HOOKED ON TOFINO

  • Story and Photos by Mike Benbow / Herald Writer
  • Friday, August 13, 2004 9:00pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

I n 1993, Tofino was little more than a tiny logging and fishing community on the west side of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island.

Then the protesters came. By the thousands.

An estimated 12,000 people came out to protest for months against large-scale logging in the lush, old-growth rainforests of Clayoquot Sound. About 800 people were arrested, but massive logging was stopped.

And the community hasn’t been the same since. Tofino has embraced the change with a vengeance, turning itself into an active tourist center that focuses on a wide range of outdoor activities.

Still a small community, Tofino has 1,630 year-round residents.

But that’s just for starters.

Shawn Bennett, marine manager for Weigh West Resort in Tofino, said another 1 million tourists drop by each year, including large numbers of people who participate in activities such as kayaking, birding and, of course, fishing.

Salmon fishing through Weigh West is what brought me and seven other fly fishers to Tofino in late July. And we weren’t disappointed.

Tofino is a major feeding area for salmon heading down from Alaska to rivers in Canada and the United States. The kelp beds surrounding the area’s broken islands provide shelter for bait fish, and the salmon can often be found feeding near the kelp in relatively shallow water – a scenario that gives anglers with unweighted or lightly weighted flies a unique opportunity to find salmon and catch them.

And catch them we did, either casting baitfish patterns into the kelp or slowly trolling the flies just below the surface about 10 feet behind the boat’s motor. The theory is that the turbulence from the motor attracts the fish, they see your fly and they eat it.

The trolling method is called “bucktailing” and it often works exceeding well. It was incredibly exciting to see a salmon suddenly show up behind your fly, following it with its dorsal fin poking out of the water like a shark and then attack your fly.

Our group had a range of people experienced in boating and fishing, including at least one person who’d never fly fished.

He was soon catching plenty of fish, thanks to Weigh West’s program, which puts two people in a boat and then hooks them up with a “fish master” who leads the group to likely areas, explains the techniques and keeps an eye out for weather changes to ensure safety.

While he watched the weather, we enjoyed the wildlife.

A day didn’t go by when you didn’t see eagles, porpoises or sea lions sitting on the rocky islands or following the boat.

Other activities:

Sea kayaking. Kayaking is very popular in Tofino because of its extensive wildlife and because its many islands provide protection from the heavy seas in the open ocean. A very popular trip is a paddle to Meares Island and a hike to the Hanging Garden Cedar, a tree believed to be 2,000 years old with a circumference of more than 60 feet.

Whale watching. Pods of killer whales, migrating gray whales and humpback whales all roam through the area. A number of companies, including Weigh West, feature whale tours on comfortable boats.

Surfing. The Long Beach area is a popular surfing spot with world class waves and surfing camps for adults and youth that provide dialy lessons. The best waves are in winter, produced by some serious storms. But summer surfing can be lots of fun. Long Beach is also popular for wind surfing.

Ocean fishing. Fly fishing is only a small part of the scene in Tofino. Weigh West and a number of other companies provide charter boats for gear fishermen. The first chinook salmon show up in April and fishing for salmon, halibut and other species is strong into October.

Herald writer Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459 or benbow@heraldnet.com.

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