There are many salmon fishing resorts on the BC Coast to choose from and each have their own unique qualities. However there are few that have been around for more than 20 years and even fewer that have been a fishing hub for over 60 years!

There is only one place that I am aware of, and as you might have gathered by the pictures surrounding this article, it is Shearwater Resort and Marina. 60 years of being a fishing hub and central supply community supporting BC’s remote Central Coast region.

Whales of all types, Sea Lions, Seals, Sea Otters, Dolphins, Porpoises, Grizzly, Black, and Spirit Bears, Wolves, and countless species of birds consider this region their home. Lets not forget the 5 species of Salmon, Halibut and bountiful Groundfish. It is no wonder that the first peoples of this area decided to settle here so long ago. This is also likely the reason that the Widsten family decided to take the plunge and purchase Shearwater from the Federal Government at the conclusion of WWII in 1947. The Shearwater story is unique in itself; imagine how many experiences that Shearwater has provided to people over the last 60 years?

Guests are shuttled from Vancouvers South Terminal airport onboard a 50 passenger plane direct to Shearwaters 3000’ paved airstrip then followed by a quick 8 minute to the Great Bear Lodge, Shearwaters newly constructed waterfront land based guest lodge, where each guest has their own bedroom and share a bathroom with the room next to them.  From there it is a brief walk to the guests’ private lounge on the 2nd floor of the Fishermen’s Bar & Grill, a sizeable 4000 sq ft lounge where we have our meals, rewind after the days fishing and tell the stories of the ones that didn’t get away!

Located in front of the Great Bear Lodge is the sports fishing dock where the lodge & guide boats are moored, each morning the lodge boats are assigned and the helpful dock staff point out which boats are for whom, however being that the package includes 25% guided fishing, some guests are pointed towards the guide boats.  This is the part that I like as being semi-guided; it allows me the time to be out on my own but then the opportunity to have that guide for bottom fishing or simply to tap in to their vast knowledge of their fishing area.

Getting to the fishing grounds is easy.  It’s the choice of where to go that is the hardest part.  Today our choice is Cultis Sound, about a 35 minute ride on calm waters.  Enroute we spot a small pod of humpback whales feeding along the shores of Hunter Channel, a true sight to behold!

Cultis is know for its consistent production of big salmon due to the structure and baitfish inherently present, just like some of the 20 other available fishing areas surrounding Shearwater.  We baited up one side with a cut plug herring and lowered that to 50’ and chose to throw on a chrome/green glow coyote spoon on the other rod and once we dropped that down to 40’ the other rod quickly popped off the downrigger and with the rod doubled over we were tasked with getting the rod out of the rod holder to slow down this monster!  After a solid 20 minutes of fighting, we were rewarded with what turned out to be the first tyee of the group, a nice 32lb Chinook!   Throughout the day we caught and released other smaller Chinook and boated a few 12-14lb Coho for our fish box and had discussions on going for Halibut the following day.

Once back at the sports fishing dock, we are guided in to our berth by the dock crew, fish tubs are provided for our catch which we then tag up with our assigned guest number.  The fish are immediately weighed, marked up on the “brag” board and then the guides make quick work of filleting, vacuum packaging and flash freezing our fish, something that impressed me as this is an included option, something that not all lodges offer to their guests without an additional charge. We hang up our gear in the dry room and are off for a relaxing soak in their hot tub overlooking the bay prior to dinner.  It’s just not another beautiful and successful day on the waters surrounding Shearwater in the Great Bear Rainforest on the Central Coast of BC; it’s the beginning of our adventure for many years to come!

The meals are superb with no one leaving the dining area felling hungry, homemade deserts, fresh racks of lamb, fresh seafood, fresh fruit & veggies, etc…the guests are treated like one of the family and the kitchen crew are more than happy to prepare what you may be seeking. 

Our halibut excursion is something that I’m looking forward to, as we are heading out fishing with Mike Pfortmueller, Shearwater Resort & Marina lodge manager, his boat is a 26’ Kingfisher – a true fishing machine!  The trip out to the fishing grounds didn’t seem long in the comfort of his boat (the interior diesel heater helped out) and soon enough we were anchoring in 350’ of water just 40 minutes NW of the lodge.  With three hali rods quickly baited up with salmon bellies it didn’t take long for the 16oz weights to reach the bottom with hopes of being a tasty meal for the numerous halibut or other ground fish in the area.  We were quickly rewarded with a nice 10lb Yelloweye rock fish (or red snapper), then that was followed up with an 18lb Ling Cod and then a small chicken Halibut, which we released.  It didn’t take long to fill the fish locker with halibut, snappers and ling cod and not wanting to head back to the lodge just yet, Mike offered up the option to start trolling back to shore as he noted lots of baitfish in the area, something we quickly agreed to.

Not having trolled for salmon this far offshore, I was a bit weary at what our success would actually be, but that was short lived as we were soon in to Coho!  After turning lose close to 10 in just under an hour we had our first quadruple header…this was action at its finest as there were only three of us onboard and Mike was kept busy bringing in the downriggers plus trying to untangle the lines after the Coho darted this way and that way behind the boat.  I was impressed at our untapped abilities as we were successful in landing all four Coho!

 To sum things up, there are plenty of interesting experiences and stories waiting to happen at Shearwater. Chances are that you will bump into someone who has been there and has a compelling story to tell about the Central Coast. I would say that there are 10’s of thousands of people that have stories like these from the last 60 years from an area that really is the hub of fishing both historically and currently on the wild BC Coast. Take advantage of the convenience of visiting a resort that has all of the amenities of a small town including their own land based airstrip, Bar & Grill, Hotel, Lodge, Liquor Store, Post Office, and a crew of locals that know how to provide Central Coast hospitality like no other destination. Book your Shearwater Experience today!

A trip to Shearwater won’t break the bank.  They are all things to all people, catering to all levels of sports fishermen.  I recommend you “Catch the Shearwater Experience!”

Visit www.shearwater.ca to view videos related to this story and get information on your own Shearwater Experience.

Yours truly,
Barry Petrie