Painter's Lodge Reel Reports

Derby Days

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2012-05-22

It’s been just under 3 weeks since we opened for the season and since our Spring Fling Salmon Derby began. Spring salmon fishing in Campbell River can really heat up and this year anglers are up for some pretty sweet prizes when they fish with us. First of all, every Chinook salmon catch at Painter’s Lodge during the derby is automatically entered to win a prize. The angler with the biggest Chinook each day wins a prize and at the end of the derby we’ll award some huge prizes, including a trip for two to Painter's Lodge.

So far the fishing has been consistent which is promising. We’ve given out many daily prizes but it’s that position at the top of the leader board that everybody wants. Mike McLean and his 15.1 lb. Chinook got the ball rolling on May 7, and then Krista Johnson set the bar a bit higher on May 12 when she reeled in a 20.1 lb. catch. Before too long Jesse Danchak returned to the dock with 20.5 lbs. of success that allowed him a seat in first place for a solid week. But just this morning Doug McGrath set out at 6 am to try his hand in the competition. Doug was heard boasting as he got in the boat that he’d come back a winner. Well, Doug is a man of his word and his 21 lb. Chinook was a beauty that caught the attention of everyone on the dock.

Although the resort moves at a slightly slower pace this time of year, it’s that pace that can make for a more relaxed fishing experience. Jen, our Marine Centre manager, says her absolute favourite time to fish is always late June/early July; that’s also when the demand for fishing becomes greater. To put it simply, 20 lb. Chinooks in May are awesome so we’re sure to have a stellar summer. The Spring Fling Derby runs until June 9th here at Painter's Lodge so while the fishing may be less competitive anglers should still have their eyes on the prize!

Oh, and if you’re wondering, Russ is still the guide with bragging rights.

See you in a few,

Joanna

Live & Learn Field Trip

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2012-05-18

Originally from Germany, Claudia Lorenz slowly made her way west to British Columbia. Claudia is a teacher, traveler, eco-activist, and award winning artist working in photography and mixed media for the past 14 years, exhibiting both locally and in the USA. We’re glad to have Claudia with us in B.C. because she also leads several of our Live & Learn Programs. This week she’s been at April Point instructing Contemplative Photography.

I caught up with Claudia and her 17 students during their field trip to Painter’s Lodge this morning in hopes of observing a bit of the workshop. Seeing as Claudia has also taught sketching and watercolour workshops at April Point, I asked her if she’s a master of all trades. Claudia replied that, no, she’s simply an “art nerd” (her words, not mine!). Claudia’s goal is to teach “seeing” to her students. In turn, they are welcome to use whichever medium they like.

Speaking of her students…they were great! I had a nice time wandering our scenic grounds with them while they shot. Claudia has a relaxed approach to teaching that obviously rubs off on her students in a good way; I could tell they were genuinely enjoying themselves. For example, Stu and his wife Sheila travelled all the way from Washington State to participate and were found scaling a rock wall on the beach to capture an image. It’s important to mention that Stu is almost 80 years old!

I’m just an amateur photographer myself so I appreciated having Claudia nearby to answer a flash-related question of mine–Thanks, Claudia!

See you in a few,

Joanna

Cruise Ship Competition

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2012-05-16

On Tuesday morning Jesse Danchak came back from his guided fishing tour with more to show for it than just a sun kissed nose; he brought back a 20 lb. 5 oz. Chinook. This means Jesse now leads our Spring Fling Derby as his fish beat out our previous leader, Krista’s, fish by 4 oz. Both guests caught these fish while riding with Russ, a long-term guide for Painter’s Lodge and April Point Resort & Spa. At this point it’s fair to say Russ has bragging rights… but it’s a long season. Unfortunately, I wasn’t working yesterday so I missed the excitement of Russ and Jesse’s arrival at the dock. Luckily, one of our crew members stepped in and snapped a photo of Jesse and his salmon.

That wasn’t the only cool story I heard upon my arrival back at the office today. One of our water taxi operators, Greg, said that last night around 9 a cruise ship was sailing through Discovery Passage right as our April Point Connector was making a run between resorts. Cruise ships are impressively massive when viewed from shore, so you can imagine how small you’d feel in the water next to one. Greg did the safe thing and drove the Connector behind the cruise ship to avoid the wake, but still had to compete with a surprise 8 foot wave. Meanwhile, passengers were cheering that they wanted to go over the wake but Greg did the responsible thing (talk about overcoming peer pressure) and veered away. I really hope fate has it that I’m on the Connector the next time this happens – sounds like a thrilling ride!

See you in a few,

Joanna

It's Here!

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2012-05-12

Wedding season that is. TJ and Katie chose a wonderful weekend to tie the knot; there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and they became our first bride and groom of 2012. (I guess it wasn’t such a bad mother’s day gift for their moms either!) Weddings at Painter’s Lodge are set on the Discovery Lawn overlooking Discovery Passage. It's no wonder we’re steadily booked with weddings throughout our entire season. I’ve even heard couples already inquiring about available 2013 dates. I guess our recipe of an ocean/mountain backdrop, green grass and happy couples is one that has been tested to wedding perfection.

Elsewhere at the resort, our corporate group from Country Grocer set off on guided fishing tours and wildlife adventure tours. Although our fishing guests had high hopes, no one took the spot of our Spring Fling Derby leader, Mike, who is still ahead with his 15 lb. Chinook from Monday.

Our entire crew is in for a busy Sunday as we expect to see over 400 guests come through for a taste of our famous Mother’s Day Brunch. What can I say, those eggs benny certainly make for a happy Mother’s Day!

See you in a few,

Joanna

Inspiration to Relax

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2012-05-09

I don’t consider myself an artist –not by any stretch of the imagination– but it doesn’t take one to know that Painter’s Lodge provides ample creative inspiration for those seeking it. In fact, I would argue that our natural surroundings at the Lodge lend inspiration to all of our guests, artists or not.

Today marked the end of our first 2012 Spring Live & Learn Program. Over two days 13 acrylic painters honed their craft in our Discovery Room which overlooks the Painter’s dock, Quadra Island and the Discovery Passage. Just as I enjoyed observing the acrylic painters create fantastic art, I look forward to watching our future Spring Live & Learn groups Blossom with Yoga, Contemplate Photography, Learn to Knit and Discover Gypsy Belly Dance. (We also have an entire schedule of Fall Live & Learn Programs up our sleeve!) Whether one finds their inspiration or just has fun, the stunning setting of Discovery Passage is the ideal place to learn, laugh and relax.

Watching the rain storm move towards us today from the mountains as thunder crackled in the distance and the tide made its way out for the afternoon certainly sent a sort of electricity through me. I may not release this energy on to canvas like painters do, but I still interpret it as inspiration… even if it’s just inspiration to stand still for 2 minutes and enjoy the view.

See you in a few,

Joanna

Pinch Me

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2012-05-05

My second week as Marketing Coordinator has almost come to an end and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here. In fact, I’m growing concerned that one of these days my boss will pop up and yell, “Just kidding!”, because this job is just too cool.

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of accompanying the gang from Country Grocer on one of our Sunset Tours. It had been pouring rain on and off all afternoon but come sail time the clouds broke up a bit and the most beautiful rainbow formed (see photos). If you’re unfamiliar with the Sunset Tour, it is a 2 ½ hour jaunt on The Pachena Princess— a 52’ cabin cruiser with a covered cabin, on-board washroom and wrap-around viewing deck. The Sunset Tour sets off from April Point Resort & Spa and takes you into the hidden coves and inlets that make up the majestic Discovery Passage. We learned about the history and culture of the area through our knowledgeable guide, Caylin, while deckhands Tristan and Terri served the (non-working) guests complimentary beverages and snacks. Word spread of how unique this tour is so today more of our guests from Country Grocer decided to give it a whirl, except this time they opted for an afternoon cruise. While we may not have seen the sun set, we had it high in the sky keeping us warm. (Yep, you guessed it. I got to go, too!) There’s nothing like the perfect combination of sunshine on your face, ocean breeze in your hair and good music playing on the stereo. Despite being the only non-adult on board, 10 year-old Rachel even had a fabulous time. Check her out driving the Pachena Princess in my photos! We spotted 6 bald eagles circling a portion of beach on Gowland Island and close to 30 more sitting pretty in the sandbar off of the Painter’s Lodge Dock. (Due to an extremely low tide these eagles were visible from Painter’s all morning.)

So, you can see what I mean when I say, “Pinch me.”

See you in a few,

Joanna

New Resort Video!

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2011-12-19

We created a new resort video and have it posted on our YouTube channel! Check it out!

http://bit.ly/tWoq9K

See You Next year!

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2011-10-10

Another season comes to an end at Painter’s Lodge and a lot of fishing addicts are starting to go through withdrawal already…especially since this year’s Chum fishing is still going strong. Our season started off with a bang, there were plenty of Chinook waiting for us when we opened in April and continued with incredible Chinook fishing right until late September. There were many highlights but the most memorable fish has to be the 39.5 pound Tyee that Jan de Bruyn landed in the Tyee Pool, thereby enrolling him in one of the most exclusive fishing clubs in the world. This year also saw an incredible run of pink salmon with the months of August and September seeing day after day of anglers with their limits of fish. Add in the beautiful late season weather and we had a truly wonderful late summer and fall. But now all of the guides are breaking down their gear and packing it away for the winter…but I’ve already heard them whispering about the new tricks they want to try NEXT year, so until then, thanks from all of the crew at Painter’s Lodge and April Point Resort.

~ Dwayne, Marine Operations Manager

"As another rewarding season comes to an end, I am greatful for having bennat the side of so many great people including our guests, over the past 6 months. Ahoy to all of our new and returning crew and a big thank you to our strong management team for steering this ship in the right direction once again. Cheers.

~ Justin, Front Desk

I had my 8^th season at Painter’s Lodge and once again I had a great summer even though it rained through most of August it was a great year! Of course I’m going to share with you all my favorite pictures of the season...

~ Caylin

2011 Octoberfish Chum Derby Winners

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2011-10-10

Drum roll please. Our 2011 Octoberfish Chum Derby winners are...

Brett Smalley with the largest Chum, 13.2 lbs., won himself a four day/three night all-inclusive fishing getaway for two on the MV Charlotte Princess at Langara Island, including airfare from Vancouver, accommodation, meals, your own boat and gear, catch care and more.

Cathy Della caught a 13.1 lbs. Chum and won a Four day/three night getaway to April Point Resort & Spa on Quadra Island with any combination of three activities — choose from guided salmon fishing, wildlife tours, whale watching, spa treatments, kayaking and more.

Our random Bonus Prize goes to Darcy Ninnes, he caught 8.4 lbs. Chum and won a three day drive-in fishing package for two at Painter’s Lodge

Congratulations to all our Chum Derby winners!

~ Caylin

One More Sleep

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2011-10-09

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all of our Canadian readers! It is a beautifully sunny Sunday at Painter’s Lodge. We are hosting our final Sunday Bruch-Thanksgiving style.

Tomorrow we say good bye to everyone, guests and staff members we part ways. We will reunite in the spring of 2012. We hope to see you all there. Here are some of the amazing crew that helped make our season such a successful one.

Stay tuned for our Octoberfish Chum Derby winners. They will be announced tomorrow morning!

~ Caylin