Fishing Charter Experience – The Perfect Gift!
Why Vancouver Island Fishing Charters are the Best
Surrounded by waters teeming with all kinds of sea life, Vancouver Island is a fishing enthusiast’s dream. It’s no wonder that there are so many quality fishing charters offering the chance to hook ‘the big one’.
Even if you have your own fishing yacht, heading out on a fishing charter gives you the chance to focus solely on the catch and leave the other considerations to someone else.
Vancouver Island fishing charters can make a great gift for that aspiring angler in your life too. Book them a trip with one of the Victoria fishing charters and let them bring dinner home with them.
Read on to discover how you can have the fishing trip of your dreams by booking a fishing charter on Vancouver Island.
What is a Fishing Charter?
A fishing charter is an excursion service that is offered by boat owners, professional fishing guides and resorts.
The charter service takes guests out on a fishing boat or yacht – usually to a well-known fishing spot – with the aim of making a big catch.
Charters are usually booked for a set number of hours and may include lunch. Most charters will provide all the equipment you require unless you prefer to bring your own.
What Can You Expect from a Fishing Charter?
An important thing to remember when booking a fishing charter is that you might not spend the entire time fishing.
A good guide will take you and your party to the areas they think will offer the highest possibility of catching fish. You may need to drop your line a few times to see if a spot will yield a catch. If it doesn’t, you’ll move on to another spot.
Ultimately, it’s the guide’s job to give you the best chance to catch fish, wherever that takes you.
Once you hook a fish, staff on the boat will be on hand to help reel it in or provide a catch net. Whatever your level of experience, charter staff want you to have a successful fishing trip.
Tip: Familiarize yourself with the charter’s policies before you book and be clear about what you want to achieve from the excursion. Clear communication will go a long way toward ensuring that you and your party have a fun and successful fishing session.
Duration of Fishing Charters
Fishing charters are typically divided into half-day or full-day excursions, whether you intend to go freshwater or saltwater fishing. While the cost of freshwater fishing charters may fluctuate depending on the location, you can expect saltwater fishing charters to base their rates on the intended catch.
What Fish Can You Catch Around Vancouver Island?
Vancouver Island offers freshwater and saltwater fishing in its many lakes and rivers and along its abundant coastline. While freshwater fishing charters may not be as plentiful as their saltwater counterparts, they are still an option.
With quality saltwater fishing being virtually at your doorstep, going out on the waves is a popular choice for a fishing trip. Vancouver Island’s coastal waters are home to all five species of salmon:
- Coho
- Pink
- Sockeye
- Chum
- Chinook
As well, Halibut, Ling Cod, Pacific Rockfish and Albacore Tuna are all abundant.
Each of these species offers an exciting challenge from locating the best spot to drop your line to fighting to land them.
If you choose a freshwater fishing charter, you can expect to find these species of fish:
- Big Mouth Bass
- Small Mouth Bass
- Brown Trout
- Cutthroat Trout
- Rainbow Trout
- Steelhead Trout
- Dolly Varden
- Freshwater Perch
Where to get a Fishing Charter on Vancouver Island
With so many fishing opportunities on Vancouver Island, you have lots of options for where to do a fishing charter excursion.
To help narrow it down, we’ve listed the best fishing locations below. Why not start with your favourite location and work your way down the list!
Northern Vancouver Island
Kyuquot, Winter Harbour and Port Hardy are three of the best places on Northern Vancouver Island to fish for Salmon, Halibut, and even Albacore Tuna.
Central Vancouver Island
Campbell River is known as the “Salmon Capital of the World.” Nootka Sound, on the opposite side of Central Vancouver Island, is also a quality fishing location if you want Chinook.
Pacific Rim
The area around Tofino, Ucluelet and Port Alberni is a pass-through point for Chinook on their way to their spawning grounds each year.
The Stamp and Somass Rivers in Port Alberni are “the” freshwater fishing spots for Salmon in the fall. You can also catch Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout in the Stamp River year-round and Steelhead in the winter.
Southern Vancouver Island
Fishing charters in Victoria, BC offer year-round salmon and halibut fishing. These two species are also targeted by Sooke fishing charters that explore the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Further north, locals call the Cowichan River “The Fly-Fishing Capital of Canada,” with its many Trout and Coho Salmon runs, whereas Ladysmith offers great access to ocean Halibut and Salmon.
Tips for Picking a Fishing Charter
When it comes to choosing a fishing charter company, you want to find the best possible experience for your money.
When narrowing down a list of potentials, there are some things you can do to help find the right charter for you:
- Know what you want. Know what fish you want to catch before you begin contacting any fishing charters. Most charters tend to focus on one or two fish species.
- Browse their website. Websites are intended to be sources of company information, so browsing their website will help answer questions you might have.
- Read the reviews. Search the internet for independent customer reviews. By reading through these, you will see what kind of reputation the charter has.
- Pick a price. As one of the biggest factors in choosing a fishing charter, the price needs to fit your budget.
Purchasing a Fishing Vessel From Van Isle Marina
Interested in buying your dream yacht? Have a chat with our Van Isle Marina yacht sales team! Contact us today or check out our website’s yacht sale page for our latest listings.
You can also refer to our blog, ‘Best Boats for Fishing’ for some more inspiration on the perfect fishing boat for you.
