Our Port Renfrew fishing charters focus primarily on halibut fishing or salmon fishing, and it’s the rare excursion that sees you coming back to port empty handed. Quinn MacDonald knows all the hot-spots around Swiftsure Banks, so you’re more or less guaranteed to have a good haul. If you’re wondering what on earth you’ll do with all that fish, rest assured. With long experience of just how much fish a good angler can land off the coast of Vancouver Island, we’ve got it covered. Here are some suggestions:
In Your Vehicle
Make sure you bring a big cooler where you can stow your catch on your way back home. We recommend bringing one that holds at least 150 quarts so there’s plenty of room. If you are getting your fish flash frozen this will be essential for transporting it. When teams of four anglers are halibut fishing, it’s a good idea to have at least a couple of coolers between you, or even one each.
Eat Some
Sounds obvious, but after one of our bountiful Port Renfrew fishing charters you can’t beat that fresh, just-caught taste. Gather with friends or family and have yourself a barbecue. If you’re staying overnight in our fully kitted-out Fishermen’s House on Vancouver Island, you’ll find plenty of equipment to perfectly cook your salmon, halibut or crab.
Bagging and Cleaning
You don’t have to start cleaning fish yourself as soon as you set foot on dry land. It will all be done for you with our expert bagging and cleaning which is all part of the Hindsight Port Renfrew fishing charter service. All you need to do is get your catch home and enjoy. Also, if you’d like your fish filleted, in steaks, smoked or canned, we can advise on how and where to get this type of processing done.
Smoking, Canning
Unless you’re going straight home and don’t live too far away, transporting large quantities of fresh fish can be arranged. For this reason we can arrange to have your catch processed in any way you prefer, then sent on to your home so you don’t have to travel with it. People living some distance, or those traveling onward before returning home, find this option very useful. It’s the best way of preserving your valuable catch.
Please ask if this is something you’d be interested in as we can advise. There are drop off depots in Sooke or Nanaimo, where your catch can be collected and transported to St. Jean’s Cannery where it will be processed according to your preferences. Fish need to be cleaned (guts out), and we will take care of this for you. Beyond that there is a processor in town that can prepare it any way you like, whether that takes the form of steaks, fillets, sides or whole fish.
You have a choice of several processing methods:
- Smoking – there are a variety of flavors including Westcoast Hot, Peppercorn Hot or Cajun Hot Smoked.
- Canning – can be either regular canning or smoked and canned.
- Candied Salmon – offering honey glazed strips or peppercorn honey.
Processed fish can then be dropped off back at the depot for you to pick up and transport yourself, or it can be shipped to your home at any location. A sophisticated tracking method ensures the fish is personalized to you, guaranteeing you receive the actual fish you worked so hard to land during your Port Renfrew fishing charter.
We Recommend
The most common thing we recommend is cryovac. This is where your fish is taken straight from the dock to local facilities, it is cryovaced (different than vacuum sealing) and flash frozen. You can put this in your cooler and drive or fly home to put it in your freezer. It is a very deep freeze. If you can imagine, this process only takes about an hour but it all depends how many people are ahead of you in line. Call me if you have any questions.
