About a year and a half ago my good friend Cody Haggard told me about this surf/fishing spot. We would have to drive 7 hours and canoe for 1 ½ . I don't know how to surf (yet), but love to fish; especially for those coho salmon that we would be chasing. The place is called Raft Cove and it is on the northwest tip of Vancouver Island. This is a much informations as you need, the adventure of finding it is part of the fun.
The call comes in about a week before thanksgiving, I have one week to tell my boss I'm taking days off and get everything I need prepared. The plan is 2 canoes 4 guys: Cody Haggard, Jake Daly, Pete Greene and I. We’ve been best friends since high school. Jake and I have to make the 8’oclock ferry at Horseshoe Bay to meet up with Cody and Pete who already live on the island. Of course Jake shows up at my house in Pemberton at the 11th hour, 6 am. After driving all night form Smithers. We pushed err, but made it to the ferry on time, hoping the other will be ready when we get there………… they weren't. Cody’s an hour and a half late… and petes still drunk and not ready. I love these guys. We finally gather at Pete's house in Nanaimo, where we do our final shopping and load up Jakes van and Cody's truck. We hit the Island highway heading north, in real awe at how many beautiful rivers there are just along the highway north of Nanaimo. Finally in Port Hardy we stop for some dinner and gas before hitting the logging roads on our final stretch.... After navigating for 2 hours in the dark pouring rain Jake and I lead us right to the trail head with only a couple small detours. It's midnight so we decide to all crash in the van and head out in the morning.
In the morning we make a bunch of trips packing copious amounts of gear, that I'm sure wont all fit in two canoes (Cody is a fan of better safe then sorry, so we had a chainsaw, gun, gas, crab trap, surf boards, fishing rods and tons of food and liquids). Down the river we go! loaded to the nuts, but we float. Wow, what an amazing place. Within the first 5 minutes of paddling against the current through a gailing storm we are already blown away (literally and figuratively) at how beautiful this place is. After battling wind, rain, and the rising tide we make it to the estuary where we see some coho's rising. That gets us very excited and eager to to get setup and get our lines in the water. Of course, in true west coast fashion its pouring rain and gailing winds while we set up camp. Have you ever tried setitng up camp in those conditions, its not an easy thing to do. We start building a shelter with tarps we brought, scrap pieces of rope that had washed up on the beach, downed trees, and some spikes we found. Thank god for the chainsaw. While the other three worked on the shelter, I start the fire and begin cooking breakfast. After a battle with the rain and wind we end up with an awesome shelter and a delicious breakfast that was more, boiled in rain water then fried. Who decided to show his face Just as we finish all the setting up and cooking in the rain, the sun. Now its blue skies and sunshine, typical west coast. The tide is dropping and that means fish are rolling in, so we load up the canoes and off we go to find us some coho. We decide to split up and try and find some rising fish and report back to each other. Jake and I head up stream while Cody and Pete hang out just below where we saw fish on the way in. No fish, so we decide to paddle back down to check on the other two. On the way down we spot some fish and stop to try our luck out, I hear some hoots and run down the bank to see whats up. Cody is fighting a fish! Now its on. Just as Cody releases his fish, Pete hooks one on the fly! We’re into em now. At the end of the night we paddle back to camp with headlamps and a fish for dinner. Jake and I were skunked, but stoked for the other two. Its our turn tomorrow, but tonight it's fresh coho and pork tenderloin with some veggies for dinner. After the feast Cody and Jake hand tied some creative flies with some random things we had between everyones tackle box's. The exhaustion set in after eating a late night dinner and it was off to bed early.
Day two, I woke up early and started a fire, I figured the alluring smell of coffee and bailey’s would get the other three bozos out of their tents. It's Jakes turn to make breakfast, sausage and french toast on the open fire. Jake nails it and energy is restored for an days surf and fish. This morning I was eager to get out and chase more ho's, but first Pete and I set out the crab trap in front of the river mouth in hopes of getting it back after our morning fish (no amount of hoping was getting that crab trap back…shit). Some cowboy coffee and up the river we paddle looking for rising ho's again. After a couple hours of hunting, nothing, not even a sniff or a splash, so we head back down to camp to go check the surf.
Back at camp the guys get suited up and I go to see if our crab trap is still there, no sign of it anywhere, oh well, yah win some yah loose some and obviously we lost this one. Armed with wetsuits and surfsticks the boys headed down the bach looking for waves amoungst the huge early winter swell. The surf was short but looked fun, I am stoked to get out there..one day; but now the tide is dropping and this means fish are moving. A half an hour later and we’ve swapped wet suits for waders and on our way up the river hunting ho’s (west coast styles, not Compton styles). Now we know where the fishing are hanging out and we head there right away. Fish on! Jake yells from up river, we all go and join him. Abeautiful 8-10lb coho! That evening we all got into some coho; aswell as, some jacks and a few beautiful sea run cutties that were loving the hand tied flies. What a day! Once again we paddle back to camp in the dark feeling content and very manly having caught dinner 2 nights in a row. Cody and I are off to bed early. Jake and Pete thought they would try and clean up the camp and by that I mean get rid of the liquids. OH YAH! UH HUH!
I awake to an aroma of whiskey and homemade wine filling the tent. I know it going to be a rough morning for two of us. We manage to all be ready in time for one last fish. The tide is low and there is big hopes of nailing some more fish. This was our last paddle up to where the fish have been holding, our last chance.. Not even a bite, no one hits anything,so its back to camp to pack up and try and catch an easy ride up river with the rising tide. A slow easy paddle up stream and we arrive at our drop off point. The multiple loads of gear to carry seems alittle lighter this time, probably because we’re still so high from all the fun we’ve just had together. Once out safe, exhausted, and extremely stoked we started our longish journey back to your homes. To finish things off, Cody got to use his gun and brought home a grouse for dinner that night. A 6 hours drive and we all part ways back to reality……. Till our next adventure.
Click this link to check out a slideshow of our trip .RAFT COVE Slideshow
