LODGES WE LOVE

Here's a question we get asked a lot: what goes into making a great fishing lodge? There's a lot to it, but most of what it comes down to is a combination of four things: people, location, amenities and the fishing. There are countless fishing lodges that really deliver on two or three factors, and the fishing trip ends up being fantastic. It's the lodges that combine all four of the variables into one experience that really set themselves apart from the others. Which is why we happily feature this year's list of lodges as Lodges We Love. The lodges featured here have made it a point to combine great fishing into a fantastic facility and then found wonderful people to work there, and if they're really lucky they're located in a spot that makes the trip even better than if it was tucked away in some place that no one wants to be.

Legacy Lodge

They say it's the journey, not the destination, that's important. I disagree, at least in the case of Legacy Lodge, tucked into a secluded Rivers Inlet cove on the wild coast of British Columbia. From the accomodations for a maximum of 19 people, gourmet dining, and attentive staff catering to guests' every need, Legacy Lodge is a first class destination all the way.

An orca might sneak into the cove in front of the lodge, brown bears wander down to the shore for a drink, eagles soar overhead, and a humpback whale might escort you to and from the inlet leading to the lodge.

No matter how great the setting, the wildlife, the service, and food, it's the great fishing that attracts anglers back to Legacy Lodge year after year. It sits at the convergence of three rivers that produce some of the largest spring (or chinook), and coho salmon in the world. Legacy's boats whisk you to the fishing grounds in comfort and safety, and top notch rods, reels, and terminal gear maximize your chances to catch fish of a lifetime.

From mid-July through September you can catch Rivers Inlet's giant Chinook which can exceed 80 pounds, as well as its coho which can top 20 pounds. For a change of pace, tuck into a cove and bottom fish for tasty halibut, yellow eye and ling cod.

As for the journey? Well, yes, getting to Legacy Lodge is part of the fun, too. A turboprop takes you from Vancouver to Port Hardy on the north end of Vancouver Island. Then, a vintage Grumman Goose or DeHaviland Beaver float plane takes you across the Inland Passage, and, after a scenic 45-minute flight, glides to a stop at the dock in front of the lodge.

- Jim Jones