Sooke and Ucluelet have reeled in significant bragging rights as one of the world鈥檚 top fishing destinations.
FishingBooker.com recently unveiled its Top Fishing Towns Outside the U.S. rankings list and the two Vancouver Island hotspots landed in the top ten worldwide while claiming first and second place, respectively, in Canada.
The website touts itself as the world鈥檚 largest platform for booking fishing trips and explained that its rankings are based on internal data from over 40,000 trips, reviews, and reports from the past year.
Sooke came in at fourth overall. Ucluelet, placed sixth on the international list, edging out tourism meccas like Quepos, Costa Rica, and Nassau, Bahamas, which tied for ninth place. .
Mexico earned the first three spots with Cabo San Lucas, Canc煤n and Puerto Pe帽asco topping the podium.
In a media release announcing the rankings, FishingBooker explained that the rankings took into account the number of fishing charters, local guides and bookings as well as review scores and recommendations.
Ucluelet chamber of commerce executive director Josh Jenkins told the Westerly News that achieving such a high spot on the list is 鈥渁mazing鈥� news for the community.
鈥淯cluelet鈥檚 sport fishing is pivotal to our economy and the fishing charter sector is a massive part of this. We have some of the most experienced and skilled guides in the world, and many of the most sought-after sport fishing species: chinook and coho salmon, halibut and lingcod,鈥� Jenkins said.
鈥淥ur amazing fishing and charters attract a significant amount of visitors from all over the world and with them comes money for our businesses. As Ucluelet is losing some of our commercial fisheries, and we become more reliant on tourism, the fishing charter sector becomes even more integral.鈥�
He added that Ucluelet鈥檚 picturesque landscapes alongside the Pacific Ocean and within Barkley Sound offer 鈥渁n extremely diverse and vibrant ecosystem,鈥� as well as an abundance of healthy fish to seek out.
鈥淎ccolades like this one from Fishingbooker.com are great for Ucluelet to add to our long list of attractants to visitors, and it will help bring even more fishermen from across the globe to help support these great charter businesses and the community as a whole,鈥� he said.
Tourism Ucluelet鈥檚 tourism development specialist Nick Curry told the Westerly that Ucluelet and Barkley Sound over get overlooked, but provide the small community feel many travellers are looking for.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible little community that鈥檚 very supportive of fishing,鈥� he said, noting the community also boasts friendly and accessible processing businesses ready to pack up and seal freshly caught deliciousness.
鈥淓veryone in this town is extremely down to earth. We still have that small town feel that appeals to a lot of people that want to come in and feel welcomed and not overrun by tourism.鈥�
He echoed Jenkins鈥� sentiments around the hospitality and professionalism of the town鈥檚 fishing charter companies.
鈥淎 lot of the people that run these charters have grown up out here. They have local knowledge and have been fishing for 10-30 years. They鈥檙e great fishermen and super respectful of the coastline and where we live. They know how to find fish, but also take care of their guests that get onboard,鈥� he said.
He suggested accolades like FishingBooker鈥檚 rankings help push Ucluelet out of the shadow of neighbouring Tofino.
鈥淚 think for a long time Ucluelet was seen as Option 2 compared to Tofino, but in the past years, since 2015, we鈥檝e really made a name for ourselves as a tourism destination and a fishing destination,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like we鈥檝e been really good at not compromising the quality of the town or our specific culture. We鈥檝e been able to maintain the charm of Ucluelet while still growing our reputation. Anytime we get these distinctions, it puts our name on the map and it鈥檚 great for brand recognition.鈥�
Curry encourages fishers to check out the town鈥檚 waters in the offseason, noting opportunities to snag bites still abound during the shoulder season months.
鈥淪ometimes that鈥檚 the best fishing that鈥檚 out there. The town鈥檚 a little bit more quiet, everything鈥檚 a bit cheaper and it鈥檚 always a great time to come out here,鈥� he said.
Ucluelet mayor Marilyn McEwen told the Westerly she frequently receives rave reviews about the town鈥檚 fishing experiences from guests staying at her Anchors Inn Waterfront Cabins business.
鈥淧eople on an annual basis come here specifically to go fishing鈥 think people just really like the small fishing village feel that Ucluelet has still.,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still a small community and I think we鈥檙e very welcoming to tourists, which they appreciate.鈥�
She added the Fishingbooker accolade is a solid lure for attracting more fishers to the community .
鈥淚t鈥檚 advertising. It gets the message out that this is a great place to come if you love to fish,鈥� she said.
