July 24th – 26th Bishop Cove to Bishop Hot Springs to Hartley Bay to Smithers

Bishop Hot Springs

July 24^th – 26^th             Bishop Cove to Bishop Hot Springs to Hartley Bay to Smithers                      

We leave our anchorage at 0600 so we can travel back to Bishop Bay Hot Springs and then make it to Hartley Bay at a reasonable time.   This is another delightful stop.  People have lovingly created a space that blends with nature.  Concrete and wood are complemented by natural rocks and gravel.  The outer warm pool is just right and helps you warm up for the next, hotter pool.  There is a small discrete changing room.  Our boats bob contentedly, each on its own mooring ball.  We take turns soaking in the hottest water as it shoots out from a pipe.  On the way out we chat with a young family.  They have tied their small motor boat to the dock, two sleeping on the boat (the girls she says) and the boys (dad and son) slept in the tent in the campground.  They have been fishing and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Now we are underway to Hartley Bay.  We will go up Ursula where it meets Verney Channel, our furthest point north for our journey.  At 11:40 we turned the corner and we are on our downhill slide towards home.  Verney Channel offers us another sweeping vista of snow covered granite peaks. 

Hartley Bay

Arriving in Hartley Bay we find a quaint waterside village, home of the Gitga'at (people of the cane) First Nation.  We take on diesel from the friendly attendant.  We ask about the store.  “Well there is no fresh produce or anything.  It is more of a convenience store.  I think it is closed.  The man who runs it left on the noon ferry today.”  OK then……since there is no room at the dock I ask him about anchoring.  He points to the float plane dock.  “You can tie up there.  There is no plane until tomorrow.”  So that is how we ended up rafted to B Mondo on the float plane dock that clearly says Seaplane Loading and Unloading Only!  

We take a hike and tour the town.  The only roads are boardwalks.  The only vehicles are either 4 wheelers or over grown 4 wheelers or tiny vehicles like their emergency response vehicle shown in one of our photos.  Our board walk trek takes us past the beautiful small church with leaded glass windows.  There is no indication anywhere of denomination, it is simply a church.  I will say that it is the only time that I have seen seaweed drying on the walkway to a church!

Hartley Bay Church

Hartley Bay Board Streets

Further down we find the Gitga'at Fish Hatchery.  This hatchery was started as a school project in 1982 and was successful enough that the Department of Fisheries Canada joined in the project.  The hatchery continues to work with the school providing educational opportunities and work experience.  Primarily a coho hatchery they have recently begun work with chum salmon as well.  We follow the boardwalk clear to the end where a small cabin sits by the lake.  There are numerous interpretative signs that are quite well done.

Gitga'at Fish Hatchery

Grizzly Bear Claws on Lichen

We get an early start for a long day.  We will fish along the way, netting large (15”) rockfish and a nice 23” ling cod.  We choose Smithers Island as our anchorage.  There are few anchorages in this area as most of the inlets are quite deep along Princess Royal Island.  Smithers is a good choice, well protected and quiet.  We have now circumnavigated this island but have not seen any of the spirit bear, the white phase of the black bear.   

Since we plan on fishing in the morning (duh!) Carl operates on Walt’s Penn Senator reel.  The patient survives while the anxious dad watches over the operation.  


The next morning Walt put the reel to the test and he finally filled our dance card with a nice 22 pound halibut!  They hang the hali off their stern to bleed it well and we continue on our way.  We will anchor in Higgins Passage in the upper end of Price Island.  This area looks like I have always pictured the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Tiny islands surround us as we wind our way between shallows and rocks to a bomb proof anchorage just off of Lohbrunner Island.

Sailboats are not well equipped to handle large fish but Odile makes quick work of the hali by putting our large cutting board in the middle of their cockpit.  We dine on nice thick, fresh halibut fillets done on the barby.  Our freezer accepts a generous fillet to take home for a family fish dinner and Odile cans the remainder of the fish.