The Salmon Eye Charters success story!
Sam Vandervalk, the owner of Salmon Eye Charters, has now guided for 12 years. He grew up around mid-Vancouver Island. You could say that fishing is in the family, as his older brother Ray also guides for Salmon Eye Charters.
From an early age Sam and Ray took an interest in fishing, which has lead to careers as professional fishing guides. Sam is pictured below helping a customer bring in a fish and Ray is pictured to the right, holding up a 77lb Halibut in Ucluelet.
When they were younger, they made sure to get out early, and sometimes they would be out at the fishing hotspot before it was even light. Soon they started coming in with tubs of salmon and had to start giving fish away, even though there was a family of 6 to feed. About 6 years later, both Sam and Ray had established themselves as premier guides working one of the nicest fishing resorts on the North Coast of British Columbia. This experience helped them create a first class trip where you get the best!
Now...
Salmon Eye Charters has grown and is now going to be operating 4 boats mostly in Ucluelet, as that is where the fish seem to be the most. Happy customers are made every day here!
June, July and August had some pretty consistent fishing. The Chinook (Kings) started getting larger around late June and stayed right through into early Septmeber. We had a great year for Chinook salmon in the 25-40lb range. Coho fishing was also very good and as many of our clients realized, we actually try and avoid them sometimes to get to the bigger fish by letting the line down as fast as possible.
It is common to come home with large tubs of salmon and halibut that have to be wheeled, not carried, up the ramp. Halibut fishing was great right up into October. For one of the best and consistent places to fish salmon in North America, Ucluelet comes tops in the list! Because the continued success in Ucluelet, it only made sense to grow the business there.
Since business has grown significantly, Sam has been hiring guides that fit the business and give you a good time. If you ask Sam for advice on finding a good fishing guide, he will tell you that recommendations are very important. If you are going to spend a good part of your holiday in the boat, you really want to be with the guide who knows fishing!
Both Sam and Ray became Christians a few years back, and this affects the way they run the business. This doesn't mean you can't drink or smoke. It just means they treat you with respect and really care about your trip. If you want to read Sam's testimony, you can.
One of Sam's favourite fishing memories is fishing in Port Alberni when he was thirteen. He landed a 32-pounder that jumped about three times. About 20 minutes later he caught one that was about 45 pounds! Memories like this are precious to any teenager. He will tell you that it is never too early to take your kids fishing, since he caught his first salmon when he was six.
Hopefully you enjoyed this story, and if you would like to book a fishing trip, Sam would be more than happy to take you! He's got many tricks to share with you, and you will definitely have some stories to tell of you own after fishing with him!
