When it comes to fishing, there are so many venues and varied species to pursue that even over several lifetimes, one could never hope to experience all our creator has blessed us with.
However, that does not preclude me from plucking a few off the bucket list each summer, regardless of how long it may take to get it done. Kyuquot, B.C. has long been a desired destination and this past summer I was finally able to place a big checkmark next to it.
It is of deep disappointment that in my lifetime, I have witnessed the great demise of Washington coastal sport salmon fishing. Towns like Westport, Ilwaco, Sekiu, Neah Bay and La Push were once famous for their annual summer salmon seasons, with impressive charter fleets that required erstwhile planning to reserve your spot. Sadly, those towns are a mere shadow of their glory days when anglers would come from near and far to chase their favorite quarry.
Fortunately, B.C. sports fishing remains incredibly dynamic and the salmon highway that parallels Vancouver Island provides anglers with some of the best summer fishing to be found anywhere in the world. Bordering the Pacific on the northwestern side of Vancouver Island, Kyuquot Sound is one of B.C.’s premier destinations for saltwater salmon and can only be accessed by boat or plane.
There is likely little to be said about B.C. salmon fishing to those who have already experienced it, and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy and write about many adventures there. That said, every time I venture to B.C., I discover things I didn’t know before, meet people who bring a different perspective and generally feel as though I am experiencing it for the first time all over again. It’s a rare day when this old dog learns a new trick but, on this trip, I did indeed learn a new-to-me technique that was deadly effective. More on that later.
I have enjoyed fantastic fishing out of Port Hardy on several occasions and spent incredible days out of Zeballos in Esperanza Inlet, just to the south of Kyuquot. The further up the island you go, the more remote and incredibly mesmerizing it becomes. Amazingly, it is all within a day’s drive of Seattle. Mileage-wise it’s a fairly short distance, but a border crossing and long ferry ride to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island make it an all-day event to do so.
In its prime, Kyuquot was home to five fish-packing plants and 150 trollers working the area during spring and summer.
On this excursion we would call on Rugged Point Lodge to experience the fantastic
Chinook fishing the area offers on a visit that included two full days and two half
days of fishing. Owners Matt and Kristy Guiguet have built a wonderful sports-fishing operation based on Walters Island in the small hamlet of Kyuquot. As mentioned, getting there requires a float-plane ride or a drive to Fair Harbour where they pick you up for transport by boat to the lodge.
The area has long been a hub of commercial fishing and logging, with a nod to commercial trollers who for generations have used Kyuquot as a base of operations. In its prime, it was home to five fish-packing plants and 150 trollers working the area during spring and summer. Even before that canneries and whaling stations were operating in the area.
Kristy Guiguet is a fourth-generation inhabitant. Her 94-year-old grandfather Esko Kayra was one of the first commercial fisherman in the region along with his own father. After immigrating from Finland, they settled in Bamfield but migrated north to Kyuquot in the summers, eventually moving there permanently, playing a huge role in establishing the community that exists today.
Born and raised in Kyuquot, Kristy and her brother basically grew up on the Northern Bounty, her parents fishing boat. She then ran the local store and post office for a few years, worked odd jobs for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and spent two summers guiding sports-fishermen herself before meeting her husband Matt and starting their own business.
As for Matt, he grew up in Victoria and started his guiding career with Oak Bay Marine, then worked eight years for Weigh West Marine Resort in Tofino. He bought his first Grady White in 1998 and started contracting trips for other lodges while also guiding steelhead trips on the Stamp and Gold rivers before eventually finding his way north to Kyuquot, where he met Kristy.
Bob Peterson and Pete “Gump” Perry at the dock after a fine day of salmon angling.
After renting the old trollers Co-Op building her grandfather built, Matt and Kristy purchased her other grandfather’s house that originally sat on the site the lodge now occupies. In 2010 they demolished that home and in June of 2011 opened the doors of Rugged Point Lodge, their beautiful new fisherman’s paradise. With comfortable rooms, a great staff including a gourmet chef, private dock and fully-guided fishing, you will want for nothing except maybe to rest your tired arms.
The entire region was originally inhabited by indigenous natives. The Kyuquot and Checleseht First Nations are the local bands who have long called the area home. They enjoyed a diverse culture with many trading partners across the islands before European explores and later settlers arrived beginning in the late 1700’s.
First to arrive were the Spaniards with the Brit’s hot on their heels. Many Spanish names on the Island were first bestowed by those intrepid explorers, namely Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra. British explorer Capt. George Vancouver, for whom the island was ultimately named, also designated many of today’s famous landmarks and had a friendly, admiring relationship with Quadra.
At that time, fur was the modern-day equivalent to gold and much of the sea otter population was wiped out by over-zealous trappers indifferent to the needs of the native population. Suffice it to say the otter population has rebounded spectacularly as they could be seen in literally every direction while fishing.
With the introduction of numerous European diseases, in just a few short generations the Kyuquot and Checleseht people were decimated, eventually driven from their ancestral lands to government reserves. Once separate bands, the Kyuquot and Checleseht officially merged in 1962 and are currently self-governing nations under the Maa-nulth Treaty.
Rugged Point Marine Provincial Park marks the southern entrance to Kyuquot Sound. Three major islands, Moketas, Hohoae and Whitely reside within it, while Union Island, the largest of the bunch, guards the main entrance. Like most of the B.C. coast, Kyuquot Sound is an ecological wonderland that feels as though it was just discovered last week.
Joining me on this adventure were regular fishing partners Pete Perry and Bob Peterson, while making his first foray north was our good friend RJ Monfiletto. RJ enjoys salmon fishing out of Edmonds, WA, where he and his brother have a boat moored in the marina. We teased him that after experiencing what real fishing was like, he would forever be looking north-ward to fulfill the itch that Edmonds will never again be able to scratch.
On Monday, July 30 we headed north as far as Campbell River where we over-nighted at the Coast Discovery Inn. Tuesday July 31, we made the 3.5 hour drive from there to Fair Harbour. It is an easy run north on Hwy 19 until such time you have to take the Zeballos cut-off to head over the mountains to the west side of the island. Those last fifty-odd miles are on an active gravel logging road, roughly thirty-miles to Zeballos and twenty more to Fair Harbour. I suggest a good SUV with lots of storage space if you make the trip.
Fair Harbour sits at the end of an inlet in Kyuquot Sound and is nothing more than a big parking lot with a very small store, a boat launch, docks and boat fuel. Upon our arrival we wandered down to find three Rugged Point boats there to haul us, our luggage and coolers back to the lodge. Once all the guests had arrived and been loaded we were off to begin our adventure in earnest.
On the run through Kyuquot Sound toward the lodge, the beauty of your surroundings is immediately impressed upon you. A myriad of channels, islands and rock formations make for a remarkable ride. Eventually the boat slows and you begin a slow troll into gorgeous Walters Cove, a well-protected little oasis where the small community of Kyuquot sits seemingly detached from the rest of civilization.
RJ Monfiletto experiencing his first foray north of his home fishing grounds in Washington State.
We pulled up to the Rugged Point dock and were greeted by lodge staff who were happy to give us a tour with instructions on rooms assignments. They took care of checking licenses and served up a fantastic lunch before our first after-noon of fishing was to commence. We got our guide assignments and at 3:00 p.m. sharp headed immediately back down the dock to get acquainted with our new best friends.
Matt and Kristy have a terrific relationship with the First Nation community. With the exception of Matt himself, all of the Rugged Point guides are descended from the areas original inhabitants, an awe-some collaboration of cultures. Moreover, all of Matt’s First Nation guides are related family members. The two guides we were teamed with were Gary Smith, aka grand-son, and his grandfather Felix Harry. The others were Felix’s brother Stan and Gary’s father Kevin, all of whom are excellent guides who needless to say know the area exceptionally well.
That first afternoon Pete and I teamed up with Gary, while Bob and RJ jumped in with Felix. We were pleasantly surprised when within just a few minutes of running were slowing down again to drop our lines in what proved to be the most productive little bay you can imagine. In seconds, Gary had our flasher/squid rigs trolling near bot-tom around 50’.
Pete, who we long ago nicknamed Gump, is the inspiration for my belief that on its best day, superior skill can’t beat superior luck. Clearly the least accomplished angler among my many friends, by sheer serendipity he always gets the first fish or three, and is usually in contention for the largest as well. Today was no different as five minutes into our first tack, Pete’s rod buckled and a nice 20-pound Chinook was soon flopping on the deck. Twenty minutes later he was tossing its twin into the fish-box as well.
The incoming afternoon tide continued to produce strikes for the Rugged Point boats who were all trolling in the same general area. Matt however was simply drifting and clearly doing something completely different. I wasn’t sure exactly what, but it was working very well for him as they were constantly battling Chinook every time we passed by. The dinner bell finally rang so we called it a day, greatly looking forward to the rack of ribs we knew were waiting.
The author and Bob Peterson with a day’s catch.
The next morning Wednesday Aug 1 we switched up a bit, sending Bob and Pete with Felix while RJ and I teamed up with Gary. Once again Pete got right with the program and boated a sweet 24-pound beauty with Felix, while our crew found the usually good morning bite somewhat elusive. We knew our luck would change in the afternoon as that incoming tide would push bait and fish right into our wheelhouse.
As the low slack tide approached in late morning, we decided to go to work on our halibut limit and set off for the first spot about five miles off shore, anchoring in about 200’ of water. Halibut regulations are somewhat confusing and ever-changing all up and down the coast, but Pete, Bob and I all managed to land keepers of 20, 25 and 35 pounds. RJ on the other hand landed a big bruiser that was well over the current retention length and had to release it.
As early afternoon approached, we knew from the day prior the Chinook bite was going to come on strong, so we headed back inside and got busy. Still needing all four kings for our daily limit, we were counting on getting numerous chances. Between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. we had at least a dozen or so solid strikes, releasing quite a few while indeed finding our four worthy keepers.
Bob and Pete had gone in to take a break before returning late to the salmon grounds needing three more kings as well for their day’s limit. With only about an hour to go before the boats pointed them-selves homeward, I wasn’t sure they had given themselves enough time. I should not have worried however as Gump led the charge on an epic one-hour rally. When Felix tied up at the dock and tossed their salmon into the tote, Bob and Pete had three Chinook near 25 pounds that were all superior to the four RJ and I had kept. Only in northern B.C. can magic like that happen.
Thursday Aug 2, we made the long run out to the salmon highway, where good reports had come from the day before. Located around fourteen miles out in the shipping channel, this is where the commercial trollers work that long trench that salmon use on their migration south. We found it pretty slow fishing for Chinook, where most anglers were trolling deep at 180’ or so, but when I brought my gear up shallow, we couldn’t keep the silvers off the hook.
In June of 2011 Matt and Kristy opened the doors of Rugged Point Lodge, their beautiful new fisherman’s paradise. With comfortable rooms, a great staff including a gourmet chef, private dock and fully-guided fishing, you will want for nothing except maybe to rest your tired arms.
Bob and I had teamed up with Felix for the day and shortly after noon we were bugging him to get us back inside where we knew the chinook would be waiting. He obliged and no sooner did we get our gear down right close along the kelp line when Bob’s rod exploded and the fun began.
Bob and I are experienced salmon anglers so with his permission, we let Felix relax and drive the boat while we ran the downriggers and gear. In a move I still find inexplicable, after three quick consecutive strikes on a green/glow squid, Bob changed it out for a small spoon of some sort.
It took me all of about three seconds to pull up my gear, find a matching flasher and put it on my rig as I wasn’t about to let a hot lure sit on the bench. While Bob’s side of the boat suddenly went quiet, mine got busy quick as that little green/glow squid was the gift that kept on giving.
Around 4:00 p.m. after removing some seaweed off my gear, I dropped it right to the bottom at 50’. The ball bounced bottom so I brought it up ever so slightly. Seconds later the fish I came for ripped it right off the clip. I hammered home the hooks and the behemoth came quickly to the surface, submarining across the stern from right to left and slack-lining me a bit before I could catch up. All of our eyes got big as we realized this was one enormous Chinook.
As soon as I came tight he ran straight away, making the kind of run you dare only dream about, nearly emptying my spool before coming to a stop. I began the long, slow slog of retrieving line back onto the Islander reel. I made good progress as the anticipation of seeing this beast up close had us all pretty pumped.
Kris Olsen and Bob Peterson with a double on live squid.
After what seemed like a week, the flasher was showing about ten feet behind the boat and Bob handed Felix the net, not willing to be responsible for a botched attempt. It was at that very second the unthinkable happened…it politely fell off the hook. For whatever reason, my luck landing the big boys in B.C. continued to be unforgiving.
I have hooked numerous trophy-sized Chinooks all worthy of a place on my office wall, but for the life of me they always manage to evade the net. Whether they run into the kelp, chew through my leader, get eaten by a sea lion, or as in this case merely fall off the hook (all of which have happened), the result is the same. While the loss certainly stung, past letdowns allow me a certain numbness to it. It is however that very rush of battle and the hope of finally landing that wall-hanger that keeps me returning year after year.
On our final morning fishing Friday Aug 3, I finally got to see up close what Matt had been doing the past couple days as he invited me and Bob to join him for a couple hours before having to load our gear for the ride back to Fair Harbour. He explained that squid had invaded the bay and had been there all summer, spawning on a large underwater shoal.
He would start by spending a few minutes each morning jigging live squid and keeping them so in a bucket of fresh sea-water. We could see huge schools of them on the graph so it was easy to know right where to jig. After securing fresh live bait we were ready to go. Using a two-ounce crescent sinker with a five-foot leader to two small treble hooks, he would attach the squid and simply mooch them at fifteen pulls on a dead drift.
Matt instructed us to set the rods in the holder, wait for two quick taps and when the rod tip buried, take a couple quick turns on the reel before grabbing the rod out of the holder. The crippled-looking squid would draw the immediate attention of a Chinook and the strikes came quickly, including several doubles and the largest Chinook landed on our trip at 29 pounds. This was something entirely new to me and I was astounded at the effectiveness of the technique.
It was a pleasure fishing with Matt and his crew, but soon enough it was time to head back to reality and start planning my next adventure to the B.C. coast. There is a monster Chinook with my name on it somewhere that will eventually succumb to a waiting net. For a wonderful experience and some fantastic coastal salmon fishing, visit the crew at Rugged Point Lodge in Kyuquot, B.C. Check them out at ruggedpointlodge.com.
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