VANCOUVER ISLAND , VICTORIA & THE GULF ISLANDS
The continental shelf narrows to only a few kilometres at the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island. The “Salmon Highway,” which follows the shelf’s incredibly fishy edge (marked by the 50-fathom bottom contour line), is only a short run offshore from the entrances to the island’s three most northerly sounds: Nootka, Kyuquot, and Quatsino. In Nootka Sound, several hatcheries enhance the natural runs of prime chinook and coho. As mature salmon follow the “highway” from the northern end of Vancouver Island to their natal streams, anglers enjoy excellent chances to hook a prized tyee or acrobatic coho only short distances offshore – or even right in Muchalat, Esperanza, Tlupana, Tahsis, and Zeballos inlets. You can tow in your own boat, but with just a gravel road to service the head of Nootka Sound, and very limited parking and marine services, it’s easier to book a stay at a fishing resort right in the sound or take a
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charter out of the towns of Gold River, Tahsis, or Zeballos. You’ll find great stream-fishing for salmon, with prime dry- fly fishing for late summer-run steelhead, beginning in October. Rivers like the Gold, Conuma, Tahsis, and Zeballos (along with numerous smaller streams) offer good runs of salmon and steelhead as well as resident rainbow and cutthroat trout. Winter steelheading is consistent well into the following spring.
Kyuquot and Quatsino, the two E CELEBRATING E CELEBRATING E CELEBRATING
• Fully serviced RV resort • Ocean view and pull-through sites • 30 and 50 amp power, cable and wi-fi • Full-service marina • Boat rentals
E CELEBRATING
• 3 lane boat launch ramp • Fishing gear rentals • Nearby lakes and trails • Coffee House
E CELEBRATING E Only CELEBRATING
40 minutes from
Victoria E E CELEBRATING CELEBRATING
most remote northern sounds, boast terrific salmon and bottom-fishing. The Barrier Islands, the tip of Brooks Peninsula, and the entrance to Winter Harbour can have “bites” that last for hours, often with multiple hookups. With few accommodations, supplies, or marinas, anglers are wise to book a full-service, fully- guided fishing charter from a resort based in the coastal villages of Kyuquot or Winter Harbour. Guided fishing is also the safest way to experience the fabulous salmon and bottom-fishing in these semi- wilderness locations. And … psst … anglers from around the world are just starting to tap into prime fly-fishing for salmon in the region’s pristine streams, which occurs during September and October. For the energetic, Kyuquot Sound’s myriad islands offer spectacular ocean kayaking. Relatively untouched by the last ice age, Brooks Peninsula – now a provincial park – contains many rare plant species and unique geological formations, along with kilometres of unspoiled, sandy beaches that run to the edge of vast old-growth forests. Sea otters have successfully
250-478-1771
www.pedderbay.com 925 Pedder Bay Drive, off Rocky Point Rd.
20 The SPORT FISHING Guide 2012 OB 5410 Oak Bay Marine Group
BCFROA 1/6 page 2.375” x 5.0625” prepared December 2, 2011
re-colonized the region. The descendants of 100 otters relocated from Amchitka Island in Alaska before A-bomb tests 40 years ago, these furry sea mammals captivate and charm nature-watchers with their playing, feeding, and grooming antics as they float on their backs throughout the sound. The Barrier
Islands are also a favourite resting ground for huge herds of bellowing sea lions. The offshore waters are a major migratory route for magnificent killer, humpback, and Pacific grey whales.
Northeastern Vancouver Island Queen Charlotte and Broughton Straits bear major currents and tides that push nutrient-rich, well-aerated water between northern Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland. The coastal towns of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, and Telegraph Cove have tremendous fishing for trophy chinook, coho, and halibut right outside their harbours. You’ll find hot fishing along the northern faces of Nigei and Balaklava Islands, around the Deserters Group, and along the northern and southern sides of the Gordon Islands. Productive trolling haunts include Duval, Daphne, and Dillon points, Deer Island, Hardy Bay, and the flats in front of the airport — all just a short run from Port Hardy. Starting from Port McNeill or
Telegraph Cove, fish the northern faces of Hanson Island and the Plumper Islands, both the northern and southern sides of Malcolm Island, the western side of Parson Island, and the southern face of Swanson Island. Drop a heavy drift- jig or spreader bar, baited with whole herring or octopus, for abundant bottomfish offshore at Farquar Bank, Pine and Storm islands, or Sealed Reef; in Europa, Weynton, Bolivar, or Ripple passages; off Keogh or Morgan shoals; or between Malcolm and Cormorant islands.
At the entrances to Kingcome and Knight inlets, there are hundreds of protected passages in the Broughton Archipelago and other channel groups that funnel and concentrate dense schools of feed before they are squeezed through Blackfish Sound into Johnstone Strait. This feed-rich region attracts bottomfish like halibut, lingcod, and Pacific yelloweye rockfish, in
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