Frequently Asked Questions

We meet and pick up our guests at Rushbrook Harbour, 299 George Hills Way.There is a loading area at the bottom of the ramp leading down to the main docks and you will find us there.

• 6AM is our standard departure time from May 15-August 20
• 6:30 AM August 21-September 9
• 7 AM September 10-September 30
• Off season charter departure times to be confirmed at booking.
• There is pay parking at the docks that is $5/day, paid at the kiosk on your right hand side as you pull into the lot.

For Day Charters:

• Tidal waters fishing licenseswith a salmon conservation stamp (salmon stamp only if you are keeping salmon)
• Lunch
• Snacks
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Seasickness medication (pills or patches) just in case
• Camera
• Feel free to bring your iPod to plug into the stereo
• Layered clothes so you can stay warm or layer down depending on conditions. Weather can change quickly and frequently.
• Comfortable weatherproof footwear
• Rain gear
• Beverages
• Coolers for transporting your fish home (Styrofoam coolers can be purchased in town)

For overnight charters add:

• Sleeping bag
• pillow
• meals

Though guiding may seem like a glorious job that needs no pay, it is a job, and a consuming one at that, that often demands hours of work before and after our guests are on the boat.  If you fish with different guides you will have different experiences with all of them and see, on different levels, the effort put in.  The industry standard is 10% – 20% but tips are generally based on a level of service. If you feel your guide is working hard to make sure you have the best experience possible, please tip accordingly.

For day charters please bring a lunch and any snacks you would like. You will need to bring your own beverages, but we do have jugs of drinking water on board, and it is preferred that you bring refillable water bottles and utilize the supplied water rather than bringing flats of disposable water bottles.

For overnight charters you will need to bring all of your meals. Basic spices, supplies, and cookware are provided in camp.

Yes! Crabbing can be excellent in the area. On day charters we will set the traps and send you home with any crabs we catch, and on overnight charters we can enjoy them fresh and the end of our day and send you home with however many you can retrain yourself from eating right away.

While on your trip, depending on your preferences, we will mainly target salmon, halibut, rock cod and lingcod. Though limits are often filled when that is the goal, we encourage people to think about how much fish they can actually eat in a year, instead of trying to “limit out” and having fish go bad in the freezer before it can be eaten.

With the five species of Pacific salmon, there is a daily limit of 4 and a take-home, or possession limit, of 8 per person. Included in those limits are 2 chinook salmon per day and a possession limit of four.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans may change limits prior to or in season to protect at risk salmon stocks. We will try to let you know when this happens, but their announcements are often last minute and we have no control over them.

Since 2018 we have seen closures for retention of chinook salmon in some years, generally mid June to mid July. Please be aware that these closures will be likely when you book.

With the condition of chinook populations on our coast and the downward trend in size, we have made it a policy of Sunset Charters to release chinook salmon over 30lbs (tyee). We feel that this is a small thing that we can do to try to preserve some of the genetics of these beautiful fish that we would like to see make a rebound for future generations.

There are generous limits for bottom fish that can be found here href=”http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/species-especes/fintable-tableaupoisson-eng.htm. Halibut is expected to open this spring with the same limits we had last year of 1 per day and 2 in possession, only one of which may be over 83 cm.

Yes. We operate a family-friendly charter service and kids are definitely welcome.

We have four boats that comfortably fish 4-6 people each, and work closely with other quality charter operators. If your group is larger than 6 contact us and we can set you up with enough boats to get everybody out on the water.

The area we mainly fish is partly protected and not prone to large offshore swells that cause seasickness. Even when the wind is up and the waves are choppy, there are so many islands and bays to fish that we can usually stay out of the rough weather and still catch lots of fish.

If you are prone to seasickness or unsure we recommend bringing anti-nausea medication that can be purchased at most pharmacies.

There are direct regular flights from Vancouver every day, but many of our clients drive and take in the many sights on the way. BC Ferries has regular sailings from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, and for those looking to take a roundabout trip, there are regular ferry sailings between Prince Rupert and Alaska