Better in BC: Vancouver Island Saltwater Fishing

British Columbia offers the best saltwater fishing in Canada, and you can make a good case that the best drive to fishing is on Vancouver Island. Most BC anglers fish saltwater for six species of salmon, barn door halibut and sacks of rockfish taken from both head boats and charters. Often overlooked is wonderful freshwater and unusual saltwater options that suggest stays longer than the usual two or three days. We'll barely sample unusual saltwater alternatives here and cover freshwater fishing next time.

LOONIE PRICES

"Loonie" BC prices run about the same as you'd pay in the US -- save for gas with sold by the liter and more expensive. The kicker here is the "loonie" or Canadian Dollar exchanges out at about 64 cents for 33% savings! Add the 7% rebate of the Federal Goods and Services Tax and Canada's bargain!

You can, of course, if you're tourist bound in Victoria simply take a day boat out of town for salmon or bottom fish. Tip: visit Victoria around Thanksgiving to avoid the summer tourist crush. With more time you might take the ferry from the mainland to Nanaimo. From here it's an easy drive north to traditional spots like the Campbell River or all the way to Port Hardy, gateway to the Queen Charlotte Islands where, as a lad, I rowed a skiff while my father trolled for big.

Big operations like the Oak Bay Marine Group with both live aboard operations like the Canadian Princess in Ucluelet offer full value at a reasonable price. These kinds of budget packages put you on head boats to drift fish with up to 15 other anglers. On our last trip to Ucluelet, for example, we ran into a group who'd taken advantage of a $300 early season special that included a couple of days fishing and lodgings, packing fish and flights in and out of Vancouver. TIP: If you do get to Ucluelet even on your own, don't miss the M. V. Charlotte Princess's fish chowder. It's the best in BC.

At the more upscale end you can opt for remote, fly-in lodges with guides and more - see www.sportfishing.bc.ca for specifics

We go for the happy combination of upscale B&Bs like the Snug Harbor Inn where the owners dropped anchor after nine years cruising round the world, or Spring Cove where Larry Johnansen has all the dope on the fishing. With lodgings in place we add a day charter plus a full plate of beach and bank fishing, clamming, musseling, shrimping and crabbing. But we have eyed the superior local resorts like the Wickaninnish Inn with its wonderful and sophisticated lodgings that suit the Seattle dot.com folks.

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