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Our ICOM handheld VHF lives mostly on the deck of our cabin, which is situated on an island on the north coast of BC just west of the middle of nowhere. We are about 100 nautical miles south of the Alaska border, and 65 NM from the nearest road to anywhere. Cell coverage out here will likely never happen. But even if you’re not this far out, there are still many places your boat can take you where you find yourself out of cell coverage. So often it’s back to the good old VHF

Collision avoidance at sea has to be the number one, top priority for any mariner. And while radar is still the best known and most comprehensive aid to visibility and collision avoidance on the water, AIS comes in a strong second and in some cases, might even be considered more useful than radar. What is AIS? AIS stands for “Automatic Identification System,” which is global tracking system for vessels which actively transmit a signal from AIS  transponder. This signal not on

A nice big bait ball on the screen with my downrigger ball going right through it! Out of Your Depth? Readings not accurate? Cant find the bottom? Changing your transducer might help. Over the past 30 plus years, I’ve had all those sounder issues and more, with many brands and types of transducers. Now, like many others, I run the Airmar P66,  50/200 kHz, 600 W Transducer on both my boats. Here’s why. Introduction Operations and Use Transducer Specs Bottom Line Product link I

After over three decades of driving boats and fish guiding all over the BC coast, I never thought I needed an autopilot system - until I actually got one. But now, I often refer to my Lowrance autopilot system as hands down, the best single boating/fishing purchase I have ever made.  And as the proud owner of a mini-fleet of two boats, I’ve made lots of those kinds of purchases. This autopilot system is literally like having an extra person onboard who can actually drive a bo

Having an Autoterm (formerly Planar) heater installed on my boat was one of the best boating purchases I’ve ever made.  Originally, getting a little heat going in the cabin during the winter season was the main impetus for this addition, but interestingly, in practice that has almost become a secondary benefit of this unit. This boat is based in Vancouver BC, Canada and charters year-round mainly in local waters. We are lucky in southern BC to have relatively mild winters, an

I bought my Garmin inReach Mini about 4 years ago, specifically for emergency use and communications when traveling in the remote, offline and off-grid world of the north coast of BC, Canada. My experience with this device therefore is in a primarily marine environment, and although the region is heavily forested, I have not personally used the inReach for land-based activities such as hiking or navigating in wilderness environments. The main features of the inReach which ma

While the job of a rod holder seems pretty basic and simple, the type of rod holder you use can really affect the ease and efficiency of how you fish, reduce needless annoyances and maybe even help you land a few more fish! And while the wide variety of shapes and sizes of rod holders available can make choosing one seem somewhat complicated, after many decades of salmon fishing all over the entire BC coast, here are some thoughts which will hopefully help you pick the rod ho

Currently, I have an Ace Pacific Pro on one of my boats, and a Scotty Pot Puller on the other. I have used both products for many years, and generally, both have served the purpose well. Here are the similarities and differences I’ve found, and the pros and cons to either product. As a start, both of these pullers are quality pieces of gear which are reliable, durable, and last several years even with heavy use. Both Ace and Scotty are well reviewed and respected companies, a

We added a Starlink system three years ago at our off-grid cabin, and in short, it has been an absolute game changer. But there are of course, pros and cons. Here’s a look at how the Starlink has been for us, and some of the considerations which may apply to your situation too. Our cabin is located on and island in a very remote corner on the NW coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is about 110 nautical miles south of the Alaska border, about 60 miles away from the nearest r

Trolling is one of the easiest and most effective methods to catch all species of Pacific Salmon. This article is an A-Z list of all the equipment and gear needed to get you started on this adventure, along with explanations, photos, video, and equipment reviews. It is a basic, but comprehensive look at everything you will need to outfit your boat and start catching salmon! Different terminal tackle set-ups and fishing tips and strategies will be covered in other posts, so be

The Scotty Depthpower Downrigger is a tough, reliable workhorse, and you don’t have to look far on the west coast of BC to see that they are by far the preferred choice among most recreational salmon anglers and guides. I have used them for decades, and currently own 7 of them covering my two boats. Standout features include sturdy, marine resistant build, simple and effective design, ease of operation, reliability, and the legendary Scotty warranty and service. Scotty makes

Xtratuf Ankle Deck Boot In a normal year, I spend about 200 days on my boats. And in a normal year, whether I’m on the water or not, I use two types of footwear 99% of the time. Specifically, I am either in Xtratuf boots, or flip-flops (see review here). True story - ask my wife. And while I am not a woman, in  “Xtratuf season” which for me is from about mid October to mid June, I primarily wear the Women’s Legacy Clog. They are perfect for my charter days where I am on the b

Tides may be the single most powerful and influential phenomena affecting coastal waterways. So a basic understanding of how they work and more importantly, developing a habit of paying attention to the intersection between tidal movements and weather and how they affect the ocean environment is an essential part of living, working and playing on or in the water. Whether you are boating, swimming, surfing or fishing, tides play a big part in your ocean activities. What are T

If you could only have one rod for salmon fishing on the west coast, The Shimano Technium Mooching Rod would be a pretty solid choice. I’ve used them for decades, and currently have 9 of them covering my two boats. These rods were developed specifically for west coast salmon, steelhead and sturgeon fishing, but my personal experience with them has been primarily in saltwater mooching and trolling for salmon. And over the years on my boats, the Techniums have landed countless

While there are hundreds of fishing knots for various uses, if you learn to tie just these three, you will probably be set for over 90% of all your fishing needs. They are strong, easy and fast to tie, and can be used with monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided line. There are countless other fishing knots you can learn for specialized purposes, or sometimes just personal preference. And, while there always seems to be plenty of debate around the “best and strongest” knots f

While there still seems to be a “braided line vs stainless steel wire” debate around what to put on your downrigger for salmon trolling in salt water, I switched to Scotty braided line decades ago and have never looked back. Back in the day, stainless steel wire was more commonly used, and while it works, the braided line offers many advantages. Braided line is thinner than steel wire, creating less drag in the water especially when trolling deep. It is also more pliable, eas

Bluetti EB3A in the wild. The Bluetti EB3A  is a compact and portable power station that powers our off-grid cabin, which is located on the remote north coast of British Columbia. It is paired with a portable Honda EU2200iTC generator , which has turned out to be a terrific combination. The main uses for this “power couple” are to keep phones and radios charged, and to power a Starlink Mini internet system. With a 268Wh battery capacity and 600W of power (with a 1,200W surge)

In the “bang for your buck” category, there are few pieces of salmon fishing gear, if any, that come close to matching the Daiwa M-ONE Mooching Reel. They are tough as nails, low to no maintenance required, and super easy to use. Reel handles are comfortable paddle style, and the big drag knob in the centre is easily accessible and maybe best of all, is not hyper sensitive. In other words, turning it 1/4 of an inch in either direction is not going to send it into free spool,

The importance of “knowing the ropes” and a few associated knots in boating cannot be overstated. They are essential to so many aspects of boating, learning just a few will go a long way to making your time on the water more enjoyable, safer and more secure. And while there are scores of knots for various maritime purposes, the three listed here are a basic starting point. These are essential, “must know” knots. They are easy to tie, and will get you by for most of your on th

The Honda EU2200iTC  is a compact, highly portable and reliable generator, which was a perfect fit to power our off-grid cabin. Basically, we use it to run tools and re-charge batteries, which represents the bulk of our power needs. With a 2200 watt output, this small generator will run corded skill saws and chop saws flawlessly, as well as charging batteries for cordless tools. On occasion, it has also run a small chest freezer with no issues at all! The inverter technology