Tofino!
Hello there, banned member. If you can get to Charter River while you are in Tofino, you would have a great opportunity to fish for Atlantic salmon. Several years ago one of the largest salmon farms on the West Coast had a total escapement of their farmed Atlantics. There was a bit of a fuss over that, but the DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) kept it relatively quiet...the Feds are in favour of salmon farming. No one was very worried about the escapement because everybody assumed that the farm fish just don’t survive, least of all return to spawn. That was then. Charter River at one time was a salmon-bearing stream, but poor logging practices and other habitat degradation have wiped out the original salmon stocks and the small run of summer steelhead. Just a few years ago a DFO team was surveying some of the damaged salmon rivers on the West Coast and were shocked to find that Charter River was now home to a thriving population of Atlantic salmon. They start returning in March each year and make wonderful sport. They are 12-15 lb fish and take a skated dry fly willingly. When you get to Tofino, contact Wilfred Pennington. He is the only licensed guide on the Charter.
