Fishing Guides
Our guides wake up each and every day with a smile on their face because they know they get to share the excitement of this unique fishing experience with our guests here at WardoWest. All of our guides are experienced, passionate, outgoing and most importantly, they LOVE to fish! They all have their SVOP license, VHF radio license and a valid marine first aid certificate to ensure you’re in safe hands during your fishing adventure.
Owner & Lead Fishing Guide
Dave
Dave is an outgoing west coaster with a serious love and passion for fishing and the outdoors. Being local to Vancouver Island, Dave has been fortunate to fish these world class fishing waters his entire life, which has given him a fantastic understanding of each fish species and the best ways to catch the fish of a lifetime. Not only is Dave passionate about fishing, but his enjoyment to explore and be immersed in the wilderness surrounding the west coast is exhilarating to each and every angler that has the privilege to fish with him.
As the owner of Wardowest he ensures the comfort and satisfaction of all of his clientele and will happily help each and every guest in any way he can. Daves’ fishing preference is to target the world class Salmon grounds but his skill set allows him to be one of Tofino’s top guides to target both predatory and bottom fish.
Dave is the lead fishing guide for the boat ‘Tuna Can’ which is a 28 foot aluminium Kingfisher with some amazing additions to ensure comfort, such as a heated cabin and shock absorbent seats.
Lead Fishing Guide
Paul
Paul has been with WardoWest from the very beginning. He was a trained mechanic in Alberta but jumped on Daves’ opportunity to become a fishing guide here in Tofino and has been with us ever since. Paul has accumulated more guiding hours over the past six years than most other fishermen in town, with 2017 being his busiest season with over 730 logged hours within the short fishing season.
Paul is the lead guide on the boat ‘No Complaints’ which is a 28 foot Sailfish which can take a maximum capacity of 6 anglers, although 3-4 is recommended for the best fishing experience.
In recent years, Paul has become a local celebrity here in Tofino, with consistency for catching trophy Halibut, which at over $25 per pound, allows our guests to leave with a lot of tasty fish fillets. Pauls’ fishing preference is definitely Halibut but his skills and equipment on board allow him to be one of the best fishing guides in Tofino, no matter which fish species you’d like to target.
Dave and Paul have been great friends for many years which you can tell by their energy on the dock and communication on the water. They both love what they do and helping each other out with daily information allows our guests to be put in the best possible position to land the fish of a lifetime!
