, take that with a grain of salt lately, but usually from July 25-aug 15 there’s massive schools of pinks around the pier. You can fish off the pier or the break water. Middle of the day when the sun is high is great. If you have sunshine and high pressure, you can’t go wrong off the Pier.

 

[Mike park]

Thanks all I'll probably wait out till pinks run and bring the kids up then for it.

I used to take my kids to the commercial dock north of the fishing pier with a bobber and a snelled hook and split shot cocktail shrimp or clam meat to catch pilling perch and let them go they would have a ball non stop action.
We would walk down lived 4/5 blocks away

 

[suburbboy]

I was actually wondering about taking a 12 yr old kid to the pier for his first time fishing. Will pinks be around in any decent numbers by the 19th? And is it relatively easy to catch greenling or rockfish? Just want to get the kid on fish.

Alternatively, would we have better success fishing for pinks on the river itself? Or perhaps jigging for rockfish or greenling off my canoe (at slack tide, winds permitting) around Big Rock or Browns Bay?