A great season! Getting ready for 2026!

King Pacific Lodge towing to winter moorage after an excellent season

2025 Season Recap

We are well into the Fall season and reminiscing about a fabulous Summer enjoyed!

Thank You to all of the guests who chose to make King Pacific Lodge their destination of choice in 2025! We truly appreciate you fishing with us! Many of you have been with us for several trips over many seasons. It is always exciting to see both new and familiar faces at the lodge and on the water!

Thank You to the Heiltsuk People (Bella Bella) who share this amazing place with us! We enjoyed having so many of our seasonal crew come from Bella Bella.

Thank You to our full time and seasonal crews who did such a great job! Our guests reported being well looked after and seeing so many familiar faces suggested we were their second family!

Thank You to all of our  suppliers and partners who helped us in every way imaginable. From flying Fixed wing and Helicopter Aircraft safely,  to delivering fresh cut beef steaks to the airport or helping to tow and place thousands of tonnes of floating equipment to our seasonal operating areas safely – you are all appreciated.

A fishy shoreline..

Milbanke Sound is one of the best fishing destinations along the coast of British Columbia.  Fishing for migratory salmon has slight fluctuations and 2025 was one of the most consistent seasons to date. Early, we ranged the entire Milbanke Sound area and found fish at  Thompson Bay, the Chrome Dome (Mginnes Island), Seaforth Channel, Cheney Point, Cape Mark and The Notch.  The closest and most protected fishing was found in Louisa Cove and Reginald Island. Right on our doorstep! As the season progressed, Cheney Point, Cheney 2 and Cape Swain were our favourite places to fish.  Cape Mark and Ivory island picked up later in the season became the go-t0 spots for a mix of Coho and Chinook.

Happy Guests – Big Fish! Pat Dean “The Chief” at his best!

Ling cod were plentiful throughout the year. Many of our guests chose to release some of the exceptionally large lines over 20 pounds.  For those who ventured out for Halibut, there was good success. Across BC waters, Anglers may keep one Halibut up to about 30 pounds. 

The largest salmon of 2025  was a  beautiful 53.5 pound “Tyee Chinook” taken at Cheney 2. Many others in the mid 40’s were caught in our usual Hot Spots.  Several Coho topping 15 pounds were highlights of what proved to be an excellent year for Coho.  Salmon were biting all season on small spoons behind a flasher, flash flies, hootchies, anchovies and both whole and cut plug herring.  One guest tried something different and caught fish using an anchovy wrapped in a hootchie!

Along with the great fishing, guests enjoyed  spectacular weather and calm seas.  Our fishing grounds were comfortable and fishable all season long.  It was also a relatively dry, warm summer which made the days on the water even more enjoyable. All lodge departments were working together, focused on our guests and creating an incredible experience!  Of particular note, Chef Jasmine and her team provided our guests with an incredible culinary experience. Guests were delighted to have such wonderful meals after a day on the water.

Chef Jasmine – Amazing meals!

We introduced a couple of new initiatives for our guests:

CATCH AND RELEASE DRAW

We created a Catch and Release Draw. Guests, who released a Tyee (chinook salmon over 30 pounds) or a large lingcod (over 25 pounds) were entered.  We will be drawing the names soon and will announce the winners.  Large lingcod are preferable to release as the meat quality is not ideal and the larger brood stock ensures fish for the future.  Larger Chinook, particularly those heading to the Wannock River, are what legends are made of.  Most Anglers have the desire to keep and enjoy their largest fish and we are hoping to inspire those who have already caught their trophy to consider releasing the next one.

Torianne showcasing the Islander fishing rod and reel auctioned off to support the Heiltsuk Mens Wellness group

“CHIPPING FOR WELLNESS”

This golf activity raises resources for the Kaxla Mens Health program in Bella Bella. On changeover days, outbound guests participated while waiting for the helicopters to arrive.  For a $20 donation, guests took 3 shots from a golf tee mat on the dock.  If a “hole in one” was achieved, the prize is a new Shimano Technium fishing rod and Islander Reel worth  over $1000!

Congratulations  to Mark Owens, who on his third shot, hit the target and won the prize!  Generously, Mark donated the rod and reel back to the event. At a later date, this prize was auctioned off for an additional contribution. Manley Matlock was the winning bidder.  Thank You to both Mark and Manley!

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2026?

King Pacific Lodge is focussed on being the best in our industry. Based on our guest and crew feedback, we try to improve where we can, and particularly where we can make operations safer. The effort of maintaining the equipment and facilities annually is formidable and the cost is incredible. We value our guests and their experience has to be exceptional.

Mickey hard at work!

• All 20ft Ironwood boats will be upgraded to 200HP Mercury Seapro engines. Aside from getting to the fishing grounds more quickly, these new engines are easier to maintain and are more reliable.
• Three new Northwest Aluminum Craft 23ft boats will be built
• Renovations within the lodge will include a new gift shop and welcome centre.
• A new, floating super heated dry room will be constructed and will be accessible right off the dock.
• Two new luxury “Dockside” guest rooms, each with their own deck and beautiful view.
• Six of our first generation Northwest Aluminum Craft will be completely stripped down inside and out. New paint, Upholstery, electronics and wiring installed.
• Many guests are surprised, even after a couple of days, the lodge is actually floating! A new 240ft  Stiff Leg system (Floating Pier) will be installed along our anchorage shoreline. This is what the lodge is attached to during the operating season and will ensure everything lines up better. This will also minimize walking risk during inclement weather and a slight swell from the open ocean.
• 400 gallon per hour Reverse Osmosis water system. We currently filter water from a nearby lake to city standard however it is difficult to remove the slight gold tannin colour. While tannins are sought after in fine whisky and wine, the colour perception in tap water doesn’t quite measure up. Our new system will also reduce the cost and freight of bottled water.
• Our new Mustang rain jackets and floatation devices worked incredibly well. More for 2026!

New Northwest Aluminum Craft 23ft Boat

Fully Guided Fishing 

When George and Lisa started West Sport Fishing (King Pacific Lodge) the vision was to provide the finest fishing lodge experience anywhere on the coast. Our industry roots came from the former Oak Bay Marine, using small ships as fishing lodges. Guests fished on a self-guided basis from small boats with 9.9 engines! Over time the trend at lodges was moving toward guided fishing and this was for many reasons, primarily safety.

Double Header from ironwood 20ft Boat

With any business, the proprietors have to decide what it is they can consistently deliver. For this reason, George and Lisa have decided to focus on a trip package offering which is for Fully Guided fishing only. We have discontinued the Instructed Fishing option from our trip packages. While the reasons for this vary, the vision of being able to provide the best fishing experience has not. Guests who fish with KPL will continue to have the option of taking a boat out on their own, after typically 10 hours of guided fishing with their assigned guides.  We have invested in several boats dedicated t0 and prepared each day for self-guided evening fishing. This allows the guides to maintain their boats to a superior standard for each day. If guests would like to head out on their own after this time, our dock crew would have all day to prepare the self-guided boats with tackle, bait, and everything needed for a successful evening of fishing. And, all the next day to clean, restock and prepare the next evenings adventure.  For KPL, this provides our guests with the best quality of fishing experience imaginable. The ability to learn the waters and techniques during the day with the freedom to fish on your own in the evening.

A fun BC Bob interview with Hunter Cuthbert

WHY FISH MILBANKE SOUND?

Milbanke Sound was chosen by George and Lisa  as the remote lodge destination of choice.  The area is easy to fly to and features calm water and features productive, mixed-run fishing within two minutes of the seasonal lodge location in St, Johns Harbour. The recreational limits for Chinook have remain unchanged for the past 25+ years at 2/day and 4/possession. Due to mainly political reasons, some areas of the BC coast have seen their limits change.

A fun BC BOB interview with Hunter Gladstone

Many remote areas have several fishing lodges fishing the same waters with varying results. The Milbanke Sound area has very little fishing pressure. On the water, we share a respectful and courteous presence of our lodge boats, private boats and community fishers spread across miles of coastline. There is a “Hot Spot” for everyone and always a place to fish without anyone else around!

George Cuthbert and Jay Reid finally fishing together. Jay, from Bella Bella, is King Pacific Lodge’s longest standing (and luckiest) guide crew member and has been with us since 2014!

Bella Bella, home of the Heiltsuk people, provides an excellent transition point for our guests at the Bella Bella airport. Many of our seasonal crew are Heiltsuk and come from this community. They bring generations of traditional knowledge and share information about the areas history and lore. Our Heiltsuk fishing guides have literally lifetimes of experience. All of our guides are truly dedicated to ensure KPL guests receive the best service and adventure on the coast.

Lisa Cuthbert 778 384 3474

Lorna Landry 604 816 4671