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Our climate is typical of a coastal marine environment. You can expect
wet weather and cool temperatures almost any time of the year. Spring,
summer, and early fall high temperatures average in the high 50’s
to low 60’s (14-18 C). Low temperatures are in the mid 40’s
to low 50’s (7-12 C). Even though the waters are generally calm and
sheltered, you should bring warm clothes, hats, gloves, and rain gear.
Those 5 AM rides when going fishing for British Columbia king salmon are cool, even on a warm summer
day.
Of course, when the sun does come out, you should have
plenty of sun protection.
Polarized sunglasses, sunscreen, and a billed hat are good to have in
almost any weather. Shorts are rarely worn; even in summer; but they’re
nice to have if you’re just hanging out at the lodge. Warm and waterproof
footgear is recommended.
The lodge has salmon fishing and halibut gear for all guests. Our typical
setup is a 9’ mooching rod with a single action (a.k.a. “knucklebuster”)
reel. If you’re more comfortable with a level wind or your own gear,
feel free to bring it.
We suggest bringing a 5 or 6 wt. and 8 wt. rod. If you can, bring a spool
loaded with floating line and one with a good sinking line. A medium to
fast sink tip (III or higher) is highly recommended on the floating line.
If you’re coming in July and want to try to hook a freshwater king salmon
on the fly, a 10 or even 12 wt. with a super fast sink tip line will be
necessary. The lodge does have 5 and 8 wts. available for guest use.
We also have fly-tying materials which you’re welcome to use.
Good British Columbia fly patterns include: muddler minnow, woolly bugger,
clouser minnow, and for steelhead and coho: marauder, tyrant, general
practitioner, and polly wog—all in bright colors. Use a #2 or #4
size hook for salmon and #8 or #10 for trout.
Use our gear or bring your own! If you're bringing your own, for trout, silver salmon or steelhead, a good light to medium weight spinning
and/or casting setup is recommended (on the heavier side for salmon/steelhead).
For steelhead, we highly recommend a casting reel of the “Ambassadeur”
type. The ability to cast and free-spool your line out is extremely important.
The lodge does have rods/reels for guest use.
Bring a good lure selection of sizes and colors. Bright
pink, red, and chartreuse are popular with the fish. Spinners in #2-4
(Mepps/Roostertail type) sizes are good. Only lures with single, barbless
hooks may be used. If your lures have a barbed hook, the barbs may be
clipped or pinched down.
We find that many of our guests prefer to bring their own waders. However,
depending on the guest’s size, we have a selection of waders
for guest use.
Please note that, effective January 8, 2007, passports are required for ALL guests traveling by air from Seattle to Blackfish Lodge. As mentioned, we provide floatation suits, so you don’t need to bring
life vests or the like. Do bring your favorite reading materials, toiletries
and adequate changes of clothing. Because we're in a remote location, your cellphone will NOT work nor do we have internet access. Mealtimes are very informal. If you're bringing any liquor to the lodge from the U.S., Canadian customs regulations allow 40 oz (1.14 liters) of hard liquor or 52 oz. (1.5 liters) of wine per person. One final thing
to note when you’re packing is that if you’re arriving via floatplane, most operators have a baggage weight limit of approximately 24 lbs. per person. Kenmore Air will bring your fish back to Seattle at no charge, but the Canadian floatplane operators will charge by the pound for anything (fish or baggage) over their weight limit.
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