(many with massages and other spa treatments); wineries; and weekend crafters’ markets. North of Qualicum Beach, the spectacular Horne Lake Caves offer underground tours that range from mild to extreme. Winter serves up exceptional snowboarding, alpine downhill, and Nordic cross- country skiing at Mount Washington near Comox. Scenic Forbidden Plateau in nearby Strathcona Provincial Park offers excellent hiking all summer. Did you know that Strathcona is the oldest park in the province? It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011.


Weigh West Marine Photos Pacific Outback Photos


at the entrances to Active and Porlier passes. Troll at depths between 35 metres and the bottom along Gabriola. Fishing close to the rocky bottom around the Flat Top Islands, and at Thrasher Rock, requires carefully monitoring of the depths. When it isn’t too windy, try drift- jigging around Five Finger, Snake, and Entrance islands, or around Driebar Point on Gabriola Island. During late summer through early fall there is great beach fly- and spin-cast-fishing for mature coho, the occasional chinook, and (in odd-numbered years) big schools of willing pink salmon around the estuary flats and beaches from Parksville to Qualicum Beach. With more than 40 courses


to choose from, the drier eastern side of Vancouver Island is a golfer’s paradise. Take a scenic B.C. Ferries’ cruise to many of the Gulf Islands, where you can find fine dining; luxurious sea-view bed- and-breakfast accommodations


Southern Vancouver Island Southern Vancouver Island (from Cowichan Bay and Salt Spring Island on the east to Sooke on the west) offers excellent salmon and bottom- fishing all year. Between October and April, enormous schools of baitfish (herring, sand lance, and squid) congregate in the waters of Victoria Harbour, Oak Bay, and Saanich Inlet. In turn, feeder chinook up to 10 kilograms in weight, along with the odd tyee, prey upon this abundant feed. Bottom-bounce your downrigger ball occasionally to draw halibut as well as salmon to your baits. Concentrate your trolling efforts


around Moresby Island from Point Fairfax to Seymour Point, Sidney Channel, Coal Island, and Hamley Point. Other areas worth checking out include Imrie Island, Colburne Passage, Dock Island, Shute Pass from Knapp Island to Shute Rock, Miners Channel between Sidney Spit and Forrest Island, Cordova Channel, the Red Can Buoy at the northern end of Sidney Channel, and Wain Rock in Saanich Inlet. The peak of the halibut fishery occurs from March to May. Find these oversized flounders around slack tide at places like the Oak Bay flats, Constance Bank, Race Rocks, and just off Mendarte and Halibut islands in Miners Channel. Around Sooke and Pedder Bay, mature chinook begin to show up in


May. Slow-troll your lures at depths between 10 and 25 metres for these sometimes tyee-sized spawners that can weigh up to 25 kilograms. As the summer progresses, schools of coho, pink, sockeye, and chum sweeping though Juan de Fuca Strait add to the fishery. You can expect exciting battles with trophy-sized, hook- nosed northern coho that swarm into the area in late summer. In addition to trout, Spectacle, Thetis, Elk, and Fuller lakes (near Victoria) and St. Mary’s Lake (on Salt Spring Island) hold smallmouth and bigmouth bass. The Cowichan, a designated Heritage River, delivers world-renowned walk-and-wade or drift-boat fly-fishing for rainbow, cutthroat, and trophy brown trout throughout the year, and steelhead trout during the winter. Other freshwater destinations include Shawnigan, Chemainus, Langford, Cowichan, and Dougan lakes, and the Sooke and Koksilah rivers. The Freshwater Fisheries Society’s generous stocking program is the primary factor in maintaining southern Vancouver Island’s fine freshwater fishing.


In Sooke, many talented artists, artisans, and craftspeople welcome visitors to their studio shops. The Sooke Potholes are a wonderful place to cool off on a hot summer’s day. Check out the autumn spectacle of salmon spawning in Goldstream Provincial Park. Later, there is excellent bird-watching as bald eagles and other raptors feed on the spawned-out carcasses. Victoria, the provincial capital, is a tourists’ mecca. Take a guided tour of the stately Parliament Buildings, then cross the street for an intriguing and educational visit to the Royal British Columbia Museum. Many of the city’s heritage buildings (like Craigdarroch Castle, with 39 rooms that feature finely fitted oak woodwork and exquisite stained glass windows) are open to the public. In the suburb of Colwood, take a tour of Fort Rodd Hill,


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