We set out mid-afternoon aboard the Barkley Princess on a Wildlife and Whale Watching cruise through Barkley Sound and the Broken Group Islands.  Although the sky was grey, the weather was favourable and the swells were minimal.  We saw a lot of different marine life on this trip including sea lions, a Gray whale, harbour seals, and a bald eagle.  In this Dock Talk I’m going to tell you about the sea lions.

We moved out of Ucluelet's Inner Boat Basin and into the harbour.  I loved seeing the village of Ucluelet from the water, gaining a new perspective on this quaint seaside fishing village.  Our guide explained the workings of Ucluelet’s busy harbour as we passed dock after dock, massive steel commercial fishing boats, and working fish plants.

It was on the dock of one of the fish plants that we caught a glimpse of our first sea lions, but it definitely wasn’t the last we’d see of them.  These California sea lions were sun bathing on the dock, some barking savagely and diving into the water searching for any fish that might have dropped during the latest commercial fishing boat unloaded.

Our first stop outside of the Ucluelet Harbour was Sea Lion Rock.  It obviously got that name for being a popular place for both California and Stellar sea lions. 

The rock was completely covered in them!  California sea lions are the type you typically see at zoos or aquariums.  They look like larger seals with smooth dark grey or brown skin, longer noses and an obvious playfulness.  The California sea lions at this rock were flipping around in the water, diving in and waving their fins out of the water.  Our guide told us that they often float with their fins out of the water to help keep them warm as the air temperature is often warmer than the water temperature.

Stellar sea lions are often larger than California sea lions.  They are lighter in colour, sort of a fuzzy tan-brown with shorter more dog-like snouts and noses.  The enormous males were spread out on the rock like a mass of furry fat, occasionally lifting up its upper body, throwing its head in the air and letting out a massive roar!  Males are known to establish their territory and on a rock with so many sea lions on it, I can see that being a difficult task!

Our tour took us through the Broken Group Islands, a group of over 100 islands and inlets that are a part of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.  On our way there we saw a distant Gray whale spouting out of its blow hole and showing off its tail as it dove into the water.  In the islands we saw a giant bald eagle’s nest and watched its resident eagle circle the boat, high in the air.

As we returned to the Canadian Princess docks we passed the first sea lions at the fish plant.  A California sea lion raised its head into the air and started barking.  Maybe he was welcoming us home?

Smooth sailing everyone!

Amy

It was a great day for the birthday boy!  John Marchbank celebrated his 82nd birthday aboard the Barkley Princess.  Visiting Ucluelet from Calgary, he was fishing with his son and grandson.  He reeled in the Catch of the Day, a Chinook salmon weighing just over 14 pounds.

"It put up a good fight!" said John.  "It was my second catch of the day and I was the only one that caught fish!"

That wasn't the only lucky streak for John on his birthday.  The Barkley Princess was treated to a wildlife show.  A group of Humpback whales were spotted breaching, jumping completely out of the water and crashing their massive bodies back into the water with a mighty splash. 

Everyone at the Canadian Princess Resort would like to thank the Marchbanks for fishing with us.  We would like to wish John a very happy birthday and hope to see you next year too!

Tight Lines,

Amy

May long weekend is usually the ‘official’ start to the summer season.  The Canadian Princess Resort just opened on May 16^th.  This long weekend is a kick off to another amazing summer of fishing, wildlife and whale watching, and exploring the beautiful coast in Ucluelet, BC.  We hope you join us soon!

We already have fishing trips going out every morning, hauling in the likes of salmon, halibut, ling cod and rock fish.  You have the option between our powerful deep sea Delta cruisers, complete with a full cabin, hot drinks and bathroom; or get a little closer to the action in one of our 20’ Boston Whaler Outrages.  Both options are fully guided fishing charters, offering 7 hours of fishing with experienced guides in one of the most productive fishing grounds on the west coast of Canada.

Local reports have indicated that Barkley Sound has been very productive for Chinook salmon.  The 4^th Annual Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby has been underway since May first with many salmon weighing in the high teens and with the biggest being between 20 to 28 pounds.  Seeing Chinook come in at that poundage is good for this time of year and we know the salmon will continue to get bigger as the season progresses.  

Halibut season runs the same as the salmon season in BC, from May to September.  These giant flounders can reach incredible weights and are a sport fisher’s dream!  They are not quite fighters like salmon but their awkward flat and heavy diamond shaped bodies make them hard to haul up.  Once you have your halibut on the boat you’ll agree it was well worth the effort!

Check back to the Canadian Princess Resort’s Dock Talk blog often.  We will be filling you in on fishing reports, the catch of the day, whale and wildlife watching reports, and other great stories from wild west coast of Vancouver Island.

Tight Lines!

Amy

Check out a new promotional video for the Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort courtesy of Noelle Nicholls - The Domestic Tourist. Keep in mind, now is great time to make your bookings to "Escape to the Cape!".

We've been busy at Cape Santa Maria Resort in the Bahamas and we are gearing up for a great season at our BC Resorts!

We want to share all our latest news with you and our Winter/Spring Coastal Currents is hot off the press!  (download the pdf. version)

Thank you everyone - It was a GREAT Season! 

We want to share the highlights with you and invite you to take a look at our latest newsletter.

Our Fall/Winter Coastal Currents is hot off the press!

click to download the pdf. version

It was a great way to finish off the fishing season at the Canadian Princess Resort.  The Long Beach Princess arrived at the docks with a deck full of rock fish and Chinook salmon.  They were returning from an afternoon trip with Skipper Don and deckhand Koko.  Crowds gathered on the dock and along the railing of the Canadian Princess as we all watched them unload their impressive haul.

The guests on the Long Beach Princess had all limited out on their Chinook salmon.  They also caught about 30 rock fish.  Our dockhands had their work cut out for them that late afternoon, filleting and preparing the fish for our guests to take home.  Our guests should have enough fish to last them for months, or at least until next season.

“We had a great season,” said Brian Clarkson, General Manager of the Canadian Princess Resort.  “Trips like these happened more than once!”

We noticed an amazing amount of women and girls participating in sport fishing this year, more than previous years.  Several of the CP’s fishing ladies qualified for and participated in the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby and its big Fish Off last weekend.  Congratulations!

“I am happy to see an increase in our female anglers.  From little girls to grandmothers they’re all on our boats catching fish!  We are also happy to announce that we are contributing to that trend in the fishing industry and have a new female Skipper.  Jacqueline is joining the ranks!” said Clarkson.

We want to thank Skipper Harvey for sharing all of his wisdom and expertise with Jacqueline as she completed the training to get her licence and officially become a skipper near the end of this summer.  Thank you Harvey and congratulations to Jacqueline.  We are looking forward to your first full season in 2013.

“I would also like to congratulate the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby for completing their third year.”  Clarkson continued, “They’ve had more participation year after year and lots of community sponsorship support.”

The Canadian Princess Resort has been a sponsor of the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby since its first season in 2010.

Although the fishing season has closed, on shore accommodation is still available until September 30^th.  Anyone interested in doing a group fishing trip or nature tours are to contact Brian Clarkson.  Special trips and tours can be booked into the shoulder season.  Call 250-726-7771.

 Brian Clarkson ended our conversation with this: “Tight lines and sharp hooks to all the guests, crew, and colleagues!”

See you next year,

Amy

Have you ever heard the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’?  Well how about ‘it takes a group to reel in a fish’?

That was the case today on the Long Beach Princess.  Troy Aubin, our Albertan neighbor from Rocky Mountain House, hooked a salmon that gave the whole boat a fish fishing experience.  The fish hit the bait and while he was reeling it in it ran completely under the boat in the opposite direction, swimming around everyone’s lines on the other side of the boat.  The lines tangled tighter and tighter until eventually Troy’s line broke.

Thankfully, and hilariously enough, there were so many other lines caught on the line that was still hooked in the salmon’s mouth that the entire group got to reel in this fish.  They are calling it a community catch!  For it being the last official day of fishing at the Canadian Princess Resort, I really love the sound of that.

So here is Troy with his community fish.  It was the Catch of the Day weighing in at 17lbs-01oz.

I was at the Ucluelet Salmon Festival at the Village Green on the waterfront when I saw the Long Beach Princess and Ucluelet Princess come in from their last day of fishing for the season.  I watched them slowly move past the festival in the harbour with a heavy heart.  We had such a great season, made so many new friends, heard so many amazing fish tales, and I’ll admit to being a little sad that it is all over.

Well, I guess it’s not completely over yet!  Shore rooms at the Canadian Princess Resort are still available starting at just $99 based on double occupancy until the end of this month.  I have a sneaking suspicion that if you came with a group and really wanted to do some shoulder season fishing...we could probably find a Skipper and boat for you too.

Let’s just keep that in mind! 

Gone Fishing,

Amy

There was a lot of action out at Big Bank for the Nootka Princess.  Skipper Lynette was at the helm while her deckhand Chris moved from reel to reel helping contestants of the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby’s Fish Off boat their fish.  Although none of the fish ranked in the top three spots this happy crew had a REEL adventure the last couple of days.  Friendships were made, fish were caught, and there were a whole lot of happy faces tonight on the dock.

The weather was less than favourable this morning for the second day of the Fish Off.  We all left the harbour and immediately entered a blinding sheet of fog.  The winds threatened at 25 knots and the chop was definitely up, but that didn’t stop this crew from getting offshore and registering fish into this annual derby.

Meanwhile, Skipper Harvey navigated around Barkley Sound trolling for salmon on the Boston Whaler #5.  His guest Carol Frahm was looking for derby contending fish as well.  She called in two fish this afternoon, one caught at Beg Island and the other outside of George Fraser Island.  When I talked to her and her husband later this afternoon she said they had a great time out on the water and are actually heading out again with Skipper Harvey aboard the Ucluelet Princess tomorrow morning.

So who won the derby?

Mike Tait took first place with a 23lbs-13oz fish.  In second place was Rick Williamson who caught a 22lbs-120z salmon and in third was Cliff McCool with a Chinook that weighed 19lbs-11oz.  It was a great event and we thank the staff of the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby for their dedication to the sport fishing community, salmon enhancement, and the community of Ucluelet.

To celebrate the Ucluelet Salmon Enhancement Society is holding the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby tomorrow from 11AM-4PM at the Village Green (200 Main Street, Ucluelet).  If you are in town we invite you to join us for a salmon BBQ, live music, beer gardens, children’s activities, educational programming, and the closing ceremonies for the derby.

Gone Fishing, (yes, still)

Amy

I saw their smiles before I even saw their fish!  I was on the water today and saw an Oak Bay Marine Group Boston Whaler Outrage in the distance.  We decided to drive over there and say hello.

We were greeted by Dave Wei and Suzanne Clouthier fishing with Skipper Dave Hunter on the Boston Whaler #3.  Dave is a popular sports fishing writer and was preparing a piece on the Canadian Princess Resort’s new Boston Whaler operation.

Yesterday he was fishing on the Long Beach Princess and landed a coho.  Today he caught 4 salmon and a Halibut out at South Bank.  He had just finished reeling in his salmon Catch of the Day when we pulled up to say hello.

It weighed in at 20lb-01oz.  His Halibut weighed 12lb-01 oz.  When we asked Dave what he will remember from his trip to Ucluelet he said, “Great weather, food, accommodations, friendly staff and a fabulous day of fishing...oh, and Ucluelet has some lovely shops, too."

As a seasoned fishermen Dave told us the story of how he once introduced the then rookie guide Dave Hunter to how easy it is to catch big fish and lots of fish in Ucluelet.  We see proof of that every day at the Canadian Princess Resort!

Thanks for fishing with us Dave!  We are looking forward to your article.

Gone Fishing,

Amy