I have always wished to bond with my kids over a fishing trip. This year's school schedule gave me that opportunity so we had the pleasure of getting out to Langara Fishing Lodge at the end of August.
The kids got their first helicopter rides! They were able to ride shotgun and it was great for them!
I was unsure how the kids would fare as they are not fishing fanatics. It turned out exceptional as their was enough variety in fishing that they always finished the day wanting to keep fishing. The lodge went out of their way. They had short bath robes for hot tub visits, kids sized life jackets and the kitchen made them what ever they wanted to eat...even home made chicken fingers and fries! My children said the chicken fingers were the best ever and that the breakfast waffles and pancakes never tasted better. Thanks to Chef Chuck and his awesome team! The Coho Cafe staff also did an awesome job. Snacks and treats galore! The store had some great kids clothing which we had to pick up a souvenir.
On the docks the staff always helped the kids into and out of the boat. They even went out of their way to rig up special dock fishing rods to keep the kids happy catching fish any time of day.
Our guide Dave Car was exceptional. He let the kids be kids. He talked one on one with them about different things and provided great responses to questions. He was charming, attentive and thoughtful to the kids needs. He let them be kids on the boat and even hammed around with them. The kids played with bull kelp he pulled into the boat. It was great to see him mindful of safety...but also let them enjoy themselves. Great job Dave...by the way...my daughter misses hearing you call her adorable. :-).
My son picked up some of Dave's voices...as those two are very similar they got along great. Both are great entertainers! Dave also put us on lots of fish. All my kids reeled in salmon, rockfish and halibut on their own. Dave was never far away but he let the kids do what they felt comfortable doing. He even taught them how to drive the boat and taught my daughter how to prepare cut plug herring!
Dave also made sure the trip was not boring. We fished in nice areas with calmer water and nice scenery and even out on the west side. We were lucky with great weather and the kids never needed sea sick remedies. He took us to see deer on the shore, sealions on rocks and when whales made an appearance he took the time to let the kids observe their feeding on needlefish. We watched seabirds attacking a needlefish bait ball.
Dave also gave us a special visit to a secluded beach. We got dropped off by a zodiac and walked along 3 beaches. The kids super enjoyed beach combing and we saw hundreds and hundreds of Japanese fishing floats. We talked about how cool finding stuff was but at the same time how tragic the tsunami was for Japan. While there was tons of debris on the beach...high floating debris...the bulk of the debris field is to hit the coast next year. That will be interesting and also a major environmental mess. Still we did bring back some fishing floats to remember the beach combing adventure!
Please note that no beer was harmed in this photos...it is for fun only.
On the way home the pilots of the plane we were on let the kids visit the cockpit. They thought it was really cool.
In the end on a scale of 1-10 for kid friendliness with 10 the highest...Langara Fishing Lodge is a 15! I would highly recommend taking your kids here.
Father, Daughter and Sons...fabulous fishing trip!
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