If you’d like to take a break to fishing, there’s plenty more to do — both on and off the boat.

You can bring your kayak along for the ride, and paddle along the coastline for a nice quiet experience with nature. Along the way, you can scour nearby beaches for hidden treasures by going on some beachcombing expeditions.

Also, be sure to bring your camera along. The scenery is incredible, especially when the sun is setting. There are also plenty of opportunities to take pictures of eagles, herons, sea lions and, once in a while, bears.

Photo credit: Ian Neilson

The size of fish on the North Coast of B.C. is unparalleled.Whether you’re after unbeatable salmon fishing, halibut fishing, crab, shrimp, or prawns, you’ll probably reach your limit. You also don’t have to worry about whether your fish are too big for the quota, because the fishing limits are based on heads, not weight.

On your fishing trip around  the North Coast, you’ll enjoy the freshest of seafood, comfortable quarters, and a large deck fishing area. Our recent record catches were a 58-pound spring salmon and a halibut weiging in at over 200 pounds!

For information on fishing quotas, click here.

We use top-of-the-line gear that are upgraded every year. You will be fishing on Shimano rods and Penn or Islander reels, which are good-quality gear for catching salmon & halibut., which are good-quality rods for both salmon & halibut. We also use two Scotty and two Canon downriggers.

A 16-foot Zodiac rubber boat can also be rigged with two downriggers and a sounder.

You may also bring your own gear if you desire.

Prince Rupert

Set amidst stunning scenery, where tree-carpeted mountains rise suddenly from the Pacific Ocean, Prince Rupert has evolved into one of the best hubs for charter fishing on the west coast of British Columbia. The abundant fishing grounds of Chatham Sound, Dundas Island and Work Channel are just a short boat ride away, so the city is used as a starting point by a large portion of the charter fishing industry.

Prince Rupert’s harbour is the third-deepest natural ice-free harbour in the world, which has brought a lot of industry to the city; along the lively waterfront are canneries, terminals for raw-material shipment, and a container port. It also features all the amenities of the big city, including great restaurants, a variety of retail stores, and a world-class museum.

As a transportation hub, Prince Rupert is the most convenient destination to begin your fishing charter. You can decide to take a short boat ride to the nearby fishing spots, or you can use the city as a starting point on your way to Haida Gwaii.

Haida Gwaii

Once called the “Queen Charlotte Islands,” this blade-shaped archipelago off the coast of Northern B.C. has been officially renamed “Haida Gwaii” — or, “Place of the People” in the local Haida language.

While on our tours, you’ll be surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world in Northern B.C. Along the verdant coastlines, you’ll see 1,000 year-old trees. You may also see bears, bald eagles, seals, sea lions, killer whales, and humpback whales.

If you’d like to take a break from fishing, you can spend a day beachcombing for treasures, then relax for an evening under the Northern Lights. We can also make arrangements to visit local Haida villages as well.

Anyox

Located north of Prince Rupert in Observatory Inlet, Anyox was once a bustling mining town in the early 20th century. When copper prices dropped during the Great Depression, the town’s population shrank to nothing; by the 1940s, Anyox had become one of the many ghost towns that dot the landscape of British Columbia.

Today, only a few rusted shells of buildings remain as memories of what the town used to be. However, there have mineral explorations in the area, as well as discussions into refurbishing a nearby dam that had been used to power the mine.

Commercial Marine Charters can take you to this area, which features stunning scenery and calm waters. And, of course, there’s also great fishing in the area, from giant prawns to king crab to big salmon.

Left & middle pictures courtesy of Ian Neilson photography

Stove: Force 10 – 4 burner propane with oven & broiler
Propane system: Electronic propane control system with sniffers and alarm
Microwave: Emerson
Refrigerator: Haier full size “all fridge”
Hot water: Electric 110VAC & via Webasto heating system
Ice maker: U-line 110VAC
Freezer: Chest freezer 110VAC located inside bridge enclosure

Safety

Fire suppression systems: Halon in engine room and lazarette (genset)
Safety/alarm system: Heat sensors in engine room and lazarett, high water bilge alarms in each bilge compartment, heat/smoke sensors in forward compartment and galley, carbon monoxide monitor, all sensors/systems hardwired 12VDC, custom enunciation panel for sensors & alarms

Hull

Make: Silverton Marine Corp.
Model: 40 ft. Convertible
Built: 1985 – Silverton New Jersey USA
Length: 40 feet
Beam: 14.5 feet
Draft: 3.3 feet
Freeboard: 55″ forward, 42″ midships, 40″ aft
Hull number: STN40258E585
Dry-docked: Every May for annual maintenance

Wyatt’s Torch has all the comforts of home, where up to five guests can comfortably enjoy their charter experience.

Starboard stateroom
2 single berths, upper and lower, hanging locker & drawers (pictured above)

Forward stateroom
4 single berths bunk style, 2 per side

Salon
Custom built sofa, converts into single berth

Washroom
Located forward, opposite starboard stateroom
Electric head, sink, shower, storage cabinet

The bridge of Wyatt’s Torch affords 360 degrees of visibility: a perfect place to sit and relax while the scenery rolls past. It also has all the necessary safety equipment on board, including life raft, rubber boat, life jackets, and all other needs. There is a fully-integrated navigation system aboard: computer/GPS/autopilot, Pentium computer, featuring a Nobeltec navigation system with the complete West Coast and SE Alaska, with two 19-inch flatscreen monitors located on the bridge and in the salon. Computer, GPS and autopilot are networked together. The system manages navigation and music in salon and on bridge.

Bridge
2 VHF radios, Davis electronic weather monitor, Furuno FCV-663 Colour sounder, Furuno model 1750 radar, Garmin 125 GPS, Garmin 12XL GPS, Rayline remote spotlight, Comnav 1001 Autopilot with jog and 2 rudder indicators plus full remote control unit on 60-foot tether located in salon, windshield wiper, loudhailer and air horn

Cockpit & fishing deck
Custom swim grid with large live well, stainless steel railing, custom stainless steel fish-cleaning station. Hydraulic pot and trap hauler, salt water washdown hose. Custom anodized aluminum “rocket-launcher”-style rod holder: 9 rod capacity

You can fly directly to Prince Rupert through one of two airlines: Air Canada or Hawkair. Both airlines have daily flights from Vancouver, so check with your travel agent when booking. You can also drive to Rupert on Highway 16, which features breathtaking scenery along the majestic Skeena River. You can also ride a ferry to Rupert from Port Hardy via B.C. Ferries, which also has regularly scheduled sailings to Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands).

As you catch your fish, you will be taught how to clean them, and then the fish will be put into a mixture of ice and water and held at approximately 35°F (1°C) until the end of your charter. In Prince Rupert there is a company that will fillet and vacuum-pack your catch, freeze it, and deliver it to the airport for your departure on the day after your last day of fishing.

You will have about 120 pounds of salmon and anywhere from 80 to 200 pounds of halibut, lingcod, and rockfish.