Rain City
Crew Member
And you can retain little tiny baby chinook!
Your preferred place to live on Van Isle for sport fishing?
- Thread starter Aquaholic
- Start date
Olde School
Well-Known Member
Compared to Port Alberni, you can be half way to Pill Point in 20 minutes, or past Whiskey Creek, or launched at Sproat/Great Central.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Never had an issue with traffic in Nanaimo. Much better than other places on island. Port Alberni can be **** show sometimes 2. Everybody says live south island, and then they drive their cars/boats up here every weekend LOLOL.
There is where your traffic is coming from on Parkway.
There is where your traffic is coming from on Parkway.
PEETZcanada
Well-Known Member
I'd say somewhere central. The Island is small, just go where the fish are, live where all the nessessary amenities are. Truly I would think it out long and hard. Life is not that easy over here.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Are you commuting from your place Nanaimo to work or did you move Rob?
PEETZcanada
Well-Known Member
I am still living central. I spend the work week in Victoria. Early to late at the workshop most days.
If you are talking best place to live and commit to your boat moored. I don't know.
For now in my working years with boat on trailer I am happy in Goldstream near base of malahat. 20 min to East Sooke, 30 min to West Sooke, 10 min to Saanich inlet, 45 min to Sidney, 30 min to Vic Waterfront, 1.5 hours to Renfrew and 3 hours to Bamfield (1.5 to Port/1.5 to Bamfield). I just have to pick a direction to turn at the roundabout and I am on my way to many options. I fish them all!!
Although development is getting out of hand in my area. Location is still great. Just too many people.
For now in my working years with boat on trailer I am happy in Goldstream near base of malahat. 20 min to East Sooke, 30 min to West Sooke, 10 min to Saanich inlet, 45 min to Sidney, 30 min to Vic Waterfront, 1.5 hours to Renfrew and 3 hours to Bamfield (1.5 to Port/1.5 to Bamfield). I just have to pick a direction to turn at the roundabout and I am on my way to many options. I fish them all!!
Although development is getting out of hand in my area. Location is still great. Just too many people.
baddogg
Crew Member
Understood. At peak traffic times on the parkway (ferry traffic) I usually default to the old highway. Usually much faster.
Deepaaaar
Well-Known Member
Well, I've gotta say, I've been in Victoria for damn near 20 years and, while living along the ECVI has been pretty enticing from a fishing perspective, I do love fishing in Sooke and Renfrew. I'm in a kayak, though, so no boat stuff to worry about. Tips' location feels pretty ideal. Just get a cabin somewhere between Qualicum and Campbell and you're set!
To be honest, I don't think there's a bad place on VI to live if you like fishing. I love traveling all over the island, and sometimes the travel is as much a part of it as the fishing. Sometimes. I just got back from a day trip to fish in front of the Little Q and my brain is fuzzing out. Don't love that drive.
To be honest, I don't think there's a bad place on VI to live if you like fishing. I love traveling all over the island, and sometimes the travel is as much a part of it as the fishing. Sometimes. I just got back from a day trip to fish in front of the Little Q and my brain is fuzzing out. Don't love that drive.
Aces
Well-Known Member
Yes
Aquaholic
Crew Member
We used to do an annual loop with my BMW motorcycle club out of Vancouver, and part of it went through Sooke to Port Renfrew, etc. There were a few times over the years in mid July where we were putting our heated vests on along that road as it was so chilly and foggy.
Not any different anywhere else on ECVI
Deepaaaar
Well-Known Member
He means the extrateenyweenylittlebitty 45cm chinook instead of the 62cm megachonks.
Squire
Well-Known Member
My wife and I are retired in Chemainus since 2020. With family members in Parksville, Victoria and Salt Spring Island we are pretty central and only 30 minutes from either ferry to the mainland to see our kids (They prefer to come here but of course we’re more flexible).
Boat moored in Ladysmith is 15 mins from my door to taking the cover off. Good prawning and crabbing in the Stuart Channel area and decent salmon and lingcod fishing can be found from Entrance Island down to Porlier.
It’s an hour run from the marina to Sandheads as well.
And it’s less than a 2 hour tow to launch at Clutesi and run out to Barkley Sound for our annual trip.
Due to life’s curveballs I have yet to fully exploit all these opportunities but I’ve just about arrived there now. I’d be at Sandheads this morning for the first time if the weather forecast hadn’t changed dramatically from a few days ago. Of course the predicted 25 mph NW winds haven’t materialized but Friday is the new plan anyway.
Boat moored in Ladysmith is 15 mins from my door to taking the cover off. Good prawning and crabbing in the Stuart Channel area and decent salmon and lingcod fishing can be found from Entrance Island down to Porlier.
It’s an hour run from the marina to Sandheads as well.
And it’s less than a 2 hour tow to launch at Clutesi and run out to Barkley Sound for our annual trip.
Due to life’s curveballs I have yet to fully exploit all these opportunities but I’ve just about arrived there now. I’d be at Sandheads this morning for the first time if the weather forecast hadn’t changed dramatically from a few days ago. Of course the predicted 25 mph NW winds haven’t materialized but Friday is the new plan anyway.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
I grew up in Chemainus. My remaining family members still live there. Definitely one of my top choices if I did make the move. The access to the gulf islands is priceless.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
yyep. agreed. that corridor is a disaster
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
That's a feature not a bug.
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Tomfoolery
Well-Known Member
Consider the prevailing winds. Nanaimo and mid Island area is often windy in summer and there can be weeks on end like this summer that you can't fish in any comfort, if at all. Further north CR area the winds are not as big an issue and the fetch is less. Ladysmith area is actually a pretty good location because you can shelter in the Gulf Islands, however it seems like many areas are now rockfish conservation areas.
Blue Hewes
Well-Known Member
We moved from Langley to Nanaimo (Cinnabar Valley area) almost exactly 1 year ago. I chuckle at the comments about the traffic here having been in the LML my whole life. But I guess it’s all in perspective. When you’ve sat in traffic for 1 - 2hrs one way for days in a row 40min is nothing. I can get to the boat launch in 15min vs an hour plus to McDonald beach and that’s on a weekend morning. Almost the same time to the Ladysmith launch which is also decent. The fishing spots are also closer. I can easily fish after work which I couldn’t do previously without ditching early. Having only crossed over to this side to fish a few times when I lived there the fishing here is fantastic. Way better than I imagined. The Brechin launch is excellent and you can’t beat $6 a day. From here we can easily drive North or South to explore new areas. Tried Bamfield for the first time this year and we have a stay at CC in Nootka every summer. Moving here has increased my opportunity 10 fold. On the non fishing side. Real Estate - we sold our house in Langley for $300k more than we bought for but our house now is 35yrs newer and 50% larger. The people here are great and very friendly. The pace is much slower, Island time really is a thing. You also can’t beat finding parking at Costco even on a Saturday Lol. People often talk about the homeless issue here which certainly exists but we had plenty of that in Langley and other places are worse. I feel a lot safer here with my stuff being left out and cars not getting broken into. When my wife and I do have to travel over for work we can’t wait to get back here and leave the mainland behind.
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