June 5 – 8, 2022

On June 5, 2022 we hooked up the boat and headed to Eaglenook Resort for the first time. We drove from Nanaimo to China Creek Campground in Port Renfrew and left our car and trailer in the campground. If you are thinking of doing the same, keep in mind you may have to pay to rent a campsite for your vehicle if their parking is too limited.

We launched our 1994 Bayliner Trophy and began the 45 minute trek to the resort. The weather was fantastic and we were all beaming from ear to ear as we entered the bay. From the moment you arrive you know the resort is full of experienced staff ready to make your trip a success.

We took a gamble taking our own boat as we didn’t know the area that well and knew the majority of guests used the experienced guides. As soon as we arrived at the dock we were warmly welcomed and treated the same as any of the guests who were on a chartered vacation.

The Routine

At around 5:30am everyone heads to the lodge restaurant for a delicious breakfast. Of course if you are not a morning person you can always opt to skip the hot breakfast and grab a muffin on your way out the door. Lunches are bagged and waiting in the lobby for the guests to grab as well as a variety of other snacks and goodies. If you so choose, you can also have a bucket of Lucky on ice waiting by your boat in the morning. Of course we had a bucket waiting.

At 3pm all the boats arrive back at the dock and out comes the Kabota side-by-side with chicken wings and pizza. Music is playing and everyone is sharing their stories of the day while watching the professionals at work. The guides expertly clean and filet the fish while Sam Hauca and her amazing team portion the fish into vacuum sealed packages. Honestly for me my highlight is watching this well oiled machine impress everyone.

Dinner every night was fantastic and without our asking, our children were well considered and accommodated. It truly felt like a family vacation even though we had the only children there.

Takeaways

While we did catch some fish, the guides certainly out performed us as expected. However, all of the guides were all more than happy to share their tips and did their best to help us find the keepers.

We left our trip with amazing new memories and two key takeaways:

1. Leave the prawn traps at home. Slime eels are the worst and we found the mother load.

2. This needs to be an annual trip.

We booked our 2023 return trip before we even got back home into our driveway. This time we have decided to do a chartered trip and take advantage of everything the resort has to offer. Plus it means I get an actual vacation as well.

See you soon Eaglenook!