Man…time flies.
Hard to believe it’s been 20 years since I started fishing Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy and the world-class angling zone that lay South of Bella Bella and Denny Island.
Those old fishing days were spent aboard the MV Ocean Explorer, a now defunct sport fishing and heli-skiing operation that featured a sweet 110-foot beauty of a ship. She was anchored full-time from June to August, had a solid slate of fishing skiffs and a crusty old fishing head honcho by the name of Chris Carlson.
Now most people outside the British Columbia Central Coast haven’t heard of Carlson. And he prefers it that way! He still remains a local mooching legend who hangs his hat in Bella Coola and keeps a place in the remote reaches of Heiltsuk Territory.
Big salmon were insanely plentiful back then and just about any mooching fool could catch Tyees…or even 50 pounder plus Tyee Grandes. There was no catch-and-release of course. Everything got bonked. And I was as guilty as everyone else two decades ago of putting ridiculously thick Chinook fillets in the freezer that were good for little more than smoking.
Luckily, many of us evolved and realized the importance of putting these big fish back with hopes they’d finish their spawning run to natal rivers and streams. Many of these big fish were Wannock River salmon, a Chinook species I’ve come to cherish over time. More recently a few of us working on the Wannock River Egg Take have encountered adipose-punched released big Chinook salmon and wondered if they were in fact one of our very own eleased Tyees. That is the hope and dream.
Fast forward to today and Big Coast has a fantastic base on Denny Island at the Bella Bella Cannery. Working with the fine folks at Bridgeview Marine and toiling as Mercury Marine Factory Pilot, it’s an incredible jumping off point for boating and angling adventure.
To the South lay legendary tacks such as Spider Island and its many angling compatriots from Purple Bluff and Southern Goose Group down to Hakai Pass. It’s one of my favourite zones in the whole wide world. Heiltsuk Traditional Territory and breathtakingly beautiful.
I love the run down Lama Passage and everything about Denny Island to Hakai. It’s simply special and one of the most gratifying places to run a boat and wet a line on the BC Coast.
Kick back and pour a coffee…or crack a cold one.
