Looking forward to 2018!

As we approach 2018, we would like to wish all our guests, crew and suppliers the very best for the Christmas Holiday and New Year. 2017 was a huge success for King Pacific Lodge and we’re looking forward to 2018! Thank you to all who have been guests at King Pacific Lodge. We very much appreciate your support!

Since the end of the season, we have been working hard to ensure the King Pacific Lodge guest experience is better than ever! After our fourth season of operation, we towed the lodge and staff barge south to Vancouver Island. Here, the lodge will undergo several operational improvements. Our fleet of custom made fishing boats have also been brought down and will have upgraded electronics, paint and engines. The King Pacific Lodge facilities require a tremendous amount of maintenance and we must ensure we are entirely self-sufficient during our operating season. Aside from the fishing tackle and boats, this includes everything from power generation, fuel storage, water filtration and all kitchen equipment.

The 2018 season planning is underway and we’re looking forward to seeing so many new and return guests. Many of our experienced crew have contacted us and have confirmed their desire to spend the summer again at Milbanke Sound. We have several, exciting new crew members joining us and all looking to get back on the water!

We have attended several post season meetings with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans. British Columbia’s Central Coast, where Milbanke Sound is located, provided the very best fishing opportunities on the coast in 2017. We anticipate this trend to continue and expect very good fishing in 2018.

Operationally, we will be changing our air transportation to and from Vancouver. Ensuring our guests are arriving and departing on time is paramount and a larger, single aircraft “Dash 7” option has presented itself to transport all guests. Having such great fishing sometimes increase our outbound weights and our goal is to ensure all guest’s fish and baggage arrive with them, on time at the end of a great trip! The popularity of King Pacific Lodge has proven to be far greater then we could have ever imagined.  Built for 34 guests only, we feel this is the perfect size adventure lodge and where we’re able to spend quality time with our guests in an uncrowded, attentive environment.

Should you be looking for that special trip in 2018, please contact us soon.  Again, from all of us at King Pacific Lodge we wish you the very best for 2018 and look forward to staying in touch!

Kindest Regards,

George Cuthbert

 

 

2017 – What a season!

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Fisher Cuthbert’s 19 pound Coho! A personal best.

Late August and early September fishing continued to produce excellent results for King Pacific Lodge Anglers. Fishing continued to be very good until our last day of the season, September 4th. The weather was excellent and providing calm seas and some beautiful sunrise and sunset fishing.

Coho salmon were at the top of the list for action packed days on the water! Ivory Island, Cheney Point and Cape Mark were the favourite places to fish. Many of these fish were often well over 15 pounds and several topping 20 pounds!

 

Chinook continued to be available during early September with many Tyee coming in over 30 pounds. While not as abundant this time of year as our previous two years, there was plenty of opportunity for everyone to experience the thrill of these large salmon.

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Congratulations Chris on an incredible 19 pound Coho!

Salmon in general were more likely to hit artificial baits during the latter part of our season. flasher and white “Hoochie” (squid), flasher and the custom KPL “Irish Cream” spoon and a combination of other fast trolled, silver and white spoons also worked well.

 

Guests of KPL were delighted to have Humpback Whales feeding right within our fishing areas. The abundance of baitfish around Ivory Island were attracting both salmon and these large mammals, creating quite a show.

 

We’re now finished the 2017 season and what a success! Fishing in general was very good, and probably the best we’ve seen in our fourth year of operation. Salmon showed early in good numbers and the fishing was very consistent the duration of our season. In addition, the weather was excellent – albeit not always as dry. The winds stayed calm and our regular fishing areas were very comfortable for fishing and enjoying the waters of Milbanke Sound.

 

We’d like to Thank all guests who fished with us this year and we’re looking forward to seeing you again! Thank you to all of our staff and suppliers – we’ve enjoyed another safe season on the water.

We’re currently towing our lodge and boats south for some exciting upgrades and improvements. Look for an even better experience in 2018.

 

Should you be looking for the adventure of a lifetime and would like more information about our 2018 King Pacific Lodge program please contact us anytime.

 

Kindest Regards,

 

 

George Cuthbert

 

 

 

 

Coho frenzy Excellent Chinook

August Anglers have had an incredible time on the water! Exciting Coho action has complemented our great Chinook fishing. Add to this the relatively calm waters and overall pleasant weather for a truly enjoyable sport fishing vacation.

Highlights of August include many Tyee (Chinook over 30lbs) including the largest to date at 60 pounds taken by Casey and guided by Mark. Congratulations! Coho tend to be quite a bit larger at this time of year. We’ve had many now well over 15 pounds with the larger in the 18 pound range.

Cape Mark, Cheney Point and Cape Swain continue to produce good numbers of fish. 45 ft seems to be the right depth and trolling Flasher Anchovy, Flasher Spoon or, as fishing guide Troy Hogg found out – a piece of celery placed correctly in a teaser head will catch a fish!

2017 has proven to be our best season to date. Fishing has been superb and we’re looking forward to more exciting action as we roll into early September.

Kindest Regards,

George Cuthbert

 

 

Awesome August Fishing

Salmon fishing continues to be simply Awesome!

The past week has provided King Pacific Lodge Anglers with some exciting catches! Several big Tyee (Chinook over 30lbs) in the 40’s hit the dock with the largest a whopping 60 pounds! Congratulations Casey! Here, Jack with guide Tom show off a beautiful 56 pound Tyee taken at Cheney Point. (Jacks second fish was 41 pounds taken at McGuinness Island)

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Congratulations Jack on your 56 pound Chinook!

Aside from the extra large sized Chinook, Anglers have been catching a steady stream of 15 – 25lb Chinook. Coho have also been increasing in both abundance and average size. To date, the largest Coho is 18 pounds!

Our local hotspot of Cheney Point has been producing the best action. Fish are biting between 30 and 45ft. Spoons, hootchies, anchovy and large whole or cut plug herring have all been working well. Cape Mark, The Notch and Ivory Island lighthouse have all been producing as well.  5 inch herring, squid and needlefish are all local feed keeping the salmon focused o the Milbanke Sound fishing area.

We’re starting to see a little shorter days on the water now and guests can expect to be on the water just before 6am. This has usually provided the best bite in the day, often lasting several hours. Some Anglers have reported as many as 20 fish per morning. Excellent action!

Local wildlife abounds. Both Killer and Humpback whales, Seals, Sea Lions and several local Sea Otter have been entertaining guests on the water.

Should you have a trip coming up and require any additional information please contact us anytime! Weren’t able to book a trip this year? Please stay in touch and we’ll do our best to fit you in on your preferred dates in 2018.

Kindest Regards

George Cuthbert

August 2017 Fishing

August is well upon us and Anglers at King Pacific Lodge have been enjoying both excellent fishing and weather.

Chinook/King salmon action has been far better this year than previous. Coho / Silver salmon continue to be more and more abundant with excellent average sizes topping 12 pounds.  This past week provided some notable large Tyee (Chinook over 3o pounds) including several in the 40’s and mid 30’s. Our largest last week was 43 pounds!

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Have a great time with family or friends at King Pacific Lodge

Cheney Point, Cape Swain and Cape Mark have all been top producers. The flasher / Anchovy combination has been working very well this season, we’re starting to catch quite a few on either whole herring or cut-plug baits. Depths appear to be a little shallower on average and the lucky depths of 37 / 47ft seem to produce the best. This is a great time of year to try “mooching’ whereby a bait is fished behind a 6oz weight without the use of a downrigger. The custom “KPL” Irish cream spoon from Gibbs/Delta tackle has been working very well when trolled behind a flasher.

All fishing areas are showing a healthy population of baitfish including herring, needlefish and squid. At times, bait-balls are 100ft deep and often spread out over the water hundreds of feet. Herring are typically smaller this year and we’re finding most to be 4 and 5 inches at the cleaning table.

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“Fish Finder” showing massive schools of baitfish

KPL Anglers continue to comment on the quality of fishing experience at Milbanke Sound. Our exclusive location provides a productive fishing area with very little pressure and the ability to find miles of coastline to fish all on your own. All within five minutes away!

King Pacific is so much more than fishing! Enjoy Chef Luke’s amazing meals during your stay, go kayaking, rowing or utilize our spa now featuring two RMT (Massage Therapists). Marine nature viewing opportunities are endless. Killer, Humpback and Sei whales were all viewed this week along with Sea Otter, Sea Lion, Seals and an abundance of bird life.

For those guests who fished with us in 2017, it was a pleasure to see all of you out on the water! We’re already booking for 2018. If you were sadly unable to fish this year due to lack of availability please email or call early for next season and we’ll do our best to find space during your preferred dates. KPLgreatfishing

Kindest Regards,

 

George Cuthbert

 

 

July at its best!

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A great place for kids! 10 year old Fisher with a 32 pound chinook caught at 10:15 pm (well past the usual bedtime)

Anglers at King Pacific Lodge continue to experience the best fishing on the coast of British Columbia.

Since the start of our season in mid June, Chinook / King salmon catches have been excellent. Coho / Silvers have been in very good numbers for a couple of weeks now and they continue to grow in size.

Hot spots continue to be Cape Mark and Cheney Point. Flasher and Anchovy has been the most popular combination and many of the guests and guides are swapping over to Flasher and Hoochie; particular the green spatter back squid. Depths appear to be shallower than previous seasons with many fish being taken in the 30ft range. 30 – 60ft deep is the usual depth for fishing. Water temperatures continue to be cooler and more favourable with a regular 56 degrees. In previous years we’ve seen upwards of 62 degrees – a little too warm.

The trip finishing today enjoyed calm seas and sunny skies for the duration of their stay. This allowed access to all of the regular fishing areas including those out of our usual range. Tyee Chinook topped 44 pounds this week along with several other low 30’s and a 38 pounder. Most Coho have been in the 9 pound to 13 pound range. Large schools of herring are present and keeping fish feeding through the day. Squid have now started to appear and perhaps the reason Hoochies are working very well.

Milbanke Sound continues to be a popular spot and King Pacific Lodge guests enjoy its exclusivity. Many guests are commenting on the serenity and productivity of the area, particularly because there are no other lodges within the area.

Should you be looking forward to a trip in July or August and have any questions or require additional information please contact us anytime.  Our calendar for 2018 is soon to be released and we encourage all who are interested for 2018 to communicate with us as soon as possible.

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Denny with a nice July Chinook

 

Tight lines

George Cuthbert

Fishing is simply excellent

Great Fish!

Great Fish!

 

Early July is upon us and the we’re enjoying great weather and excellent fishing.

The past week provided calm northwest winds and easy, comfortable access to all of our fishing areas.

Chinook and Coho salmon appear to be in very good abundance this year. KPL opened June 12 and Anglers have been experiencing consistent catches at most of our regular fishing locations. Several of our larger Chinook almon have been over 40 pounds with the largest being 46. The largest Coho to date was caught just yesterday at 15 pounds. Cheney Point, Cheney 2 and Cape Mark have been hot spots. Popular baits have been both anchovy and flasher or flasher and spoon – anywhere from 40 to 80 ft deep. We’ve been noticing 4 – 5 inch herring, squid and needlefish in the bellies of the fish we are cleaning. It’s usually at this time of year where we start to fish a variety of different “hootchies” (artificial squid baits). These can produce incredible results and are easy to fish.

Wildlife encounters have been numerous. Killer and Humpback whales, Porpoise, Sea Lions and Sea otters are all a regular sighting. Many guests are choosing to take our our ocean kayaks for an evening paddle. Our 17ft Tyee rowboats have also been outfitted with 6hp Mercury outboards and we’re looking forward to our first Tyee Chinook (over 30 pounds)  to be taken while rowing. If you’re visiting KPL this season we hope you give this historic form of row boat fishing a try.

Its always a pleasure to see so many repeat guests who book with us each year. Both new and existing guests often comment on the calm, protected waters and the fact there are no other fishing lodges in the area. Our fishing grounds are very close to the lodge and unlike other areas, not crowded with too many boats.

If you’re visiting KPL this year,  plan on some great fishing and camaraderie among friends. We’re looking forward to seeing you.

Regards,

George Cuthbert

 

 

The 2017 King Pacific Lodge season has begun!

First Tyee of 2017

First Tyee of 2017

Our 2017 season is now underway! Since our first group on June 12th we have enjoyed mostly sunny skies, calm water and some truly excellent fishing.

Pictured above is Willie and Elsa with the first Tyee of the season taken on Fathers Day. A nice catch Willie, and the fish looks good too!

The largest to date has been 41 and 46 pounds.

Fishing hot spots have been both Cheney Point and Cape Mark. Both locations have given Anglers plenty of opportunity and great catches. Flasher with Anchovy bait has been the most productive combination. Halibut, Ling and Rockfish have also been abundant for those looking for a little variety.

Many guests have commented on the subtle improvements seen every season at King Pacific. We have installed propane fire-bowls on the forward Deck and dock, new engines on the boats including the addition of 15hp trolling engines, two new 21ft NW boats and additional fishing tackle options.

We are almost sold out for the entire 2017 fishing season and several dates are still available for small groups. Our 2017 guests have first priority on dates for 2018 and we’re currently planning for 2018. Should you be looking for an experience of a lifetime, we’d love to see you at King Pacific Lodge.

Stay tuned for additional updates during what is turning out to be an exciting season!

Regards,

George Cuthbert

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