Salmon fishing in British Columbia will hit its
peak in mid-July, but will last through September.
happy to entertain fishermen as well.
“Think of it as staying with your crazy
but favorite uncle on vacation,” they
say. Sushi bar downstairs. Rooms are
very nice, cozy, and custom.
As for grub, Tofino is full of restau-
rants down by the waterfront.
Barkley Sound
room, get your meals and hire your
guide all from separate operators. The
resorts are mainly to the south. They
are on the ocean and cater to surfers,
birders and book worms. Like all the
other sounds, Clayoquot offers much
better fishing inside on fish returning
to local streams. But it is a distant
second to the offshore fishing. A side
note, Clayquot is the new capital of
saltwater fly fishing for coho and they
do that mainly inside and mostly catch
and release.
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explore: NW | The Official Magazine for kenmore air | Spring 2019
You want to stay in town. The best
motel option closest to the dock (easy
walking distance in bibs and boat
boots) is the Tofino Harbourview Mo-
tel. Think Holiday Inn. Clean, profes-
sional, comfortable, location, location,
location. However ... A bit farther to
the west is one of the coolest, funkiest,
Tofino-est places you can imagine, the
Inn at Tough City. (Tofino’s nickame,
a play on Tofino and because winter
storms knock the locals silly). This Inn
caters to surfers, but I’m sure they’ll be
I love Barkley Sound. It has been my BC
go to since the late 1980s and I have
never been anything but struck dumb
by the fishing. This is the one sound
where I can say the inside sheltered
fishing is as good as the outside fishing
because even migrating fish regularly
follow bait into the wide mouth of the
sound and you can catch them behind
the shelter of the islands at the mouth.
Also, very good halibut fishing on the
banks just outside.
BYOBers will find excellent launching
facilites and secure parking in Ucluelet
on the north and not as excellent in
Bamfield on the south. If you are an
über salty dog, Barkley is in range from
Washington. The road to Ukie is paved
the whole way and the road to Bamfield
is gravel. A very popular thing to do is
launch in Port Albernie and drive your
boat down from there. There is secure
parking in PA.
Bamfield is a cool place, like out of a
Steinbeck novel that I’ve been thinking
about for a long time.