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My Magma table came with the boat. The original builder had it installed, and when I first looked at it, my initial reaction was somewhat negative. In all my years on the water, I had never had a boat with anything like that on the transom, so at first glance it just looked like it would be in the way all the time. In fact, even after finalizing the purchase, as the boat and everything on it was virtually brand new, I told him outright that he could remove the table and keep

Fishing with spoons is one of the easiest and most effective methods for catching Pacific salmon.  Spoons can be fished “naked” that is, just on their own, or behind a flasher, or on their own with a dummy flasher below. In most instances, spoons are as effective, if not more effective than bait. One simple reason that spoons (and other types of artificial lures) can work better than bait is that they can spend longer periods of time in the fishing zone. When fishing bait, if

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of polarized sunglasses for anyone who works or plays on the water. Whether you’re searching for tarpon on a saltwater flat, or just driving your boat, getting rid of surface glare can either make you or make you or break you. And this of course is where polarized lenses come in. I’ve relied on the Oakley Holbrook Metal frames with their patented PRIZM and HD Polarized lens technology for at least the past decade. In fact, I keep

If there is one thing more plentiful and colourful than the sheer variety of flashers for salmon fishing, it would be the opinions of salmon anglers on which ones are best. In fact, this has to be one of the deepest rabbit holes in all of salmon fishing. But before falling too far down that hole, here are my four top flasher recommendations that I know, without question, will catch salmon. Based on 30 plus years of fishing and guiding for salmon from literally one end of the

Although you may be using your phone/txt for on the water communications more and more, a good fixed mount VHF is still a vital part of your standard onboard kit.  Even in highly populated regions, your boat can get you into areas of sketchy or non-existent cell coverage very quickly. And today’s VHF radios provide a suite of safety features that far exceed just the ability to chat to others. The first and most useful example of that for me is the AIS capability of the Standa

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