How do I get there? Away?
Haida Gwaii is certainly a very remote part of the world and when you arrive you will feel like you have left North America. However, it is very easy to travel to. During our winter season, there is one flight a day arriving from Vancouver. The flight leaves Vancouver early afternoon which makes it possible to travel through in one day.
Air Canada offers departures from Vancouver (YVR) at 1:10 pm arriving at 3:05 in Sandspit; (YZP) flights depart at 3:25 pm returning to Vancouver.
In the Winter flights are quite easy to get and there is often availability.
Upon arrival, our guides will be at the airport to quickly get you back to the lodge only 10 minutes away. After a brief tour of the lodge, you will be out on the river fishing in mere minutes. Guests constantly find themselves in culture shock after leaving a large city in the morning and find themselves deep in the rainforest that evening hooked up to a Haida Gwaii Steelhead.
Why Fish at Copper Bay Lodge?
No question that there is a lot of competition for your hard-earned dollars when it comes to fishing during the winter months. Most anglers have settled into a routine of heading south to warm climate saltwater fishing. However, before you pull the trigger on yet another bone fishing trip understand that there is something very special happening in Haida Gwaii. It is a destination you should want to visit even if it doesn’t have such great fishing opportunities. One thing all our guests agree on is that returning from Haida Gwaii feels like returning with a new secret. It is an eye-opening experience that will stick with you in many ways beyond more fish pictures on your phone. Copper Bay Lodge will tour you through the islands in a way that connects you to the fish, the landscape and the culture in a meaningful way that will stay with you long after you return home. This trip is about the overall experience and one that should not be missed.
The Island
Haida Gwaii floats off the coast of British Columbia like a long wedge of pie. It is 100 kilometres in the north tapering down to a narrow point. Of the archipelago’s approximately 350 islands, over 200 lie within the boundaries of Gwaii Haanas Park, which comprises the southern third of the chain.
Haida Gwaii has been dubbed the “Galapagos of the north” for the many endemic species and subspecies that evolved there while it was an ice-free refuge. Widespread species that are completely distinctive genetically such as the hairy woodpecker, saw-whet owl, Steller’s jay, Peale’s peregrine falcon, black bear, and pine marten—are all found here and nowhere else in the world. These remote islands are home to one of the oldest traceable populations on Earth. The Haida have probably lived there since the end of the last ice age, 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. Its wild coastlines and old-growth forests are home to a wealth of animal life – 750,000 seabirds, 20 species of whale and dolphin as well as a rich Haida history. The Haida phrase for this is yah’guudang – respect for all living things.
Rods and lines to bring
We have found switch rods to be amazingly effective tools in the dense rainforests of Haida Gwaii. 11’0” to 11’8” rods from 6-8 weight are perfect. The new OPST Commando heads, Skagit Short, or Skagit Switch lines are amazing on these shorter rods. They load up quickly and easily, without requiring much line at all behind you. Medium to heavy sink tips with a variety of wet flies are the order of the day. It is winter fishing, so bringing the fly down to the fish is usually the best way to go. MOW tips with T-11 - T-17 from 5 to 12.5 feet should cover you in any scenario.
