Wear your Lifejacket

Resident Orca's

Booking Fishing Guides

Benefits of booking Fishing Guides and Charters

Like most things in life, investing both a little time and money upfront will help ensure a positive experience, and pay off for years to come. Before you venture into uncharted waters on your own, consider booking a fishing trip with a professional guide.

Here’s why it’s beneficial to use a guide or charter service when starting out in recreational fishing:

1. Guides Help you Find Fish

A professional fishing charter operator is just that - a pro. That means, they are out there finding fish while we’re sitting around thinking about it. Not to mention a guide also knows how to fish.  A charter operator’s job isn’t just to help you catch fish; it’s also to educate you about conservation and the laws which govern fishing and boating so that you can continue to enjoy the sport for generations to come.

2. Fishing Guides Know the Water

When you’re navigating the same waters daily, it’s safe to assume that you know where the fish will be. Equally important? Knowing where NOT to venture. You must prepare in advance to identify the daily tides, and other obstructions which may be submerged, and understand the water levels. A seasoned guide already has these features mapped out, and knows his home turf like the back of his hand. If you’re trying to familiarize yourself with strange waters it’s well worth taking a spin with a pro once or twice so that there’s no question about keeping yourself - and your equipment - safe.

3. Some are All Inclusive

One of the best reasons to charter a fishing boat is that it comes with everything included. We’re talking rods, reels, bait, coolers, ice, safety equipment, fish finder,  GPS - you only need to show up! Plus, your captain will know exactly the equipment to use for whichever species you’re targeting. 

 Book with us this summer we offer fully guided and also Byob packages. Our rates are reasonable because our sole focus is getting you out to our lodge so you can come fishing with us.

Rock fish Conservation

 Rock fish Conservation Release 

SeaQualizer
The SeaQualizer is an innovative release tool designed to help fish recover from the effects of barotrauma.  Barotrauma results from bringing a fish up from depth too quickly, preventing the fish from releasing air from its swim bladder quick enough as pressure on it is decreased.  This causes the swim bladder to expand beyond its normal size.
Physical effects of barotrauma include: floating at the surface, stomach protruding out of the mouth, bulging eyes, flared gills and inflated body cavities.
The SeaQualizer is a pressure activated release device that attaches to a fishing rod or downrigger and releases the fish at a predetermined depth set on the SeaQualizer.  The motion of the boat or how the fish acts or is descended will not prematurely release the fish.
available Sizes:
Regular: 50-100-150ft
Deep Water: 100-200-300ft
By bringing the fish back down to depth, pressure will re-compress the enlarged swim bladder causing the fish to become neutrally buoyant allowing it to swim regularly as well as eliminating all other physical effects seen at the surface.
It is recommended that fish be returned to 1/3 to 1/2 the depth that they were caught.  Prepare the SeaQualizer by selecting the correct release depth and open the jaws by pulling the triggers on the side of the device.  Position the open jaws over the fish’s lower lip and close the jaws to lock securely in place.  Place the fish in the water and begin to lower the fish slowly back to the set release depth.  The SeaQualizer will only release the fish at the pre-set depth.  When the device has released the fish, the user will feel their line free fall.

Uvic salmon diet project

This is a great program for everyone to get involved in. Rodgers Fishing Lodge will be involved in this program off the westcoast of Vancouver Island. Give Will a call and get involved.

The UVic Fisheries Ecology and Marine Conservation Group recreational angler salmon diet project.

1. We are putting out a plea to collect samples from all the winter Chinook that you can. With slower fishing in some areas we are concerned about getting enough samples this winter. We are ready to run a comprehensive program in 2018 and we need these samples! So tight lines! (obviously we want summer samples too but this is less of a challenge).
2. If anyone did not get our 2017 data summary, does not have sampling instructions, or requires data cards sent to them, please email us.
3. Remember, thanks to the generosity of Islander every sample with complete data serves as an entry in a draw for an MR2 mooching reel.
4. We will be presenting a poster with some preliminary results at a number of conferences this spring, we will distribute this to the list shortly. 

Thanks to Islander and DFO for direct support for the project and to the tackle stores and angler groups who are helping us out.

All the best

Will

Will Duguid MSc
PhD Student
Fisheries Ecology and Marine Conservation Group
Department of Biology, University of Victoria
250-686-0956(cell)