THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS: HAIDA GWAII
The Fish’n Canada Show hasn’t shot a West Coast Salmon show in some time now, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten about it. The entire coast has a considerable salmon population. However, it’s the Queen Charlotte area that is world-class. For many years now, Queen Charlotte has been synonymous with the best Salmon fishing in the world. Nowhere else can you encounter so many fish—and so many big fish.
Contrary to the current belief, Salmon fishing in BC is still alive and well. It’s simply a matter of adaptation—locations, tactics, etc.
This area houses many high-end lodges, places that would boggle your mind. These destinations may be for those with well-lined pockets, but if you’re looking for that once in a lifetime West Coast fishing experience, this is the place.
Queen Charlotte Lodge, better known as QCL, is probably the most popular lodge in the area. It’s a luxury lodge that offers world-class fishing.
Langara Lodge has two locations. We visited their Langara Fishing Lodge location and experienced first-class accommodations, meals, and—of course—fishing. It was back in the Reno Viola days of Fish’n Canada, when he and Pete had the privilege of visiting this unique location. On this trip, Pete caught his largest Chinook Salmon ever.
VANCOUVER ISLAND
The boys’ final recommendation for fishing in BC is Vancouver Island. They have captured some outstanding television footage here and feel it’s very much worthy of a place on their list. The island may be the most diverse BC area of all to fish. It’s surrounded by salt water and is dotted by inland lakes and gorgeous running creeks and rivers.
Saltwater Fishing
Like the Queen Charlotte area, the exterior of Vancouver Island features many lodges with guided trips to the mighty Pacific. Vancouver Island is in close proximity to excellent Salmon and some of the world’s best ground-fishing areas.
Our West Coast affiliate and good fishing buddy, Vic Carrao, highly recommends Lucky Sportfishing at Eagle Nook Resort. He says if you don’t want to travel all the way to the northernmost islands of BC, then this is a great alternative. And you’ll save some money, too. They offer world-class fishing for Salmon and ground-fish in and around Barkley Sound. Additionally, Lucky Sportfishing can put you onto one of the best eating fish on the entire planet, the Pacific Halibut. Delicious.
Bass Fishing
Attention, bass nuts! Vancouver Island is a Smallmouth haven. There are some Largemouth here, but it the smallie that rules in the bass world here. There are reportedly over twenty lakes with Smallmouth Bass on Vancouver Island.
The one that Ang and Pete have concentrated on most is Shawnigan Lake. It sits on the south end of the island, not too far from the Saanich Inlet.
Ang and Pete were informed about the lake by Kenzie Cuthbert from Kenzie’s Fishing Adventures. He loves fishing bass on the southern end of the island and some of the outer islands. Shawnigan, one of Kenzie’s favourite lakes, has some brute smallies in it—something the Fish’n Canada hosts experienced firsthand. When they fished there, it was an all-year catch and release season, so they took advantage one spring and had a heck of a time topwater fishing.
Here’s a Hotspot from the lake.
The boys are anxious to get back there for further investigation.
Trout Fishing
Our last river recommendation on Vancouver island is the Cowichan River. Again, Kenzie put Ang and Pete onto this fishery. And wow, were they glad he did! Pete made a drift-boat trip down the Cowichan and proceeded to have an outstanding day of Brown and Rainbow Trout Fishing. It made for an excellent TV episode.
“Kenzie knows that river like you wouldn’t believe,” says Pete. “We would come up to a good looking spot, and he would point out the spot-within-a-spot. Places usually about the size of a frisbee. Almost every one of those little areas had a fish on it.”
Pete came home from this trip raving about the Cowichan River and the fantastic Trout fishing in BC.
CONCLUSION
There you have five more places recommended by Ang and Pete, in this wonderful country of Canada that you can read about, dream about and hopefully even to experience some of the best fishing in BC.
For trout fishing in the BC interior….my go to is Dugan Lake near Williams Lake. Not because the fish are huge but because I can be there ice fishing or on a boat fishing inside 30 minutes from my front door. Fish are around 2 pounds and they fight like they were twice that size. Outhouses for the people I bring…just a great family lake with tons of action. Rainbow and brookies.
But for big big rainbow…I have to say Sheridan Lake is my top pick. They are hard to catch. Many people get skunked. My tips for there are to fish just as it is getting light for a couple hours. That’s the top action time. Fish at edge of steep underwater drop-offs and around 20 feet deep or more is good. When the morning bite is over, you can head to Bridge Lake or numerous other lakes a short drive away to target Kokanee or Lakers. And some great cabins to rent at Sheridan Lake Resort where the owners will give you tips to improve your odds of landing a big rainbow.