savvy and gracious.
There are five sounds on the west
side of Vancouver Island. Every single
one of them now has enhanced destina-
tion salmon fisheries. That wasn’t true
back in the 1980s. There were some wild
spawning runs, but they weren’t really
significant, probably due to overfishing
prior to World War II.
Plus, there is the salmon super
highway. The upper end of that road is
offshore in Sitka, Alaska where south-
bound fish start their southward turn
and congregate in one giant forage fish
eating binge. Almost every fish head-
ed for the Fraser, Columbia, the Puget
Sound streams and the Oregon coastal
rivers are going to pass within 10 or so
miles of the west coast of Vancouver
Island.
Massive schools of baitfish, like all-
you-can-eat buffets for salmon, concen-
trate on the banks and pinnacles along
the coast and within those sounds and
bays. Those southward migrating Chi-
nook and coho will stop long enough to
hammer them before moving on.
When you are fishing in the salmon
rush hours of July and August, you do not
need bait. Hootchies and spoons is all
you need on the outside. You may, if the
pickin’s are slim on the inside and you’re
pushed there by weather, have to troll a
herring in a helmet, but that’s it.
But there are two downsides to the
west side. One is the potential for weath-
er to get the best of you. The ocean is the
ocean, of course. And it is possible that
you can get a blow coming right smack
into the sound or bay that can keep you
in. The one exception is Nootka/Esper-
anza which is going to have fishable and
fishy water always, somewhere. The good
news is that calm weather is the norm
from the end of June through August and
into September.
The other downside is the cost. Being
so remote, operator costs for resorts and
lodges are high. So the price is going
to be high no matter what. When that
happens in any service, it lends itself to
upscaling and indeed, that’s what has
happened on Vancouver Island. You pay
a lot, so the providers offer a lot. That
means professionally trained chefs, 400
thread count percale sheets, Okanogan’s
best wines (which are pretty darn good)
and glass showers big enough to play
handball in.
The guides are most likely to be
locals (from the east side of the island
or Victoria) and seasoned with a couple
of well-earned gray hairs, who grew up
54
explore: NW | The Official Magazine for kenmore air | Spring 2019
Calm water is never a guarantee, but always a
bonus when fishing Vancouver Island.
taking a skiff by themselves out after
halibut. They are safe and know how to
pull that rabbit out of their hat. They
are also going to be driving a lot of boat,
something comfortable, fast and pretty.
All things that aren’t cheap. They can
push a 3-1/2-day guided, all-inclusive
trip for two up into the $6,500 range,
even topping $10,000 if you fly in.
Chicken feed for most S&SJ readers, I
know, but for some, that smarts a little.
One thing you will notice up there
is that most of the boats are not guided
boats. Most people fishing these five
sounds have brought their own boats,
dragging them mostly from Vancouver
but also Calgary, Seattle, Wenatchee,
Portland, Bend, Boise, Salt Lake City...
What they do is go ahead and plunk
down the cash on a guided trip, use it
as a learning experience and then come
back with their own boat. That goes for
each sound. The first time, hire a guide.
Tell him or her what you’re planning.
They’ll help you by telling you things
specific to bringing your own boat the
next time.
You will save money BYOBing. (Not
counting the hole in the water you’re
pouring money into, of course.) And the
big thing: you will more easily find an
empty room than an empty guide boat.