I’ve been a guide working in Barkley Sound for the past 23 seasons, and over that time I’ve run day charters based out of Port Alberni, placed guests into various Barkley Sound lodges, and in recent years moved my guests over to Eagle Nook Resort because it’s the right fit for my guests’ experience.

I’m often asked by customers who are inquiring about booking charters what they should consider to get the most out of their experience. Helping guests book the right fishing guide and lodge can be challenging, as a lot depends upon exploring what they’re looking for.

For some guests, it’s simple—catch fish and have fun. However, even working with straightforward expectations opens a whole host of very important questions for both the guest and the guide or lodge operator. In this article I will attempt to cover some of the more important considerations for those hiring a guide or booking a lodge experience.

Managing Your Fishing Trip Expectations

Perhaps the most important element of effective trip planning starts with developing a thorough understanding of your expectations—establishing what is important to you is a critical first step, followed by investigating what each choice in guide and lodge operation has to offer. Based on my experience as a guide, here’s a top-10 checklist of things that you should consider when planning your next fishing adventure with one of our many amazing service providers in BC.

Checklist for Booking a Guided Fishing Trip on Coastal BC

Species Targeting—What Dates Should You Book?

The fishing season is long, stretching from March to October depending on species and run timing for each specific area. Availability of good fishing is often very time-specific for each area. Decide what species is most important for you and ask your guide or lodge for their best advice as to when peak abundance timing takes place. Wrong place, wrong timing could impact fishing experience.

Weather/Sea Conditions & Timing

Another critical factor to consider is trying to match the likely weather conditions to ensure you’re going to be comfortable. For example, in Barkley Sound some of the best Chinook fishing can be inside the Sound in protected waters during June and again in August to early September. In July, some of the best fishing is often along the outside edges of Barkley Sound or offshore where there is more exposure to ocean swells. If fishing in calm protected waters is an important consideration to avoid motion sickness, it’s best to plan your trip when fishing inside those protected waters is expected to be good. It’s best to plan your trip around matching the fishing and environmental conditions.

For some guests, getting offshore to encounter both salmon and halibut are important elements of their expectations. Weather conditions vary, and there are generally points in the season where offshore conditions are more favourable.

No guide has control over sea and weather conditions. Safe operation is the most critical element of any trip. There is a saying in aviation that also fits fishing: “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.” A good practice for both guides and guests is to have a close look daily at anticipated sea conditions, then plan accordingly—together. Good guides will always discuss anticipated weather and fishing conditions, then work with guests to form a fishing plan and offer choices that balances safety and fishing opportunities.

Size of Fish (Salmon)

For some guests, size matters. There are times in the season where the fishing can be excellent, but the average size of fish you encounter will be smaller. If fun catching a lot of fish is an important element of your expectations, choose a time where you’re likely to encounter more abundant fish. In Barkley Sound, June is often one of the more forgotten but productive periods where we encounter higher numbers of hatchery fish originating from Puget Sound—they are smaller in average size than fish you might encounter in August, but if action is what you desire, this can be an exciting fishery. Every area has peak periods where certain species opportunities are good—ask your guide or lodge to help you find what you’re looking for.

Restrictions & Regulations

DFO implements several fishery restrictions for various areas and times to manage risk with stocks of concern. These restrictions can take the form of non-retention of Chinook or other species, size restrictions or slot limits, seasonal or area closures, etc. Management restrictions are usually posted on the DFO recreational fishing web page, however not all in-season restrictions are posted early in the season when most people plan trips. Local knowledge is an important tool, so connect with your guide or lodge to get their sense of any potential likely restrictions.

What’s Included with a Fishing Trip?

This is a big topic. Every operator has certain things they include (or don’t include) in their fishing packages. It’s always good practice to get clarification up front to avoid disappointment. Ask, “What will a typical fishing day entail? How long will we be out (departure times/return times)?”

Key Questions

Is fish processing included?

Many lodges, like Eagle Nook, offer this with their fishing packages, which can save you fish processing expenses later and ensure your catch lasts throughout the winter.

Is the vessel equipped with a marine head?

Not all are, and if this is an important consideration, it’s best to ask prior to the trip.

What kind of fishing gear is included?

Bait, lures, quality of rods and reels, etc. – not all fishing equipment is created equal, and good top-end equipment can make a significant difference to your fishing experience.

Do you cater to dietary restrictions?

If you are staying at a lodge and have restrictions, ensure the lodge is prepared to meet your needs.

What’s the trip cancellation policy?

While no one plans to cancel a trip, unforeseen circumstances can come up, so it’s always good to clarify the policy so that everyone is on the same page with their expectations.

What are the sleeping arrangements?

Are you sharing a room with one of your friends? Do they snore? Should you bring ear plugs? This is more common than you can imagine.

Safety & Insurance

Transport Canada requires commercial charter operators to comply with small commercial vessel safety regulations and have a valid charter insurance policy on board the vessel. Operators are required to display a blue Transport Canada vessel safety decal on their vessel and complete annual safety inspections to ensure compliance to the regulations. Each vessel must have safety equipment on board, and your guide is required to complete a pre-trip departure safety briefing to help guests become familiar with where safety equipment is located and safety procedures to follow in the event of an emergency.

Additionally, many guides have completed the Certified Tidal Angling Guide (CTAG) program, which ensures they comply with safety regulations requiring them to possess a minimum of 750 hours supervised guiding operation, and pass an exam to demonstrate proficiency. CTAG members are also monitored to ensure ongoing certification requirements are updated, such as Marine First Aid. To see if your guide is a CTAG member, you can search the Sport Fishing Institute of BC website.

Pro Tip: Weather conditions often change considerably day to day, and within the day. Ask your guide or lodge what clothing choices best match the usual conditions.

Pro Tip: Plan ahead for potential motion sickness if you will be fishing in waters that are subject to ocean swells. There is nothing worse than sea sickness, especially when there are really good, reliable medications available at your local pharmacy! Suffering is optional.

Should You Tip A Fishing Guide?

Guides often find this topic difficult to discuss, because our main interest is to ensure your experience is the best we can provide. Tips are optional, but very welcome. From a guide’s perspective, tips really signal feedback on how the guide and lodge staff did creating a memorable experience. A good approach is to look at tipping in a similar fashion as you would when out for a good dinner—the hospitality sector average range is 15 to 20%. If staying at a lodge, please also consider the lodge staff who work hard to serve you, making your overall experience memorable.

Local Knowledge & Experience

Selecting guides and lodges often comes down to what they offer in terms of local knowledge and experience. I have encountered guides who have many years of experience, however they have not grown their skills commensurate with time on the water. Length of experience isn’t always a proxy for knowledge, but it is a good starting place. Beyond years in the game, you should also consider reading reviews to see what other guests say about a lodge or guide. Are they connected to a network of other guides? Real-time, on-water information is often the difference between “You should have been here yesterday” and “There’s a hot bite over there, let’s go.” Another good approach is to ask friends for recommendations on who they hear offers good value and experience.

Good guides will do their best to be innovative, work the gear looking for the right combo, and stay connected with their network of guides to stay informed on rapidly changing conditions and fishing hot spots. I’ve known many top guides over the years, and they all have one consistent quality: attention to detail. The best guides study fish patterns, watch, learn, experiment, and adapt.

Despite the best experience and intentions, every guide (if they are honest) can and will have a bad day. Often the difference between catching or not depends on making the right choices–right time, right place, right lure is a tricky combination to meet every time out. Good guides will quickly regroup either in the moment or the next day to make adjustments. Look for guides that exhibit those qualities.

Value: Price VS. Experience

These days everyone is looking around for the best deal–but is it really? If the price is way lower than other operators, you may want to ask why, and what is the difference in experience? Are they going to save on gas by limiting how far they will go to put you on the location where fishing is better or offers greater opportunity to catch different species? Often when you break down what is offered—comparing things such as what is included, like fish processing, quality of vessel, fishing equipment, and experience of the guide—the additional cost is money well spent!

In other words, make a list of what you are hoping to accomplish in your fishing experience, and then match that to what you learn by investigating what different charter operators or lodges have to offer. The price also needs to match your expectations in terms of quality experience.

Ethics

Finally, another good consideration is asking your guide or lodge operator how they operate ethically and sustainably. Are they engaged in fishery conservation efforts? Do they contribute fishery data to help DFO better manage our fishery to ensure it is sustainable? In other words, how they “give back” supporting conservation and sustainable fisheries says a lot about whether they actually care about the fishery resource and future generations of guests. It can also say a lot about how they as a service provider will take extra care to create a truly memorable fishing experience.

We all want to have a great time on the water, and making sure there is a clear understanding in advance of the trip is the best way to ensure that happens.

This article appeared in Island Fisherman Magazine. Never miss another issue—subscribe today!