Long Haul to Long Hole

by

David Y. Wei with Suzanne Clouthier

            Long Hole is an offshore fishing spot that lies almost 100 kilometres west of Port Renfrew, at the very edge of the continental shelf. Though it lies just in Canadian waters, Long Hole is somewhat closer to American ports on the Olympic Peninsula than to any Canadian port. It has long been a popular bottom-fishing location for our American neighbours’ party boat charters.

            Distant as it may be, Long Hole is one of the best early-season halibut hot spots on our whole B.C. coast. Pete Hovey, owner of Trailhead Resort and Charters in Port Renfrew, is about the only Canadian charter operator willing to take his boats on the long haul.

            But what boats: Pete has a fleet of three custom-made Silver Streak cruisers. Made locally in nearby Sooke, these welded-aluminum boats have a well-earned reputation for being tough enough to take years of hard pounding in the open Pacific Ocean, while still offering a dry, comfortable ride in all but the harshest conditions.

            My wife, Suzanne, Rob Alcock, the owner of Delta Tackle, and I were duly impressed by Pete’s spanking new 30-footer. With twin 250-hp Yamaha four-strokes and a 9.9 hp kicker, full electronics, a level walk-around deck, roomy cabin, and spacious fore and aft cockpits, this was one mean fishing machine. Thoughtful touches include rod holders that are solidly welded in place, an LPG-powered heater, a head inside the bow cabin, and a huge stainless steel, under-floor fishbox.

            Pete and his son, Mike, readied each of four spreader bars for baiting with Delta Tackle’s latest Hali Hawg curly-tail grubs. Rob grinned slyly as he revealed his company’s two latest weapons in their halibut arsenal: a big 10-inch and a humungous 12-inch grub, to join the original eight-inch grub. Who says size doesn’t matter?

            The grubs, from freshly opened vacuum packs, exuded a potent smell. Rob told us that he had come up with a new, halibut-attracting combination of various fish- and krill-based scents that could be molded right into the soft, flexible baits. It had taken a Rob a lot of experimenting to get the formula right so that the scent would last a long time, yet neither discolour nor weaken the plastic. What better place to see if Rob’s latest creations would kick ’but than at Long Hole?

            I did a double-take when I saw on the depthsounder how deep the water was— 454 feet — 100 feet deeper than I had ever fished before. Even with two full pounds of weight, it still took some time to get our baits to the bottom. Pete made the job of finding bottom much easier by using his kicker motor in reverse to keep the stern into the wind. He was able to keep our lines almost vertical the whole time we were fishing — no easy task with strong currents, and a 20-knot wind stirring up some gnarly seas.

            Sigh. By now, readers who know me will have already guessed who had the first fish on. Suzanne really liked being able to leave the rod in the holder while slowly cranking in her halibut. At the great depths we were fishing, it meant that she wouldn’t be getting arm cramps, or worn out on the first fish.

            Well, I certainly wasn’t getting worn out. While Suzanne and Rob were busy with fish after fish, I hadn’t gotten a single strike. To test the efficacy of the new Hali Hawgs, I was using an old version of the grub (with which I had great success previously) to give comparison. Both Suzanne and Rob were releasing any small halibut, but keeping kitchen-friendly chickens around 10 kg. I gallantly waited until my bride of many years took her limit (that’s why I think Suzanne hasn’t traded me in for a younger model) and stopped fishing, before begging Rob for one of his new grubs.

            What a difference. As soon as I got the 10-inch grub to the bottom, a vicious strike slammed the rod tip to the water. My fish fought doggedly right to the surface. I was quite surprised to see a mottled brown ling cod at the end of my line. Pete assured me that there were lots of lings at Long Hole too, and to accentuate that statement, Rob hooked and landed another one.

            With four lines out, we had many double- and triple-headers on each long drift. We asked Pete and Mike to join the furious action (to be honest, Rob and I were just worn out). In less than two hours we all had our limits of halibut, three nice ling cod, and a fine-eating red snapper.

            Back in Port Renfrew, Pete’s dock crew expertly filleted our catch. At the lodge, they individually vacuum-packaged each fillet, then flash-froze our catch to minus-40 C in the resort’s blast freezer. At supper, Pete’s wife, Connie, prepared a veritable banquet that included huge platters of boiled Dungeness crab and thick, tender slices of a barbecued roast from a moose that Pete had taken the previous fall. We greatly appreciated the extra night of accommodation, included in all fishing packages, so we could be fully rested for our drive back home.

If you go:

            Trailhead Resort is in Port Renfrew, about a two-hour drive from the B.C. Ferries terminal at Swartz Bay. After leaving the ferry, take Highway 17 South, then head west along Highway 14 through Sooke to Port Renfrew.

            Trailhead Resort offers fully guided fishing packages (for up to four anglers per boat) that include accommodations in suites or cabins, and all meals. For anglers who only wish to book fishing charters, the resort’s accommodations have cooking facilities, or guests can eat good, home-style meals at a number of local pubs and restaurants — like the Coastal Kitchen, right across the road from the resort. The resort has a well-stocked bait and tackle shop, and will provide drop-in anglers with fish filleting, vacuum-packaging, and blast-freezing for a fee.

The End

Contact:

            Trailhead Resort

            Parkinson Road

            Port Renfrew, B.C. V0S 1K0

            Phone: (250) 647-5468

            E-mail: info@trailhead-resort.com

Dave Wei