Yes, we should be salmon fishing. But when we scoped out the local spots where fishing was allowed it was so absolutely packed that it would be difficult not to tangle a line. Our dog, Loki, is going blind due to his advanced diabetes and we weren’t sure how much longer we could take him out to the woods. So, we packed up the van with the boys and dogs and plenty of snacks and headed out to find some lake trout.
Vancouver Island is a lot bigger than people realize. It’s about the same size as Taiwan and most of the people live on the southern tip. Central and Northern Vancouver Island is home to an average of 3-5 people per square kilometer. Those areas are dotted with a few small cities and even smaller communities that are connected by a single highway and a maze of dangerous logging roads. This kind of remoteness is just right for the people born here, and they have a lifetime of knowledge on the area and its secrets.
There was a gap of a few years in our adventures when we were too busy to venture into the woods, where we had spent weeks of our lives camping, hiking, hunting, and just walking around looking for chantrelles. The last times we had gone out we had noticed that sometimes the gates were shut when they should be open, but safety issues were blamed and we didn’t think much of it.
Yesterday, when we set out to find a trout fishing spot, we only needed a place where the dogs could be off leash on the water, and where there would be some trout. This area is absolutely full of lakes, with over 10,000 lakes on the whole island and most of them in the north. If you drive around you can see hundreds of spots that are road accessible, but what we discovered yesterday was that every location had been gated off. If the site was accessible it had been turned into a reservation-only campsite that had been booked up months ago. In total we found about 7 day use spots, all of them in use and none far enough away from people to allow our old dog to sniff around in the woods.
After about 3.5 hours of driving we finally found a place, limited by use due to the state of the road which was pretty much only 4×4 accessible. We hauled our snacks down to the water and finally were able to spend an afternoon on the shore casting a line, looking for frogs and letting the dogs chase sticks.
We purposefully chose to live in a place that is more remote than others so that we could access nature in its untouched form. Not a campsite/RV park, not a trail, but actual wilderness. Our hobbies include foraging not just for the fun of it but because we believe it’s good for us and the environment (versus farming). These kinds of restrictions make sense outside of an urban area, but rurally?
We saw many signs in many of these areas that designated who managed the land, which ranged from corporations to First Nations to utilities, with a variety of warnings. It appears that the wilderness has been fenced off all around us.
What was supposed to be a full lazy day teaching the boys how to fish and letting the dogs get some space turned into an exhausting lesson in futility. We had little chance of catching a fish where we were, wasting our investment in licenses and bait. But, since the adventure of fishing isn’t about catching anything, we still made it a good time.
“Be patient and calm—for no one can catch fish in anger.” —Herbert Hoover
The boys are 10 and they don’t know how to set up their rods yet but they probably should. One boy loves it and one boy gets bored with it, and that’s fine. When teaching kids skills its about making it a part of their lives instead of hammering in a lesson. We’ll do another trip without dogs and teach them how to tie the right knot and choose the bait they need, but for now it was just about how important it is to make the effort to go outside and try to catch dinner.
Teaching kids self-reliance and survival skills is a good way of practicing skills yourself. I tested my car kit – what if we broke down? None of the areas outside of major cities have cell phone service on the Island. I asked the boys to help me bring the bare minimum. Knives, water, a little food. Hoodies if it got cold.
Key Strategies
- Frame it as Play, Not a Lesson. Children are naturally wired to learn through play. Instead of announcing, “Today we’re going to learn a skill,” embed the learning inside a game, a challenge, or a story. This shifts the dynamic from a chore to an adventure.
- Focus on Empowerment, Not Fear. The goal is to build confidence, not anxiety. Frame all skills as tools that make them more capable, strong, and independent. The subtext should always be “You are capable of handling this,” rather than “You need to know this for when bad things happen.”
- Foster Ownership and Responsibility. Let children be active participants in their own learning and preparation. Allow them to choose their own gear (within reason), make decisions during an activity, and be in charge of their own small responsibilities. When they feel a sense of ownership, they are more engaged and retain information better.
- Create a Mission or a Challenge. Give the skill a purpose by wrapping it in a goal. Humans, especially kids, are more motivated when they are working towards something. A simple task becomes a “mission,” and a learning process becomes a “quest.” This provides context and makes the outcome more rewarding.
- Focus on Immediate, Tangible Results. Kids thrive on seeing the direct result of their efforts. Teach skills that have a quick and satisfying payoff. Seeing a knot they tied successfully hold a tarp up, or a simple shelter they built block the wind, provides powerful and positive reinforcement.
- Practice in Small, Repeatable Doses. A child’s attention span is limited. Introduce one simple concept or skill in a short 10-15 minute burst. Then, revisit that skill casually on future outings. This low-pressure repetition builds muscle memory and long-term understanding without causing burnout.
- Lead by Example with Calm Confidence. Your attitude is the most important teaching tool. When you approach challenges with curiosity, calmness, and a positive mindset, you model the exact behaviour you want to instill. Your confidence becomes their confidence.
Be ready for an injury. Fishing involves hooks, knives, remote areas and slippery slopes. One of the boys twisted his ankle on a rock and we learned to stay calm and apply the right first aid. After some rest he felt better and instead of languishing and whining that he wanted to go home, he stepped up to help me find something later. This is one of the most basic learning opportunities for self-reliance and resilience.
I guess I should mention that another reason we had very little hope of catching a trout is that not all shorelines are created equal. You need to find spots that offer what a lake trout wants: access to deep water and a source of food.
- Steep Drop-Offs: The most important feature to look for is a sharp drop-off close to shore. A lake trout’s comfort zone is the deep, cold water. Shoreline points or rock faces that plunge quickly into the depths allow them to move up to feed in the shallows while having a quick retreat back to safety. Use online bathymetric (depth) maps to scout potential lakes before you go.
- Points and Funnels: Fish from prominent points that extend out into the lake. These are natural ambush locations where lake trout can intercept cruising baitfish. Areas where the shoreline narrows, creating a “funnel,” can also concentrate fish movement.
- Inflowing Creeks: The mouths of small streams or rivers are often hotspots, especially in the spring. The current attracts baitfish, and the slightly different water temperature can be an attractant for lake trout.
We were fishing with the wrong gear for the spot we were at, which was a little shallow so we needed longer lines and a little more time.
All in all, I don’t think I can complain about a day spent outside. The dog got what may be his last day to be free in the woods and the kids learned some patience in fishing and practiced a few other skills (besides just being away from technology for a day). There are few things better than taking a break from cell phone service. But, it was a very eye-opening experience and gave me some real food for thought.
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