🎣 Sidney fishing conditions — Thu Oct 29 to Mon Nov 2

Summary

🏆 Top pick: Sun Nov 1, 10:59–12:05 (turn 11:29 flood→ebb, 2.5 kt strong). ESE 1–3 kt, gusts 3–4 at both points, clear and dry; ECCC “north 5 to 15 knots becoming light”. Troll the tail of the flood at the Red Can, Powder Wharf on the start of the ebb, then Fairfax’s south-side back-eddy when it builds. The calmest, sunniest daylight slack of the period.

🥈 Runner-up: Mon Nov 2, 11:51–12:57 (turn 12:23 flood→ebb, 2.2 kt strong). N 3–4 kt, Haro gusts 6, overcast and dry; ECCC “wind light” — Hamley on. Powder Wharf on the start of the ebb, then the Hamley transition pass; Fairfax if it rips. Furthest out, so confirm Sunday night.

• Sat Oct 31 is also a go: dusk 17:19–19:27 (turn 18:09 ebb→flood, 1.5 kt, ~2 h slack, wind 2–5 kt) — but the turn is after sunset (17:55); or late morning 11:03–12:07 (2.7 kt big) where ECCC still has “southeast 10 to 15” before it goes north.

• Thu Oct 29 is done: both slacks failed the gust gate (Haro gusts 19) and have passed.

• Fri Oct 30 is a no-go: Haro gusts 16 at the morning slack and 21 at the dusk slack; ECCC “veering to southeast 10 to 15 Friday afternoon”, easterly onto the Tulista docks.

Per-day details

🔴 Thu Oct 29 — NO-GO Kellett Bluff ↗

• ⬇️ 09:38 flood→ebb 3.1 kt (big) 🌊🌊🌊 ~55 min, window 09:14–10:09

• ⬆️ 15:23 ebb→flood 1.6 kt (moderate) 🌊 ~113 min

• 🌙 L 00:47 (0.0 m) · H 09:48 (3.3 m) · L 13:55 (2.9 m) · H 17:48 (3.1 m) · sunrise 07:55, sunset 17:58

• 🚩 wind E/ESE 8–12 kt, gusts 17, Haro gusts 19 · ECCC “southeast 10 to 15 knots”

• ☁️ cloud · overcast, dry · ❌ Hamley off

• 📝 Both slacks failed the 15 kt gust gate (Haro gusts 19) in an easterly, and both have passed.

🔴 Fri Oct 30 — NO-GO Kellett Bluff ↗

• ⬇️ 10:34 flood→ebb 3.0 kt (big) 🌊🌊🌊 ~59 min, window 10:08–11:08

• ⬆️ 16:37 ebb→flood 1.5 kt (moderate) 🌊 ~145 min, window 15:52–18:18

• 🌙 L 01:38 (0.0 m) · H 10:47 (3.3 m) · L 15:58 (2.9 m) · H 18:26 (3.0 m) · sunrise 07:57, sunset 17:56

• 🚩 wind ESE/E 2–10 kt, gusts 17, Haro gusts 21 · ECCC “veering to southeast 10 to 15 Friday afternoon”

• ☁️ cloud · overcast, dry · ❌ Hamley off

• 📝 Morning slack: Haro gusts 16 on a big exchange. Dusk slack: Haro gusts to 21 and a stiff easterly — the wind that blows you off the Tulista docks. Stay home.

🟢 Sat Oct 31 — GO at dusk or late morning Kellett Bluff ↗

• ⬇️ 11:31 flood→ebb 2.7 kt (big) 🌊🌊🌊 ~64 min, window 11:03–12:07

• ⬆️ 18:09 ebb→flood 1.5 kt (moderate) 🌊 ~128 min, window 17:19–19:27 (turn after dark) ★

• 🌙 L 02:35 (0.2 m) · H 11:43 (3.3 m) · L 17:52 (2.8 m) · H 19:07 (2.8 m) · sunrise 07:58, sunset 17:55

• 💨 wind SSE→N 2–6 kt, gusts 6, Haro gusts 9 · ECCC “Saturday: southeast 10 to 15 knots becoming north 5 to 15 in the afternoon”

• ☁️ cloud · overcast, dry · ❌ Hamley off

• ➡️ 17:19–19:27 — Dusk: Coal at the change (NE corner, on bottom 100–130 ft, small spoons) from ~16:45 for the last light, then the Channel north on the flood if you’re set up to run home in the dark. Late morning: Powder Wharf on the start of the ebb, Fairfax once it rips (big exchange).

• 📝 Hourly says SSE 3–5 in the morning; ECCC says southeast 10 to 15 until the afternoon — check the 4 AM issue before the morning slack. Dusk is calmer and the slack is twice as long, but only ~35 min of it is in daylight.

🟢 🏆 Sun Nov 1 — GO — best day Kellett Bluff ↗

• ⬇️ 11:29 flood→ebb 2.5 kt (strong) 🌊🌊 ~66 min, window 10:59–12:05 ★

• 🌙 L 03:39 (0.4 m) · H 12:34 (3.3 m); next low after dark · sunrise 08:00, sunset 17:53

• 🍃 wind SW→ESE 1–4 kt, gusts 4, Haro gusts 4 · ECCC “Sunday: north 5 to 15 knots becoming light”

• ☀️ sun · clear, dry · ❌ Hamley off

• ➡️ 10:59–12:05 — Leave 09:45, troll the tail of the flood by the Red Can on bottom 100–135 ft, be in the Powder Wharf corner by 10:45 for the start of the ebb (watch the crab floats — ±1 h), then run to Fairfax’s south-side back-eddy, 120–150 ft, small green/glow spoons, as the ebb builds toward 1.6 kt.

• 📝 Hamley is off only on ECCC’s “5 to 15” — Haro hourly is 3 kt; if the 4 AM issue says light, add the Hamley transition pass.

🟢 🥈 Mon Nov 2 — GO midday Kellett Bluff ↗

• ⬇️ 12:23 flood→ebb 2.2 kt (strong) 🌊🌊 ~66 min, window 11:51–12:57 ★

• 🌙 L 04:46 (0.7 m) · H 13:18 (3.3 m) · L 20:15 (2.2 m) · H 22:53 (2.3 m) · sunrise 08:02, sunset 17:51

• 💨 wind N/NNE 3–4 kt, gusts 2, Haro gusts 6 · ECCC “Monday: wind light”

• ☁️ cloud · overcast, dry · ✅ Hamley on

• ➡️ 11:51–12:57 — Powder Wharf on the start of the ebb (corner by the dock, let it drag you out, 50–80 ft), then down the Channel and round to Hamley for the transition pass, ~130 ft a bit off bottom. Fairfax if the ebb (max 1.8 kt at 15:35) starts to rip.

• 📝 Hamley on: 4 kt at Haro, ECCC light. Four days out — confirm with Sunday night’s forecast.

👀 Watch for

• ECCC Haro Strait (16:00 Oct 29): “southeast 10 to 15 … veering to southeast 10 to 15 Friday afternoon”; extended: Sat “southeast 10 to 15 becoming north 5 to 15 in the afternoon”, Sun “north 5 to 15 becoming light”, Mon “light”.

• Strong wind warning in effect, Strait of Georgia south of Nanaimo (east 15–25 this evening, easing).

• Forecast firm to about Saturday; Sunday–Monday is the extended. Re-run the morning of and check Kelp Reefs live wind.

• Slack timing is ±1 h at Kellett Bluff vs the Channel; confirm on the water.

• Moon last quarter Saturday — exchanges ease from 3.1 kt Thursday to 2.2 kt Monday.

📋 Regulations

• Sidney Channel, Powder Wharf, Spit, Hamley (19-5): chinook 2/day, min 62 cm, no max size (FN0675). Coho in Area 19: 2/day, no more than 1 unmarked, Oct 1–Dec 31 (FN0479).

• Coal Island (18-6 north of the 18/19 line, 19-5 south of it): the Aug–Oct chinook non-retention in 18-6 is over — chinook 2/day, min 62 cm. Coho in Area 18: 2/day hatchery-marked only.

• Fairfax / Moresby (Area 18): chinook 2/day, min 62 cm; coho marked only. SRKW Gulf Islands salmon closure (portions of 18-4/18-5, Swanson Channel side) runs to Nov 30 — stay on the Haro side of the line.

• Notices override the area pages. Confirm on the DFO site before keeping fish.

DFO: FN0675 chinook Areas 18/19/20 · FN0479 coho · Area 19 regs · Area 18 regs · All 2026 Area 18/19 notices

Sources: Kellett Bluff currents (dairiki) · Sidney tides (DFO IWLS 07260) · Open-Meteo hourly · ECCC Haro Strait · Kelp Reefs observations

Slack timing ±1 h at Kellett Bluff vs the Channel — confirm on the water. ★ = best slack of the day. Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors.