Fishing
Fishing at sunset (Picture BC photo)
Port Alberni bills itself as "the salmon capital of the world" on a welcome sign at the outskirts of town.
While the claim isn't quantifiable and has generated some friendly rivalry with Vancouver Island neighbor Campbell River for bragging rights, it's certainly true that sports fishing is a major year-round attraction here.
In 2010, Port Alberni was awarded the title of Canada's "Ultimate Fishing Town" in a contest by the World Fishing Network, a television network devoted to fishing.
Fishing Hotspots and Guided Outings
Fish with rod and reel from Victoria Quay, Sproat Lake, and the banks of the Stamp and Somass rivers. Visitors can launch boats and clean their catches at the Clutesi Haven Marina (at the foot of town next to the Somass). Or they can use a local merchant (i.e. St. Jean's Cannery & Smokehouse, among others) to prep, package, and ship fish back home.
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Another option: Embark on an ocean or river adventure with one of the area's many charter operators as far west as Bamfield and Barkley Sound on the open Pacific. Halibut and sockeye runs begin in June and July. Larger (up to 40lb/18kilo) chinook reach the Alberni Inlet in August and the river systems a month later. Coho fishing peaks in late August just in time for the town's annual salmon derby and festival on the Labour Day weekend.
Charter Operators & Fishing Gear
Best spots to track down a pro guide with saltwater in their veins and a powerboat at their disposal are the info racks at the Visitor Centre and the town's leading outfitter, Gone Fishin' (5069 Johnston Road). The staff at the latter are experts on local fish hotspots. The store carries salt and freshwater fishing gear along with licences and bait.
Murphy Sportfishing is a multi-generation family business offering salt and freshwater outings; vacation packages may include a stay at the company's own log-constructed Riverside Lodge next to the Stamp River. Other leading charter operators include Slivers Charters Salmon Sports Fishing, Last Cast Guiding and Reel Time Sportfishing.
Where to Begin
Brush up on salmon info and lore at the display boards outside the Visitor Centre (2533 Port Alberni Highway). The Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nation has relied on these Omega 3-enriched marvels as a food source and cultural totem for millennia. The Henderson, Nitinat and Robertson Creek hatcheries release hundreds of thousands of salmon and steelhead trout annually into the Somass watershed.
The commercial fishery has declined here as elsewhere, but gillnetters and purse-seine boats continue to chase sockeye in the calm waters of the Alberni Inlet as far as Haggard's Cove. Trollers hook coho, sockeye and chinook in Barkley Sound and Kyuquot Sound in the Bamfield/Ucluelet area.
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