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The Lure of a BC Fishing Resort

A few decades ago, it was all about catching a big fish. Most visitors to remote fishing resorts and lodges were only hooked on fishing; accommodations and amenities were barely a thought. Nowadays people come for the experience. In fact, some guests don’t even care if they catch a fish. Being there, immersing yourself in nature is reward enough.

Some resorts have no trouble baiting travelers angling for luxury. After you’ve been out on the briny blue, celebrating over cocktails with your new fishing chums, immerse yourself in a hot tub, tuck into chef-prepared superb cuisine with fine wines and then drift off under plump duvets and sheets made of the finest Egyptian cotton next to your private bathroom. Several fishing lodges are land-based, where you can stroll pristine sandy beaches, hike through old growth forest. Or spend the afternoon watching wildlife—whale sightings are the norm.

However, there’s nothing like the thrill of reeling in a big fish. For beginning anglers, a good day’s fishing can be a crapshoot, but not in the waters surrounding these resorts. The rugged shoreline of the Central Coast, the west coast of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii provide ideal habitat for vast shoals of baitfish. There are countless nooks and crannies for salmon, as well as gravel banks and pinnacles for halibut, rockfish, and lingcod. Snagging a salmon is more the rule than the exception – the resort guides know exactly where ocean fish are biting.

There are fishing lodges and resorts throughout B.C. that can provide all-inclusive packages– including accommodation, meals, fishing gear and service– to meet most budgets. Here are a few of B.C.’s finest…

Queen Charlotte Lodge, Haida Gwaii

This remote part of the world is a welcome escape from daily life, and Queen Charlotte Lodge (QCL), on the northern shores of Haida Gwaii in Naden Harbour, offers a unique mix of adventure and comfort, friendship and fun.

Once the site of an old whaling station, QCL sits on 20 acres, surrounded by old-growth forest and beachfront. It offers five different kinds of accommodation, from the main lodge with 24 rooms to private chalets with private chefs. While nowhere can guarantee that you’ll catch a fish, QCL guarantees you’ll never be hungry, and you’re spoilt for choice.

For instance, the main dining room offers three appetizers, six entrees and three desserts, with a big barbecue buffet the night you arrive. Variety kicks in at other venues:  Chef at the Buoy Teppanyaki House will prepare surf ‘n’ turf at your table, or maybe you prefer to hang out at the Bell Ringer and pick a lobster from the live tank after enjoying just-prepared salmon and albacore tuna sushi (all Ocean Wise) at the Kingfisher lounge…

A typical day:

4.30 a.m. Full-on breakfast in the main lodge or if you need to be on the water before dawn, cappuccino and breakfast sandwich to go at the dock.
6 a.m.: Catch 20lb chinook salmon
9 a.m.: Stop by the Driftwood (anchored on the fishing grounds) for a bathroom break, coffee and muffin.
11 a.m. -2 p.m.: BBQ lunch on the Driftwood, including salad bar, chowder and chili.
5 p.m.: Cocktails (go for the Twin Creek Smash) and pub snacks at the Bell Ringer, a social house with a weigh scale and excellent bartender. Here is where you tell stories and trade lies and your catch is weighed. Party central.
7 p.m.: Main lodge for dinner: Ponzu-cured Albacore or BC spot prawns followed by herb-crusted halibut and an extensive wine list.
9 p.m.:  Kingfisher Lounge downstairs with port and cheese or Irish Coffee around the fireplace.
Charters depart Fridays and Mondays from Vancouver to Masset for three- or four-night stays from June through August.  All-inclusive fly-in fishing packages start at $4,895.

queencharlottelodge.com

Jane MundyJANE MUNDY
Published in the Vancouver Sun on: May 12, 2018 | Last Updated: May 16, 2018 3:02 PM PDT

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QCL TERMS & CONDITIONS

At QCL we strive to make every visit to our facility a truly enjoyable and memorable experience.  To enable all of our guests to enjoy their QCL experience to the fullest, we have terms and conditions which apply to all our guests and are aimed at ensuring that all our guests comport themselves in a way that is respectful of the lodge, our staff and their fellow quests.  By agreeing to participate in a trip with QCL, all guests will be deemed to have agreed to the following:

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR

All of the staff and guests at QCL have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.  As a responsible employer and host, we believe that we have a duty to our staff and guests to protect them from inappropriate behaviour by any guest.  Inappropriate behaviour will include drunkenness, profanity, racial or discriminatory comments, unwelcome physical contact or innuendo, excess noise and any other behaviour which is rude, disrespectful, discriminatory or otherwise considered to be inappropriate by any member of QCL’s staff or any other guest.  Final decisions regarding inappropriate behavior and the appropriate consequences for the applicable party will rest with QCL’s Duty Manager.  The Lodge reserves the right to take such action regarding the party found to have acted inappropriately as the Lodge determines to be appropriate, which may include requiring the party to leave the Lodge immediately (all associated transportation costs being borne by the party found to have acted inappropriately) and where necessary involving the police or other appropriate outside agencies.  

RELEASE OF LIABILITY

QCL is a wilderness fishing lodge and guests are participating in sport fishing activities on the open ocean, all of which carry inherent risks.  All guests therefore use QCL’s lodge, boats and other facilities, as well as the aircraft and helicopters with which they travel to or from the Lodge, at their own risk, and all guests voluntarily assume all risks associated with their travel to and from the Lodge and all sport fishing activities, including all risks or personal injury, including the potential for serious injury or death, whether as a result of their own actions or the actions of QCL staff, guides, suppliers, contractors or other guests, or through other circumstances, including weather conditions.  

Therefore, all guests, by choosing to travel to and from QCL, stay at the QCL Lodge, use any QCL equipment or facilities, and/or participate in any sport fishing activities (collectively, the “Trip Activities”) and in consideration of QCL permitting them to do so:

  1. voluntarily assume all risks associated with participation in any Trip Activities, including all risks of physical injury, however caused;

  2. release Queen Charlotte Lodge Ltd. and its directors, officers, shareholders, employees and contractors (collectively, the “QCL Parties”) from any and all claims, liability or causes of action whatsoever which arise from or relate to any Trip Activities, from any cause whatsoever and whether or not caused or contributed to by any defect or other condition in the Lodge property or any dock, boat or other piece of equipment, or any act, omission or negligence of any QCL Party.  

SMOKING

In British Columbia, the Tobacco & Vapour Products Control Act prohibits smoking or vaping in any common areas of the Lodge such as lobbies, hallways, and restaurants.  QCL, as a matter of Lodge policy and because our buildings are wood frame and located in a remote area with limited firefighting facilities, also prohibits smoking or vaping within any guest rooms.  Smoking and vaping are permitted outside of Lodge buildings, as long as guests are more than six metres away from all doorways, open windows or air intakes around the Lodge.

Any breach of these smoking rules is subject to a fine/additional fee of $200, on account of QCL’s costs associated with rectifying the affected environment.

DAMAGE TO LODGE PROPERTY

Guests will be charged for all costs and damages incurred by QCL, including the full cost of rectifying any damage to any Lodge property (including boats and motors, dock structures and any Lodge building), which such guest causes either deliberately or through negligence or recklessness.  Should this damage come to light after the guest has departed, the guest authorizes QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.  While QCL will take reasonable steps to keep the costs chargeable to the guest to a minimum, if the damage is such that a room or boat is rendered unusable for a period of time, the guest will be liable for any loss of revenue that the Lodge suffers while the room or boat is being repaired.

REMOVAL OF LODGE PROPERTY

Guests will be charged for all costs of replacing any items that are removed from the premises by the guest without QCL’s consent or which are so damaged or stained by the guest as to be unusable.  The charge will be the full replacement amount of the missing or damaged item, including any carriage charges.  Should the fact that the item is missing or damaged come to light after the guest has departed, the guest authorizes QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.

TAMPERING WITH FIRE DETECTION SYSTEMS AND FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT

Tampering or interfering with any fire detection or fire suppression equipment at the Lodge is an extremely serious matter.  QCL reserves the right to take immediate action against any guest found to have tampered or interfered with any fire detection or suppression equipment throughout the Lodge, including detector heads in public areas and bedrooms, break glass points and fire extinguishers. Guests found to have tampered with any fire detection or fire fighting equipment will be charged for all costs incurred by the Lodge due to their actions and additionally may be asked to leave the Lodge. Depending on the severity of the guest actions, the Police may become involved at the Lodge’s discretion.  Should the fact that fire fighting or detection equipment had been tampered with come to light after the guest has departed, the guest authorizes QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.

LOSS OF PERSONAL ITEMS

None of the QCL Parties is liable or responsible for any loss of or damage to any guest’s personal property or valuables while the guest is staying at the Lodge. 

DIETARY OR ALLERGY CONSIDERATIONS

At QCL we do our very best to accommodate our guests with dietary requirements, food sensitivities, allergies and health conditions to the extent possible.  If a guest advises us in advance that they suffer from a food sensitivity or allergy or have other dietary requirements, we will endeavor to provide suitable menu or beverage options, such as gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan options.  However, QCL does not and cannot operate a gluten-, allergen- or meat or dairy-free kitchen, and cross-contamination from work surfaces, cooking utensils and other sources may occur.  Our cooking facilities and ingredients are not kosher or halal-compliant.  Many allergens such as nuts, gluten and shellfish may be present in our kitchen and we cannot ensure that cross-contamination or simple human errors will not occur.  Any guest with a food sensitivity, allergy or dietary requirement must discuss their needs with QCL staff prior to arrival at our Lodge, to determine whether we will be able to accommodate their needs appropriately.  QCL cannot accept any responsibility or liability for our guests’ food sensitivities, allergies or dietary requirements. 

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Guests are responsible for, and will pay to QCL on demand:

  1. the full balance due under their account at the end of each trip, including amounts payable under any of the above terms and conditions as well as alcohol and other purchases and staff tips charged to the guest’s account; and

  2. where the guest has booked the trip on behalf of multiple persons in a single party (a “Group”), the full balance due under the account of each Group member, if such Group member has failed to pay all or any portion of their account, including any amounts payable by such Group member under any of the above terms and conditions as well as alcohol and other purchases and staff tips charged to the guest’s account.

Guests specifically authorize QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.

BREACH

Management of the Lodge reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to ask any guest to leave the Lodge in the event of non-compliance with any of these terms and conditions (all associated transportation costs being borne by the non-complying guest).