Fishing in Indian Arm from our pontoon: licences, rules and where to go
Salmon in season, plus rules you need to know first: tidal waters licence, barbless hooks and three Rockfish Conservation Areas where all finfish fishing is banned.
You can fish from our pontoon. Bring your own rods and tackle, and sort out the rules before you leave the dock. Fishery officers patrol Indian Arm, and the fines run to several hundred dollars per offence.
What you need
- **A tidal waters sport fishing licence** for every person fishing, bought online from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Add a salmon conservation stamp if you plan to keep salmon.
- **Barbless hooks** when fishing for salmon.
- **The current rules** for the area. Openings, closures and daily limits change through the season, so check the DFO website the week of your trip.
Rockfish Conservation Areas
Indian Arm has three Rockfish Conservation Areas. Inside them you may not fish for any finfish at all, salmon included. Rockfish live for decades and die when pulled up from depth, so DFO enforces these closures hard, especially during the pink salmon run. Look up the boundaries on the DFO website and mark them on your phone before you go. We point them out on the chart at checkout too.
When to fish
The pink salmon run in odd-numbered summers gives the best fishing of the year, with fish jumping from Deep Cove to the head of the arm. The next run comes in 2027.
On our boat
- Bring your own gear. We don’t supply rods or tackle.
- Fish from the deck. No fishing while the boat is moving.
- Bring a cooler and bags for your catch, and clean fish ashore, not on the boat.
- No knives left loose on deck with kids aboard.
Want to try for crab too? Read our crabbing guide.
Book the boat and tick Indian Arm as your planned route.