|
Bit of History: April Point
Our
story wouldn't be complete without a little history.
From 1945 until early 1998, April Point
Lodge belonged to the the Peterson family.
Early this year, the Lodge itself, several
accommodations buildings and 7 acres of land were purchased from the
Petersons and are now owned and operated by the Oak Bay Marine Group.
The Petersons continue
to offer delightful 1-5 bedroom guest houses,
with full amenities, including fireplaces,
hot-tubs, Jacuzzi baths and unbeatable ocean views. These lodgings offer a
secluded setting with the amenities of April Point Lodge close at hand and may
be rented through our pages.
Captain George Vancouver
made his historic voyage through Discovery Passage in 1792- 205 years ago, and
105 years before salmon fishing on Canada's BC coast was "discovered" by Sir
Richard Musgrave in 1896. On July 13th, 1792, Captain Vancouver named this point
of land "April Point".
In 1945, Phil &
Phyllis Peterson journeyed to the area for the spectacular fishing in
1945. They camped at the Tyee Spit and rowed each day across the waters of
Discovery Passage to fish at April Point. Little did
they know what their future would hold. Their biggest catch was to be April
Point itself.
When Phillip
discovered it for sale he offered to purchase 10 acres on the point of land
where the lodge now sits,
but Judge Pidcock, then the owner, replied that it was all or nothing.
Phil agreed and he and Phyllis became the owners of 150 forested acres. With
their dream in motion, Phil took a one year leave of absence from the McGraw
Hill Publishing Company and set out with Phyllis and their children to make
April Point their summer home.
"Poverty Point" as it was called back then,
was inhabited by handliners; a few old fishermen who lived in a row of beach
shacks. Although invited to stay on, the old boys relocated when the new
residents arrived with their lively children, Eric, Joy, and Thor. Renovating
one of the beach shacks to live in became their first priority.
Within a short time, residents and visitors alike
began to inquire about renting the little cabins for summer holidays.
It soon became evident that opening a seasonal business had
possibilities, and would allow the Peterson family to make April Point their
year-round home.
The docks were
built when visiting boaters showed an interest in mooring at "The Point" and of
course a dining room was next! Phil's leave of absence stretched to
two years, and eldest son Warren came home on leave from the Navy in the summer
to work, renovating cabins, building docks, and the only salt-water swimming
pool on the coast. The
lodge was built 4 years later in 1950.
Things have
changed a lot since then. Although some of the
original buildings still stand, they have been remodeled and serve new purposes.
The expanded lodge and outlying buildings accommodate some 100 guests and
a full service, 3500 foot yacht marina is tucked in the bay behind April Point.
Yes, things have changed, but the sincere desire to
show our guests a wonderful time is still the same, over 50 years later.
Let's go Fishing!
Salmon fishing at April Point
is unbeatable! The friendly, professional fishing guides are waiting with
excellent boats and top-flight tackle to take you to the hot-spots.
Warren Peterson, one
of April Point's former owners, is still guiding.
How could he not do what he loves best... spending time
with guests, showing them the beauty of our area, and taking them fishing!
He addresses a few questions which have been asked frequently.
Frequently
asked questions...
Q.
- I've heard we can only use barbless hooks. Is this true?
A. - Yes.
Anglers interested in conservation have been using barbless hooks for a long
time. It's well-known that barbless hooks give a fish a better
chance at survival if you choose to release it. Several local guides also report
that they have not yet lost a single fish, and that indeed they feel that a fish
is actually easier to hook with a barbless hook than a barbed one.
Q. - Can we fish for Coho?
A. - If you hook a Coho, of course you can play it,
but the policy on Coho is strictly non-retention, therefore it is
not appropriate to set out to catch Coho. Coho are feisty fighters,
providing great action to sports fishers each summer. Their numbers have
steadily decreased over the past 5 or 6 years for various reasons including
changing ocean conditions and stream degradation. Many new measures are being
implemented to enhance their numbers, including a ban on commercial fishing of
coho, and a new catch and release policy (no-retention) for the Coho sports
fishery.
Q. - How is the Chinook fishing so
far this season?
A. - Excellent! Chinook
fishing is the best it's been in 10 years! Anglers are regularly reporting
limits of 2 each day, averaging between 8 and 30 pounds with the biggest
concentration is in the 14 -25 lb range.
Q. - When do you catch each type
of fish?
A. - Although you may fish for any type at any time, each type of salmon has
a "season" when it is most plentiful.
|
Species |
Season |
Limits |
|
Tyee |
July-Sept |
(Chinook) |
|
Chinook/Spring/King |
Year-round |
2 per day |
|
Sockeye |
August |
4 per day |
|
Pink |
August-Sept |
4 per day |
|
Chum |
Sept - Oct |
4 per day |
|
Coho/Silvers |
June - Oct |
nonretention |
|
|
|
|
You may catch up to 4 salmon per day, 2 of
which may be Chinook salmon.
The possession limit is two days catch.
- Fishing Calendar
...
the long story
 April,
May & June
bring an equal mix of 2-4 year old Chinooks of 10 - 20
pounds and sub-legal yearlings, as well as some Coho, ranging from sub-legal
juveniles to 3 and 4 pounders. The days are long - it's daylight from 4 in the
morning until 10:30 at night, so there is plenty of fishing time! This quieter
time of year is also peaceful and serene with few boats and lots of bait in the
water (herring, needle-fish and crab and herring spawn and Eusophid shrimp
hatches) for those eagerly feeding salmon.
July
and August
see increases in size and numbers of Chinook
and Coho. 1997 brought incredible numbers of Sockeye and Pinks which continued
through to October. Growing catches of Halibut, Snapper and Cod were a bonus
enjoyed by many. Those trends are expected to continue in '98!
Mid-August and
September
offer
continuing catches of Coho, Chinook, Pink and Sockeye salmon as well as the Tyee
- the over 30 pound leviathan Chinook salmon of 4 - 6 years of age. Row in the
time honored fashion of the
Tyee Club of BC,
or mooch from a power boat for these giants for the fight of your life!
September and
October yield catches of Chinook, Pink and
Sockeye salmon as well as Northern Coho and Chum salmon. Winter Springs
(Chinook) take over in the later months of the year, becoming our mainstay over
the winter.
Come join us;
catch a great time and the one that got away last year! We look forward to
seeing you soon.
 |
