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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Vancouver island bucket list  (Read 3015 times)

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Cackalacky

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: NW Oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2020
  • Posts: 79
Looking for your wishlists for Vancouver island trips. I'm doing remote work and am heading up for a few weeks. I've never been up there so this is a exploratory trip. I saw uplandsandpiper's post about Bamfield, so that's one destination I'll check out. It'll be in September so I'm thinking coho will be a focus, but I'd love to get after some big chinook, halibut, prawn, lingcod etc.. I'll be sleeping out of the back of my truck, so any info on spots with campsites (or somewhere I can park) would be much appreciated. So the real question is, if you had 2 to 3 weeks to explore Vancouver island, where would you go?
Thanks!! 


DBam

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: British Columbia
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 106
I'm no expert, but I tend to spend my free time on the island. There's also hardly any BC representation on this board. The island is big, something like 300 miles long, and travel over to the west coast is very difficult, with limited entry points while the east coast is easily accessible. So that said, where are you working or staying?


surf12foot

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: North Bend Oregon
  • Date Registered: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 480
Tofino - salmon, rockfish/lings just saying?
Scott


alpalmer

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Albany, OR
  • Date Registered: Apr 2012
  • Posts: 504
Make sure you read up carefully on the B.C. regs with all of the different zones and sub-zones.  I caught a really nice 12lb king up in the Deer Group out of Bamfield many years ago.   Unless the road has been improved, it's a long, hard drive into there.  Ucluelet and Tofino probably the easiest access.  I've caught a few fish in Barkley Sound but it's been quite a while.  Nootka Sound has some access at Cougar Creek with a campground there but it's a ways in from the open ocean.  It's a wonderful place to look around and the inland highway has improved access to the northern part of the island.
"A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own,
and no obstacle should be placed in their path;
let them take risk, for God sake, let them get lost, sun burnt, stranded, drowned,
eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches -
that is the right and privilege of any free American."
--Edward Abbey--


Cackalacky

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: NW Oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2020
  • Posts: 79
Quote
I'm no expert, but I tend to spend my free time on the island. There's also hardly any BC representation on this board. The island is big, something like 300 miles long, and travel over to the west coast is very difficult, with limited entry points while the east coast is easily accessible. So that said, where are you working or staying?

Thanks DBam, I can really be anywhere. I'll just be doing remote computer work. I will need cell service every once in a while to send stuff out, but otherwise I'm wide open. That being said, I'm gravitating towards the SW portion of the island for this trip. Thinking Bamfield, the deer island group. Maybe heading south from Ucluelet into Barkley. Then if I've got time heading north out of Tolfino to do some exploring around there. I'd love to do a few nights on some of the islands camping/fishing. Man I'm getting pumped!  ;D

Quote
Make sure you read up carefully on the B.C. regs with all of the different zones and sub-zones.  I caught a really nice 12lb king up in the Deer Group out of Bamfield many years ago.   Unless the road has been improved, it's a long, hard drive into there.  Ucluelet and Tofino probably the easiest access.  I've caught a few fish in Barkley Sound but it's been quite a while.  Nootka Sound has some access at Cougar Creek with a campground there but it's a ways in from the open ocean.  It's a wonderful place to look around and the inland highway has improved access to the northern part of the island.


Thanks for the heads up, the regs definitely look complicated!





alpalmer

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Albany, OR
  • Date Registered: Apr 2012
  • Posts: 504
if you are thinking of Barkley Sound,   look at putting in at Toquart Bay.  Much more shelter there and easier to get across to the islands.
"A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own,
and no obstacle should be placed in their path;
let them take risk, for God sake, let them get lost, sun burnt, stranded, drowned,
eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches -
that is the right and privilege of any free American."
--Edward Abbey--


BentRod

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: Issaquah
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 135
Not sure how it would be for kayaks, but we fished out of Zeballos/Port Eliza at the end of August on a chartered trip.   It was insane how many Kings and Coho were around.  Had to run out from Zeballos a ways though, so maybe not the best kayak destination, but didn't research for that.  Hope you have a great time!

You might look up a YouTube guy called Freeman.  I think he's out near Port Hardy/Ft Rupert.  He's been pretty good about replying to questions on his channel. 


Cackalacky

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: NW Oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2020
  • Posts: 79
Quote
if you are thinking of Barkley Sound,   look at putting in at Toquart Bay.  Much more shelter there and easier to get across to the islands.

Thanks! I'm putting together a list of launch points. I'll add this.

Quote
Not sure how it would be for kayaks, but we fished out of Zeballos/Port Eliza at the end of August on a chartered trip.   It was insane how many Kings and Coho were around.  Had to run out from Zeballos a ways though, so maybe not the best kayak destination, but didn't research for that.  Hope you have a great time!

You might look up a YouTube guy called Freeman.  I think he's out near Port Hardy/Ft Rupert.  He's been pretty good about replying to questions on his channel.

I'll check him out, thanks!


HuyFishin

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Huyfishin Youtube page.
  • Location: Alberta/British Columbia
  • Date Registered: May 2020
  • Posts: 60
when are you gonna be going? Maybe you can check out one of the kayak derby events is the stars align.

Campbell river is the salmon capital. I've had some fun experiences in the area.

join the vancouver island kayak anglers page on FB and you may find some people to take ya fishin


Cackalacky

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: NW Oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2020
  • Posts: 79
Back from the trip and it was spectacular! I was a bit late for salmon but I still got some coho. There are so many little islands to explore/camp on. Can't wait to get back out there. 


For folks thinking about heading up this site was an excellent resource for camping spots and trip ideas: 
https://www.bcmarinetrails.org/bc-map




YakHunter

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Retired!
  • Location: Wyoming
  • Date Registered: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 513
Thanks for the BCmarinetrails link.  I hope to spend time in the region in the future and finding resources like this is helpful.  Quite gorgeous. 
Hobie PA14
Hobie Outback
Hobie Adventure Island
Hobie Tandem Island
Jackson CudaHD
BlueSky 360 Angler


HuyFishin

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Huyfishin Youtube page.
  • Location: Alberta/British Columbia
  • Date Registered: May 2020
  • Posts: 60
you got anymore photos?


Cackalacky

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: NW Oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2020
  • Posts: 79
Quote
you got anymore photos?

Sorry missed this. Sure, a few more are attached.

I ended up spending 2 weeks around Bamfield. The road wasn't as bad as I expected. It was rough for sure, but doable. I ended up towing my harbor freight trailer down there because I couldn't fit everything in my truck and still sleep in the back easily. Got turned back at the border bc I didn't have a tag on the trailer ;D. They were really nice at the border, I went and got a temp tag in WA and went back across in time to catch my ferry. Between the ferry and the COVID rapid test it ended up costing me more than I wanted. But all in all it was a great trip, I can't wait to get back.


tsquared

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Victoria British Columbia
  • Date Registered: Aug 2009
  • Posts: 483
Just saw this thread, sorry I didn’t see it in time to make any suggestions.If anyone is planning an Island trip for next season shoot me a pm and I might be able to give you a few ideas. Is that bear photo taken by the stream at Pachena Bay?
T2


DBam

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: British Columbia
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 106
Those pictures are great! Glad it worked out. What others have said about distances is true and logistics is becoming one of my most important questions for trip planning. I've done a few trips now where I did the 40 kilometers to get to the outside and it becomes a pedaling trip and not a fishing trip. Anyways, Bamfield looked awesome, thanks for sharing!


 

anything