Canadian Princess Resort - Ucluelet, Long Beach, BC

Still going strong

Fishing hasn't been this great in years. This is what our guest have been saying since we opened on June 19th.

Salmon is still strong with halibuts starting to come in now.

So get off the couch and come out and catch some fish. Prices are great and fishing is best I have seen in five years!

Dave Martin
Marine Operations Manager, Canadian Princess Resort
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island

Awesome opening day, everyone gets Chinook limit

Opening day brought good weather and plenty of fish.

I haven't seen a day like this for many years, with everybody limiting out on Chinooks. We had 120 people on the water opening day and had 240 Chinooks. They ranged from 10 up to an awesome 27 pounder.

We also caught a number of Coho and Ling cod, of which one weighed a whopping 32 lbs! And our season record for haibut is an 85 pounder caught by Dave Gautier.

Wow, what an opening day!

This season has potential to be our best year for salmon fishing in four years.

Fish on and tight lines,

Dave Martin
Marine Operations Manager, Canadian Princess Resort
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island

Fishing in 2009 – Bring It On!

More Chinook are headed our way!

So what does the newly ratified Canada/U.S. Salmon Treaty mean for our guests in 2009? Officials believe it could allow over 50,000 more Chinook to journey down the west coast of B.C. along where Oak Bay Marine Group’s resorts are located. The 10-year agreement calls for an immediate reduction of 15% in the Southeast Alaskan Chinook commercial harvest, and a 30% reduction off the west coast of Vancouver Island. It also places a strong emphasis on conservation, stability of access for all, and sustainability of the Pacific salmon resource.

Another factor that will make 2009 a great year is the 2005 El Niño that made last year's fishing take a little longer between bites has passed. We are coming off four years of warmer ocean temperatures and have just experienced the coldest winter temperature in over 11 years. Colder water temperatures are generally more prosperous when fishing for Chinook and Coho salmon. Add to these improved numbers the reductions in commercial fishing and that means many more fish available for recreational anglers along the B.C. coast.

The Queen Charlotte Islands are in the fabled waters of the northern Pacific Ocean and are a rich environment for countless salmon runs. These fish are here in greater numbers than in the past and with fewer caught commercially; that means solid big spring fishing from beginning of season to the end. The early Chinook are from the Skeena, big northern fish with homes close by. Then, as the season moves on, there are tremendous peaks all summer long with fish feeding locally beginning to move for rivers as far south as the Columbia.

Whether it’s the MV Charlotte Princess, the MV Marabell, or the fully guided MV Salmon Seeker, the Queen Charlottes are where the fish will be and we’re ready for you—be there for the time of your life!

Located 300 miles north of Vancouver, BC, Rivers Inlet is the second biggest salmon fishing pilgrimage next to the Queen Charlotte Islands. If calm, protected, glassy water tops your list in trophy-fishing criteria, Rivers Inlet is the holy land for you. More 50 - 60 pound Chinook salmon are recorded in this 18 mile fjord-like inlet each summer than any other fishery in the province. Fishing at King Salmon Resort is also enhanced by its remoteness and the presence of numerous watersheds for spawning salmon.
Further south, Vancouver Island funnels the big brutes down its outside and inside waters, right past our Painter's Lodge and April Point Resort & Spa in Campbell River and Canadian Princess Resort in Ucluelet. Bigger numbers of these great fish will swell Campbell River's Tyee Pool. Step off the dock and fish in the calming waters of evening as the big ones come on the bite.

And did anyone mention Coho salmon? These "fight-much-larger-than they are" salmon will swarm past Island shores in large schools of fighting silvers this summer. They mingle with the big kings shouldering down the shores on the banks right in front of Ucluelet. Be there for your share of bigger numbers and bigger fish!

This years’ forecast is shaping up to be a great fishing season and we anticipate plenty of full fish boxes and smiling faces at our resorts. At all Oak Bay Marine Group locations guests can enjoy the simple life as the pace of the city is so far away both physically and mentally. This is where a night-time hot tub is the height of luxury and going fishing isn’t just about catching fish.  It’s where socks and sandals aren’t a fashion faux pas, they’re survival gear, and even the rain is a blessing when it brings the fish out to play.

This is the year to get out on the water with friends and family for a trip of a lifetime. Give our friendly reservation coordinators a call at 1-800-663-7090 and let them get you hooked up for 2009!

Vancouver Island Fishing Update

A storm front came in early this week and scattered some of the fish our guests have been enjoying. It also made getting out to the prime fishing grounds of the Big Bank a little challenging.

Good news is on the horizon, though. A high pressure system is coming in for the long weekend and it won't take long for the fish to be found again. As the waters calm we will be going offshore once again to find the fish.

Fish on and tight lines,

Dave Martin
Marine Operations Manager, Canadian Princess Resort
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island Fishing Update

Fish has picked up over the last week, and halibut and Ling cod are especially strong. On one of yesterday's bottom fishing trips, a guest hooked in to a massive halibut. It was so big that it bent both of the gaffs on the boat. Despite playing the fish for three hours our intrepid crew were unable to get the fish in the boat. Our best guess is that it weighed about 150 lbs.

Salmon are picking up in numbers and size. As we move in to the fall the salmon are going to get bigger and more abundant.

Dave Martin
Marine Operations Manager, Canadian Princess Resort
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island