Painter's Lodge by Fae Hansen

Fae Hansen just sent in this beautiful photo she took of Painter's Lodge (see it bigger on Flickr).

Fae took this photo at Dick Murphy Park in Campbell River.

Thanks, Fae!

2009 Chum Derby Results

The Painter's Lodge Chum salmon derby has just wrapped up and it was exciting right up to the last minute.

From October 1 to 12, anglers battled the huge runs of fall Chum salmon that course through Discovery Passage each year. Great prizes were up for grabs, including a four day all-inclusive fishing package at the MV Charlotte Princess, Langara Island.

Dave Picariello nabbed third place with a 15.14 lb. Chum caught on October 3. Dave won a fishing package for two back at Painter's Lodge in 2010.

On October 7, Ton Nieuwpoort  upped the ante with a 15.70 lb. Chum salmon. He won a three-night getaway at April Point Resort & Spa.

And just in the nick of time, Brad Allan secured the top prize with his 16.24 lb. Chum, caught October 11.

Congratulations to our three winners, and to everyone who squared off against the scrappy Chum.

Megan's fishing adventure

The weather up here is good and it's only getting better. I saw a few high 20s in the weather forecast, which is great for the end of September.

Every couple weeks I write about the guest fishing and wild life trips, this week I am going to write about my own fishing adventure. We went out for an eight hour fishing trip yesterday and it was fabulous. Couldn't have asked for a better day. The weather was gorgeous, and the fish were biting. I highly recommend the eight hour option (or even a six hour), as you have much more time to explore all the wonders the ocean has to offer, without cutting into your precious fishing time.

On an eight hour trip you get to check out some fishing holes a little farther up, such as Chatham Point and Greensea Bay. Chatham is beautiful, I had never been and was blown away with its beauty. On our way up to Chatham we fished the Narrows for Lingcod, stopped and played with White-sided propoises, TWICE, and watched a monster of a Sealion take down and eat a huge salmon, and that just on the ride up there.

Once we got to Chatham it was sunny and the waters were calm, we peeled off some layers, set up the lines and dug into our lunches. We didn't get any bites for the first half an hour or so and anticipation was building, especially after we watched some friends of ours land a nice Coho in another boat and still we hadn't had a bite. Then BANG! We had more bites than we could handle, it was total chaos in the boat, of course I wasn't helping with all my shrieks of joy and nonstop picture taking. We couldn't get the line back in the water before the other line had a fish on!

In total we had over 10 hits and in the end we caught and kept two Coho, one Chum and one Pink. As for what we didn't keep, we got four undersized, a wild Coho and lost two bites.

After Chatham Point we cruised over to Greensea Bay, another great fishing spot and cruised around there for a bit, we didn't get any keepers over there, just another wild Coho or two, and some undersized, to be honest my arms were soooo sore from pulling in the other ten fish that I was happy, watching the other boats catch some fish.

All in all it was great day, caught some sun and some fish! Spent a beautiful day on the water, and can't wait to get back out there, especially since the Chums are starting, they're sooo much fun to catch.

The Chum Derby starts on the first of October and runs until we close. There are some great prizes to won and some big fish to be caught, so come up and give it a try, every Chum caught is entered in to the grand prize draw, and there are daily prizes as well.

Megan Lane
Dock Supervisor
Painter’s Lodge

Looking back at 2009

It happened so fast. Another season has come and gone.

Some brand new programs were offered this year. Among them was the Kids Fishing Program from our docks, which was a huge success. With a combination of great weather and the families, there was not a day there wasn’t someone fishing. And they all caught fish from Mud Sharks, or Dog Fish to Greenling Cod. Some of the cod were large enough to keep and have for lunch or dinner.

The Pachena Princess eco-tour and the Wine and Cheese sunset Cruise were a must. What an amazing way to view the islands while enjoying foods and a narrative for all you saw, whales, sea lions, bald eagles, porpoises, migrating Pink, Chinook and Coho rolling south to the rivers. These cruises gave everyone something to remember.

Our weekly Quadra Island Tour, visiting some of the local artists, the island’s own winery, and finishing with a picnic lunch at Rebecca Spit was among a favorite for many guests.

Our new Scavenger Hunt for all ages with prizes for going through and answering all the questions was very popular. From doing the Chicken Dance to taking photos of a staff member with red hair, participants ranged from 4 years of age to 90 years of age.

Also, guessing the 17 flags on the southern point and getting prizes based on accuracy was another active way for our guests to learn about the various countries and flags of the world.

Pender, commonly known as T-14, the forty year old lone transient Killer whale with a dorsal over six feet high, drew many guests with their cameras clicking right from the shores of the resort.

Great food was the final touch on many guests’ nights, from the fresh Copper River Coho to the new favorite fried chicken, and finished with an Earl Grey Tea Crème Brule.

Jazz Night in the dining room every Tuesday was another huge success. Local Quadra Island jazz musicians entertained all during dinner and dancing always followed.

We also enjoyed some amazing fishing this year. From Chinooks right at opening to everyone limiting at Pinks to the moment that we closed. There is going to be many happy people during the Christmas Holidays with their smoked, candied or canned salmon.

We closed out our 2009 with a beautiful wedding, just like we did in 2008. This sets a standard for 2010, a year which promises many weddings to coincide with the 2010 Olympics. Who would not want to get married at April Point, a jewel consisting of over 30+ acres of pristine British Columbia forests.

That’s all for now, I look forward to seeing everyone again in 2010.

Cheers from beautiful Quadra Island!

Michael O’Hara — Operations Manager
April Point Resort & Spa

Sensational

Fishing has been sensational in the last month!!! The dock and cooler staff have been up to their eyeballs in fish. Almost every boat it coming back with their limits. There’s something like 20 million pinks running this season, so there’s plenty for everyone.

The Chinooks that we’ve been catching are big beauties. We’ve had several Tyees and the Cohos are popping up here and there.

The wildlife and whale watching tours have also been sensational. The whale watching guide is an expert at tracking and locating the whales, not only have they been seeing numerous Orcas but they’ve been seeing a few humpback pods as well.

The wildlife tours have been spotting bears, eagles, seals and they’ve been seeing whales as well.

The sunset tours have been a huge hit! They’ve been going out regularly, and everyone LOVES them. But who wouldn’t want the ocean breeze, a sunset, drinks and appetizers to cap off a wonderful day on Vancouver Island.

That’s all for today. Thanks for checkin’ in. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Megan Lane
Dock Supervisor
Painter’s Lodge