About Port Eliza Lodge
Port Eliza is a floating fishing lodge located in the Esperanza Inlet on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island. This is strategically places right in the middle of the best salmon and halibut fishing in North America.
What makes Port Eliza so special?
This beautiful area, teeming with wildlife, boasts a mild summer climate in the protected inlet that is your base while visiting us.
Our lodge features 20 comfortable double or triple occupancy rooms that are either private, or shared with one other room. They have running water and hot water showers. The main area features an indoor lounge area as well as a huge outdoor deck area to enjoy your favorite beverage and swap fish stories with your fellow anglers. Wifi services are available in case you want to stay in touch with the outside world.
Why Choose Port Eliza Lodge?
At Port Eliza, location means being close to the fish. Our lodge exists to provide easy access to the best salmon, halibut and bottom fishing on the west coast. Here you will spend less time running to the grounds and more time fishing. The scenery is spectacular, and up close encounters with killer whales, humpbacks, gray whales, otters, sea lions and bears are a bonus.
Only Port Eliza offers a unique combination of a pristine wilderness setting and fantastic fishing without the necessity of flying in. Part of the adventure is getting here, as you drive through the temperate rainforest to the village of Zeballos, where we pick you up and complete the journey by boat, motoring through the mountain-framed inlets.
Please note that fly-in options are available directly from Seattle WA. and from Vancouver B.C. via Campbell River.
Spectacular Fishing is What We’re About
While all 5 species of Pacific salmon travel past the lodge, the premier target is the chinook (king salmon). The heavy-weights of the pacific salmon species, they provide the chance of landing a tyee (a chinook over 30 lbs). Abundant runs of coho (silver salmon) also travel past the lodge. Our location is designed to intercept runs of migrating salmon headed to California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
We are also able to take advantage of the prolific runs of salmon heading back to the local Robertson Creek and Conuma River hatcheries that come close to shore to feed.
Salmon limits are 4 per day and 8 per trip allowed per person, of which 2 per day and 4 per trip may be chinook salmon. Our guests eat well.
Halibut: The Best Table Fish on the West Coast
The offshore areas around the lodge are prime grounds for the Pacific halibut. This member of the flatfish family can grow to enormous sizes, sometimes hundreds of pounds. These "barn door" specimens are breeding females, and are not allowed to be harvested to ensure enough eggs survive to replenish the stocks, but you may be lucky enough to catch and release one of these monster fish.
For 2023, regulations allow the retention of one halibut up to 126cm (about 75lbs) , or two halibut up to 90cm each (about 25lbs). This limit protects the large breeding fish, but still allows for some tasty halibut fillets to be taken home.
Ling Cod and Other Bottom Fish
They may be ugly to some, but they sure do make for some great fish and chips. Lingcod are large, aggressive, bottom-dwelling fish. They are characterized by a very large head and elongated body.
For 2023, the limit is 3 per person per day, and 6 per trip. Rockfish of various species are also plentiful near the lodge, and the limit is 3 per day and 6 per trip. All rockfish not being retained are safely returned to depth using a descending device.
“On behalf of our team here at the lodge, we are excited and honored to have you spend your time here with us. We strive to make it a memorable experience and look forward to seeing all of our returning guests.”
— Jim Harris, Owner