Wilderness Wonders & Fishing Frontiers At Eagle Pointe LodgeBy John L. Beath
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Miles upon miles of unspoiled wilderness is the first thing most people notice on the short 20-minute float plane ride from Prince Rupert to Eagle Pointe Lodge. Wishful anglers headed to the lodge see more than just the lush green land. They see opportunity surrounding the multitudes of uninhabited islands. Regardless of what your eyes see, you’d have to wonder if it could be true – to have a world-class lodge located in the middle of wilderness without other lodges crowding the area.
The answer, of course, is yes. And with watery wilderness comes fish-catching opportunity. Around the corner from Eagle Pointe Lodge’s remote locale, hundreds of prime fishing destinations await anglers lucky enough to have discovered this crown jewel of a British Columbia lodge. Eagle Pointe Lodge is so remote it has the only structures on Wales Island 75 square miles. The lodge’s close proximity – just a rock’s throw away – to Misty Fjord National Monument in Alaska guarantees silent seclusion forever.
Dan Shepard, my fishing buddy on this trip and I wondered where we might begin fishing as we each pointed out likely fishing spots from the air. The areas we noticed while peering from the window of the Turbo Otter floatplane would take a lifetime to explore. We’d have to try to soak up as much of the area as we could during our multi-day visit. No matter where we stared, the area looked ripe for rod-toting anglers to explore and enjoy. Rocky-spired islands with kelp forests conjured ideas of catching rockfish after rockfish and of course, jumbo lingcod. Numerous forested islands had points that spelled salmon in a big way. Swirling back eddies complete with diving seagulls couldn’t be denied as baitfish buffets that attract salmon and anglers alike. From the air the area surrounding the lodge looked like an impossible-to-complete jigsaw puzzle with green, blue and shades of gray rock teasing the bewildered.
Where would we begin? It’s always amazing to see a lodge’s surroundings from the air. The proceptive can reveal crowds of anglers or an area crowded with glistening clean blue ocean water bordering wilderness. Eagle Pointe Lodge’s remote location revealed the latter and with only 12 lucky guests per trip, crowds aren’t a problem unless you count eagles, otters, deer, whales, ‘gulls or the area’s most plentiful inhabitants, fish!
Shortly upon our arrival at Eagle Pointe Lodge, the crew led us to a feast of king crab legs. Following lunch, Gibran White, the lodge’s fish master gave a complete orientation. My first meeting with Gibran happened several years ago when I fished with him at Bamfield. At that time I ranked him at the top of my list of great guides because his knowledge and ability to catch fish surpassed many others. I couldn’t have been more pleased to find him here, helping to make each guest’s fishing experience a lifetime memory. Gibran explained that we would rotate guides each day to give everyone an opportunity to fish with different guides. This is a great plan because no matter where you go fishing, there’s always one or two guides that turn red-hot for a period of time. Rotating gives everyone the chance to be with the week’s hot guide, which rotates like bingo winners on a regular basis.
After orientation we eagerly boarded the lodge’s brand new fleet of fully-equipped, 24-foot Orca cabin cruisers. The Yamaha 200 horse power outboard motor coupled with the stability of the Orca hull would enable guides to quickly and comfortably take anglers to the fish. Unlike some lodges, Eagle Pointe Lodge’s central locale and sturdy fleet enables guides to travel greater distances to intercept migrating salmon, halibut or known hotspots for resident bottomfish – a definite advantage for anglers. Each boat was equipped with a marine head, a quiet, smokeless 9.9 four stroke kicker motor, Scotty electric downriggers, Lowrance Global Map 2000 GPS, fish finder, Scotty Black Box, VHF radio and custom made, 10-foot G. Loomis rods and knuckle-buster or level wind reels.
Our guide, Keith Temple, aimed our boat toward famed Work Channel, where the first migrating tyee of the season had shown just days earlier. Being the first guests of the season, we would have the pleasure of exploring many locales instead of staying glued to just one hot spot. Keith maneuvered the Orca tight alongside a steep rock wall inside Work Channel, at Trail Bay. Our whole and cut-plug herring spun tight at 45 and 55-feet. We eye-spied the scenery and wildlife hoping for an interruption from the solitude of wilderness, but the salmon just didn’t cooperate. Oh well, at least the bottomfish would entertain us with head-shaking action before calling it an afternoon.
I’d previously heard that Eagle Pointe Lodge’s food couldn’t be beat, but I’ve heard such claims before and been disappointed. It’s not the food that attracts me to a lodge though, and anything that keeps my belly full will do. At least that’s what I thought prior to visiting Eagle Pointe Lodge.
The beginning of our six-course meal began to reshape my opinion. While I’ve experienced some excellent cuisine at lodges and fine dining establishments, by the end of the six course gourmet meal, chef Peter Finkel’s unique combination of Mediterranean hot salad, shrimp with mango salsa, chicken strips, spicy sausage, king crab legs, and an apple crepe desert changed my opinion forever. The food here could easily challenge any lodge in B.C. or five-star restaurant in the civilized world. And the ambience of wilderness smothering every last bite can’t be beat.
The first full day at any lodge poses many tough questions. Where should we go and what should we fish for? Given the fact that Dan wanted to catch his first-ever halibut, and I wanted to bring home the season’s first fresh halibut fillets, we agreed to spend the day exploring Dundas and Zayas Islands. Located to the west, where Dixon Entrance tames the Pacific Ocean before it greets the western shores of British Columbia, these two islands provide some of the best salmon and bottomfish opportunities found anywhere in B.C. The entire area has a well-known reputation for having some of the finest halibut fishing in B.C.
"In August and September the halibut are so thick you can’t get a jig to the bottom. It’s a no brainer," boasted Gibran, before we ventured away from the dock.
As he explained, during these months massive runs of pink salmon swarm the area with unheard of numbers of halibut not far behind. When the pinks near their final destination, which could be any one of a hundred small streams in the area, the halibut feed voraciously on anything that comes close to the bottom. During the supposed "off" seasons, smaller halibut roam the area in numbers large enough for most anglers to catch their limit if they choose to spend the time working the bottom.
Many guests, however, choose only to pursue salmon and still go home with prized halibut fillets because their salmon offering strayed to close to bottom, inviting a surprise attack on gear designed for salmon. When this happens opinions either change to love or complete hate – until muscles are rested and pure white, sweet-tasting fillets are served at home. Either way, guests rarely miss the pulsating battles these flat fighters offer in return for any bait or lure offered near the bottom.
Zzingers tossed near kelp forests soon became the target of hundreds of giant black rockfish. Every cast soon had a "blackie" darting back and forth with our jigs and line in tow. For some this might seem boring, but for us it took the edge off the desire to feel fish after quivering fish on our lines before moving farther offshore, where halibut, both large and small call home.
The chart called our first location East Devil Rock, offshore from Zayas Island. A gentle slopping bottom allowed us to begin on the western side of the prominent rock, in roughly 150 feet of water. With each increase in water depth we played out line, keeping in constant contact of the bottom. Each time our heavy-weighted lines hosting circle hooks and herring bait neared the 200 foot depth mark, one or both of us felt the pressure of halibut or their cousin, the arrowtooth flounder – aka turbot. We didn’t find anything over 30 pounds, but the 15 to 25 pound "chickens" gave us enough of a workout to easily fill our limit if we chose to keep them all. However, we chose to enjoy lots of success by releasing several halibut with high hopes of engaging a barn door. We didn’t find the monster of our dreams but did enjoy a plentiful supply of willing participants in our never-ending desire to tug or be tugged.
Some of the other guests did enjoy the feel of tyee at Indian Joe head, near Work Channel. We didn’t feel like we’d missed out though, considering our day’s catch and release of several hundred pounds of fish and our day’s catch and keep of decent-sized halibut. In fact, Dan and I still wanted to explore the offshore flats where we’d been on our first full day at the lodge and agreed to go there again the next day. That’s another bonus about fishing at Eagle Pointe Lodge, the guides don’t just take you where they want to go, they take you to the best location to catch what you want to catch, even if it’s not salmon.
Gentle water made the next morning’s ride past Zayas Island an easy journey. GPS coordinates from the previous day’s success placed us perfectly on target for another day of halibut action. Five minutes didn’t pass before we both leaned hard against the strain of even-hungrier-than-yesterday halibut. Today, however, we both had salmon heads on our circle hooks, a bait few halibut can resist. When we finally grew tired of fighting more than our share of halibut, we asked Gibran, our guide for today, to take us closer to the shore. We hoped to challenge lingcod, rockfish or whatever might bite our jigs. It’s "whatever else" that strained Dan’s salmon rod, causing us all to think he had a decent sized halibut on in shallow water. With each surge we anticipated the line might break. Several minutes passed before Dan finally subdued the fish, a 16-pound cabezon. Pound for pound a cabezon’s strength is hard to beat. And their blue-flesh when cooked turns paper white.
During our foray with the beasts of the bottom, one of the other boats experienced a chinook double header comprised of a 32 and 22-pounder. The question of what to do during the remaining time of our trip was settled along with a nearly full box of bottom fillets. Chinook salmon or bust!
A pock-marked sky of gray overcast began to burn off as Keith slowed our boat near the shore of Zayas Island. The sharp sounding cry from a lone loon announced our arrival. We trolled a flasher needle fish combo shallow and anchovy flasher deep. Action on the chinook put us into motion quickly with first a big spring lost and then a small spring of 14 pounds landed. Several springs either escaped our efforts, were set free or ended up in our net. All totaled, we enjoyed decent spring fishing for fish weighing between 10 and 21 pounds. Halibut continued to entertain too, whenever we grew tired of trolling, a timeout with jigs or bait sent to the bottom always met with mutual approval from man and fish.
Our stay at the lodge could only be described as a truly world-class experience with plenty of opportunity to catch fish and witness wildlife. While waiting to catch the seaplane back to Prince Rupert a pod of orca whales cruised by the lodge’s front window. Each year they migrate past Wales Island to teach their young how to catch and eat some of the area’s seal population. Eagle Pointe Lodge offers more than just fishing, it offers the opportunity to view wilderness and experience it too. I’m still sorry we didn’t try fishing the remote creek alongside the lodge or hike to the lake far above the lodge. But there’s always next time to experience more of this five-star rated lodge.
About the lodge
The season at Eagle Pointe Lodge begins in late May and runs into September. This past season anglers enjoyed the best season yet for chinook and halibut. The largest chinook of ’98 weighed a whopping 66 ½ pounds and the largest halibut weighed 203 pounds. In addition to chinook anglers also enjoyed massive runs of chum and pink salmon and unbelievable bottomfishng for everything from halibut and lingcod to yelloweye rockfish.
Trips include
With only 12 guests at the lodge per trip, anglers are never crowded in the lodge’s fleet of 24-foot, fully equipped Orca boats. The spacious rooms, each with a waterfront view, private bath and two beds include daily maid service. Guests enjoy unbelievable multi-course gourmet food served family style to enable everyone to eat as much or as little as they choose. Dinner wine is included or drinks may be purchased at a reasonable rate from the bar. Boxed lunches are packed for guests while fishing. Between meals snacks are served.
Tackle is top notch and includes custom G. Loomis rods and a choice of knuckle buster or level wind reels. All terminal tackle, including bottom fishing gear is included.
Professional fish packaging makes the trip home with your catch easy. Since the lodge is a full service facility, trips include the floatplane ride from Prince Rupert as well as the fishing license. Air fare to Prince Rupert from Vancouver is not included, but the lodge can help arrange decent fares.
What to bring
In case it rains the lodge provides excellent Gortex rain gear to keep everyone comfortable and dry. But do bring warm clothes regardless of the time of year because the weather in the northern wilderness often gets chilly in the mornings and afternoons. Also bring plenty of film and a pair of binoculars and a video camera if you have one.
Who to contact
Eagle Pointe Lodge
#650 101 6th Ave, S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3P4
Phone: International 1-888-988-8388
Fax: {403} 266-5388
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