Meet Our Guides!

Simeon Schmidt

Simeon has fished the waters of Ucluelet and Barkley Sound most of his life. He has also spent most of his life on the water. His father worked on the Canadian Coast guard in Bamfield (very close to Ucluelet) and this attention to safety passed down to Simeon. Since the start he has helped us make sure all the boats are running with the best equipment including good wiring to prevent corrosion (a big problem on saltwater). Simeon has great attention to safety and detail and this is transferred to your fishing trip. He is great at communicating the benefits to having an efficient operation on his boat and his attention to detail helps him catch more salmon, even on off days when fishing is a little slower. We have numerous accounts of Simeon limiting quickly, especially in the shoulder seasons..

Dan Dowell

Dan is one of the old timers in Ucluelet and loves catching large salmon. This passion doesn’t affect his halibut fishing–he can do both well—but he has a great desire to see large Chinook salmon come into the dock. Dan has more patience than most and will wait out in a spot when everyone has left. His experience often gets rewarded here and he has a reputation for catching fewer total salmon so that he can get the big one. He is one of the best at fishing large spoons or whole herring while the Chinook (Kings) are running during July and August. We all admire his ability to figure out where the bigger Chinook (Kings) are hiding. He guided a third place finish in one of two salmon derbies during 2009.

Al Boyd

Al joined Salmon Eye Charters last year after fishing for various companies. We are glad to add him to the team. Al’s passion for fishing started early and is still one of his greatest passions. Al is great at catching both Salmon and Halibut and his dedication to fishing show in the way he plans his trip. He likes to be first to the fishing grounds, so you may just go a couple knots faster getting there. He is great with customer attention as well, and this will show as soon as you step into the boat.

Lance Jaager

Lance is one of our more traveled guides. He has guided quite a few different areas on the coast. Lance worked as the head guide for one of the more expensive resorts on the BC coast for a number of years. Last year he decided to work in Barkley Sound and fish offshore Ucluelet. We have known him for a number of years and worked with him as well early in our fishing years. His attention to customer service and his love for fishing caused us to ask him to join our team this year. He loves telling jokes, so you just might laugh a little on your trip!

Ray Vandervalk

Ray started guiding at age 19 and is still guiding 18 years later. He was given the nickname “lucky” in his rookie year since he outperformed many of the older guides. We still like to joke with him about that when he comes in with bigger coolers than the rest of us. Like Dan, he loves catching large Chinook salmon and he seems to have a sixth sense in finding big fish. He also guided a third place finish in one of two salmon derbies during 2009.
Ray is quick in conversation and very well read in historic events. If you want to play the trivia game, beware, you might have your hands full! Ray also writes many of the articles in the fishing blog, so if you want to learn something about salmon and halibut fishing, spend some time here.

Sam Vandervalk

Sam is the owner of Salmon Eye Charters and is very happy to have such great guides around him. Having a great team creates a good environment to make sure every boat is producing and at the same time leaving happy clients. Sam is one of the main people on the phone, so chances are you will talk to him when booking your trip. He has been guiding for 15 years, 9 as the owner of Salmon Eye Charters. You may have seen him on the Outdoor Channel or heard him on the radio talking about salmon fishing in British Columbia. Sam and Ray are Christians and you can read his Testimony here. He is committed to keep Salmon Eye Charters as one of the top organizations to come fishing with, by experienced guides, great boats, the best accommodation for your money and having a great vacuum packed product to take home with you.