View down Alberni Inlet from Port Alberni, BC

At times you'll definitely feel the motion of the ocean swells, but the better part of the journey through Barkley Sound is not as exposed as that experienced when you travel on the MV Uchuck III, which travels from Gold River to Nootka Sound. The trip makes a pleasant outing in itself or can be a link for paddlers to the Broken Group Islands.

Location: Alberni Inlet leads inland from the open ocean of Barkely Sound and the Pacific Ocean. The MV Frances Barkley, is based in Port Alberni and serves Barkley Sound and the Broken Group Islands. Ports of call include Ucluelet (June to September) and Bamfield (year round).

• One of the chief staging areas for fishing the Alberni Inlet is China Creek, 9 miles (14 km) south of Port Alberni on the road to Bamfield. You'll find a marina, a private campground, a boat launch, and quite possibly a salmon or two. China Creek is now designated as a provincial park. Primary fish runs in China Creek include cutthroat trout from January to March, and steelhead from October to December.

• Port Alberni's harbour district is thick with tackle shops, boat rentals, and fishing charters. This is definitely one of the major hubs for angling on Vancouver Island and is the best resource centre for information on fishing locally in both saltwater and freshwater.

• Head for Alberni Harbour Quay, at the foot of Argyle Street in Port Alberni, a friendly conglomeration of restaurants, galleries, and tour operators. Drop by the Blue Door Cafe for a coffee-and-cholesterol breakfast and a friendly slanging match with the waitresses. In summer, the steam locomotive Two Spot departs from the station at the head of the quay for a tourist tour along the waterfront.

• Port Alberni also has a freshwater fishing side that would be the envy of any fishing town anywhere. The Somas River runs through the heart of town, with bank casting possible from a number of locations beside Highway 4 and along Hecate Road west of Port Alberni.

• Just north of Port Alberni the Stamp River would probably make every chinook and steelhead angler's Top Ten. Beginning in January and lasting through March, a winter run of steelhead occurs in the Stamp, while April and May are good months for steelhead in Sproat Lake. In late summer, upwards of a half-million salmon make their way to the spawning grounds near the Stamp River Hatchery. Bank casting is permitted downstream from the hatchery. Nearby Sproat Lake also has a solid reputation for rainbow-trout angling, particularly June through September. Use the boat launch here to head out for some trolling or casting.

• Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sound, BC

  Sprinkled throughout Barkley Sound is the Broken Group of Islands, a series of islands and shallow reefs that support a profusion of marine life.

  Kayaking and diving are excellent in the area - the Broken Group Islands provide kayakers and divers with a true West Coast wilderness experience in sheltered water, with remote Camping on the islands in the group.

• Stiff winds funnel through the Alberni Inlet and make China Creek Provincial Park a hot place to be for serious windsurfers. The only problem is the numerous boaters who also flock to the park in fishing season in July. Because of its wide expanse and western exposure, Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park is the beach of choice for freewheeling, Maui-style windsurfing when the ocean gets riled.

• Attend the popular Salmon Festival, which is held in Port Alberni every year on Labour Day weekend. Anglers come from all over North America to test their skills - you never know, you might just win a cash price for reeling in the biggest salmon!