By Pete Gray

The summer of 2023 is certainly a time when people wanted to travel.  Airports are packed, trips are full.  But one place I visited this summer held its seclusion and elegance better than most, and that was Queen Charlotte Safaris on the pristine islands of Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada.

The first thing I notice over previous “Covid” years was how easy it was to get in and out of Canada. Very few lines and an easy process…back to normal! A trip to Queen Charlotte Safaris usually starts with an overnight in Vancouver, but this year it was possible to connect with the flight to Sandspit on the same day.  We arrived in glorious clear weather and were greeted in the tiny airport by Valerie and some of her staff.  We jumped into her newly added bus and took the 10-minute ride to the lodge and settled in.  cocktails on the deck with appetizers and views of the bay and bald eagles.  Followed by an incredible meal by Chef John.

The next morning, we headed to the boats- a 5-minute walk from the lodge or a 1 minute ride.  Our group of 23 were divided into 6 boats and soon everyone was off through the “cut” to the west side of the island.  Haida Gwaii has 2 major islands divided by a narrow cut. At low tide, the “narrows” part of the cut has just a couple of feet of water, but the QCS jet boats can handle it at any tide.  I was fishing with Captain Nathan with trip co-sponsor Harold Davis and buddies Gary and Raymon. We made the run to the west or ocean side and were met by flat calm seas, so Captain Nathan chooses to run outside and north. We started off with rockfish and ling cod…amazing fishing in 150 feet of water with jigs and plastics. Giant ling cod to 40 pounds were abundant, as well as assorted rockfish.  We also caught and released several yelloweye rockfish which have a zero limit.  Nathan told us that next year there may be a take on them as they are overwhelmingly the most abundant rockfish.  This area has the most amazing bottom fishing I have ever seen. It gets very little pressure and the spots to fish seem endless.  We then ran north to fish for halibut and quickly got what we wanted to keep.  Next up was salmon, and the first two fish on the boat were 25- and 20-pound king salmon.  We finished off our limit for the day and it was time to go check the Dungeness crab pots on the way home.  What a first day all in flat calm t-shirt weather.  Add to that the pristine scenery you are constantly surrounded with and you understand what a special place this is.  The fishing days are long if you want… leave by 6:30am and back by 5 or earlier if your group decides.

The next day the wind was up a bit and the fishing slowed down for most.  We toughed it out and still had great ling cod fishing, but blanked on the salmon.  Most boats stayed in the protected area called “the wall” and did well on salmon.

Our third and final day we were met again by flat weather but a bit of rain. Again, we had fabulous fishing for salmon, halibut, ling cod and rockfish.  Raymond caught a beautiful 50-pound halibut on a lead head and plastic.  Mo

st of our rock fish, ling cod and halibut were caught on plastic…super fun way to fish!  I even started using a light bass rod and a Shimano Tranx 300 and caught huge ling cod and rock fish on light tackle! 

Every evening we arrived back at the lodge to delicious home-made soup during cocktail hour then an amazing gourmet meal. Chef John and his kitchen crew made every meal a true 5-star dining experience.  Everything was prepared fresh each day and all the incredible desserts were handmade masterpieces.   This is truly a place where you may go for the fishing but the service and food is super special.

Speaking of service, Queen Charlotte Safaris owner and host Valerie Hoperich is just an amazing person. She works so hard and makes sure everyone is happy.  But she still has time to sit down and have a glass of wine and dine with us.  Valerie is one of the major reasons QCS is so special.  Of course, a naturally beautiful place, phenomenal fishing, incredible food and a beautiful lodge help too!

The final day we had time to relax and enjoy the lodge or go for a hike in the forest.  I love to hike and the forest trail there is one of my favorites, just a short walk from the lodge.  We also got a tour of most of Sandspit on the bus which was fun.  We headed for the airport to check our luggage and boxes of fish for the 1 ½ hour flight to Vancouver then back to our home.

Queen Charlotte Safaris packages include the flight from Vancouver to Sandpit, 3 days of fishing, 4 nights lodging and all your incredible meals. Also included is your fishing license and fish processing.  Most of us each brought home 1 ½ boxes of fish! About 70 pounds of filets.

Trips to Queen Charlotte Safaris fill fast.  We had several couples; a few singles and small groups join us this year. Our first trip August 3 to 7 ,2024 is already sold out, so we added a second trip to be hosted by Cory Sanden August 7 to 11, 2024 that still has a few spots.  There are also scattered spots throughout their season that you can get on.  Call Valerie at 877-815-2892 or check qcsafaris.com