Because I love to fish, I love fish stories. I get to fish with people who have salmon fished all over the world, so I hear stories from just about every corner of both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Stories from faraway places like Russia, Japan, and Iceland. And especially stories from Alaska. That’s why I feel so confident stating that Ucluelet has some of the best salmon fishingin the world.

Many places that cater to salmon fishermen are set up to harvest salmon from only one or two river systems. Especially if you are thinking of booking a trip to Alaska, such as a trip to the mighty Kenai River. You have to hope that the fish are in peak season to that one particular river. In Ucluelet, we get to harvest fish from river systems from California all the way to southern Alaska. Back when commercial fishing for salmon was in it’s prime, the water’s off Ucluelet were considered some of the best on the coast. Salmon stocks are recovering nicely, and in many rivers are approaching numbers not seen since the 1950’s. Hundreds of thousands of salmon headed for the Columbia River stop to feed on the banks just off our shores. In 2013, the Columbia River had it’s best return of king (spring) salmon since 1938. And that is just one of the many rivers which supply salmon to our offshore waters. There are still myriads of fish from the Fraser, the Nitnat, Robertsen Creek, the Rogue in Oregon, the Sacremento…the list goes on and on.

Because Ucluelet is so accessible to from just about anywhere in B.C., Washington and Oregon, it is easy to take your fish home with you because even if you are driving, you get home the same day. If you are coming from Alberta, you can still get home before you need to refreeze your vacuum packed fish. Or you can book an inexpensive flight through WestJet and be home even quicker.