Frequently Asked Questions

For a closer
look click on
a photo above.

What our the best option for obtaining a Canadian fishing license valid on your Canadian halibut fishing trips?
As noted on our main saltwater page online licenses are no longer valid in the areas that we fish. So if you live in Seattle or north of Seattle the Campbell River store(1-604-538-2454) is just one mile across the Blaine border truck crossing, I have obtained my
license there before, nice people and speedy service. Another option is to ride the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria. There are
two ways to go about this, one is to spend the day or half day visiting the city it is a great town to stroll through. The other which I have done twice is to get in line to get off the ferry before it parks as to be one of the first off, get a taxi to Robinson's Outdoor Store(1-250-385-3429) tell the taxi driver your plan is to get back on the return ferry and he will either park and wait or circle the block.
I made the return boat with time to spare both times I tried this. Remember that the licenses are sold in the second floor of the store.
Also remember that customs now require one of three things to cross the border.
1- A passport 2- the new enhanced drivers license 3- A copy of birth certificate and a drivers license
Click on the links below to see ferry schedules, there are two ferry providers check out both schedules to see which one
works the best for you. I have traveled on the Coho but not tried the Express yet, looks to be a faster boat ride.
www.COHOFERRY.com or www.VICTORIAEXPRESS.com

Where exactly is your boat moored?
There are only two ramps to get down to the boats in the La Push Marina, this year we have moved to the eastern ramp, the one further from the ocean and closer to the Coast Guard base. We are the first boat you will run into on the right side when you get to the bottom of the ramp. White 31 foot boat. "Top Notch" on bow and stern of the boat.

When I went to the link off your site to purchase a Canadian fishing license I read that a computer
generated license is not legal in area 121 which includes Swiftsure Bank, our you sure this license is legal?
Online licenses our no longer legal in the areas we fish as of March 2008, please see above question for options on obtaining
a license in person in Canada.

When I looked at my one day Canadian fishing license I purchased off the internet I noticed that there was no mention
of halibut, will this license work or do I need something different?
The Canadians do not require record keeping of halibut as they do here in Washington, that is why you see no mention of
halibut on there license. A example is sea bass, albacore tuna and kelp greenling all of which are legal to fish for but are
not mentioned on a WA license do to the fact that the state does not require recording of these fish.

On a Canadian halibut trip do you stop on the way in to fish for bottom fish?
It is unlawful to fish on both sides of the border on one fishing trip so we cannot stop on the way in. On the plus side we
do catch on most trips a few Lingcod in Canada and sometimes limit on them. Limit is two per person.

I am thinking of bringing my children out fishing, how old do you think they should be and do you offer a discount?
For trips that require more travel such as tuna and halibut I would suggest being at least 13, for shorter range trips like bottom fish
or mid range like salmon 9 years. Bottom fishing is probably the bet trip to start kids because there usually very little need for
patience. River trips are also a good choice for younger children. Although we would like to give discounts for kids we are unable
to at this time due to the high operating cost of operating a charter boat.

What is a long range salmon trip?
There are times during the summer when the weather is nice to run to places such as the Prairie and Blue
Dot which is on the northern end of the Prairie. When I feel that there is better fishing in these places I will
let my guest know and give them the option, in 2008 there will be a $10 fuel surcharge on these trips.
We consider trips with over fifty miles round trip long range.

Do you mooch or troll on your salmon charters?
We mooch on about 95% of our salmon charters, this lets all six people fish at once.

How long do your trips last and what time do you leave?
Our trips May-July leave the dock at 5am by early August we begin to bump the times back some with the loss
of daylight. River trips leave around daylight. All our trips usually last 8-9 hours except tuna fishing which is around a 11 hour trip.

When is the best time to fish halibut and should I come during small tides?
The open ocean is different then inside waters as the tide book is no predictor of ocean currents, many times
there can be more current when the tides in the book are smaller. We had a 100% limit rate on all our trips
last year both on the Washington and Canadian side. The only thing that could be problem is cancellation
do to bad weather.

How large of groups can you take in a day?
In the saltwater our boat takes six passengers a day but there are two other charters in La Push that we work
closely with making it possible to take up to groups up to 14. These trips work out great we make a point of fishing close to each other most of the day. In the rivers we can handle groups up to 12, two persons per
drift boat. Larger groups usually require more lead time in booking.

Do you offer a discount if we fill your whole boat or fish multiple days?
Sorry with the current cost of operating a charter boat we are unable to offer full boat discounts.

Do you offer fly fishing trips on the oceans or rivers?
No we do not, but we do use the lightest fishing gear possible for each fishery.

Can I bring a cooler on the boat?
The larger coolers used for fish transit are best left in your vehicle until we come back in. Small to medium coolers for
lunch and beverages are not a problem.

Is it ok to bring my own fishing pole?
Yes you can although most of the time but not always the gear we provide is of higher quality and
better suited for the particular fishery then the gear that is brought on board.

For Booking Information
Contact:

Jim Richeson
Quillayute River Guide Service
Steelhead and Salmon Fishing
Toll Free 1-888-501-5887 Local 360-374-2660
e-mail jricheson@centurytel.net

Jim Richeson
P.O. box 71
LaPush WA 98350