A unique spectacle just off the shoreline of Dick Murphy Park in Campbell River draws the eye of many summer visitors, and locals, too. A flurry of picturesque white rowboats sits barely moving, and as dusk settles their small bow and stern lights make for a bobbing scene.
To the uninitiated, it’s a curiosity-sparking sight. This armada of fishing boats is the outing of the many members of the historic Tyee Club, whose home base sits nearby at the entrance to Dick Murphy Park with a small shoreline garden of colourful flowers.
In 2024, the Tyee Club will be celebrating its 100th year.
What is the Tyee Club in Campbell River?
Founded in 1924 by a group of passionate anglers (those who fish solely with a rod and a line), the Tyee Club was formed to standardize and celebrate salmon fishing in Canada. The name and the methods pay homage to the Indigenous guides that first inspired this founding group who visited Campbell River every year in search of the highly-coveted Tyee salmon. The traditional use of spears and hand lines from dugout canoes by First Nations in the area was the perfect balance of skill and low impact on the environment and fish stocks. Today, this legacy of low-impact fishing continues during the annual fishing season between mid-July and mid-September: members must fish solely with a line, hook, and net from a rowboat.
“Tyee” itself is a word from the Nuu-chah-nulth language on the West Coast of Vancouver Island meaning chief or leader, that has also become synonymous with a Chinook or Spring salmon weighing over 30 pounds. Every year, a series of buttons—bronze, silver, gold, and diamond—are awarded to members based on weight, from a 30-40 pound fish to a fish over a whopping 60 pounds. The record-holding fish in 2023 was 43lb.
