The sun was shining, fish were biting and philanthropy kept flowing as Brendan Morrison put his 14th annual Tofino Saltwater Classic in the back of the net.
The former Vancouver Canucks star’s community fundraising event hosted 78 fishers on Saturday and the West Coast’s weather pitched in by providing immaculate conditions.
“It was over-the-top phenomenal,” Morrison told the Westerly News on Sunday. “Timing couldn’t have been any better. The fishing here is great year-round, but it was extra special on derby day. Every boat was catching fish, which was cool to see.”
Fishing with guide John Nikiforuk of Tonquin Charters, Brant Stone reeled in a 19.7 lbs Chinook to earn the derby’s $4,000 grand prize.
The Strongman Group fishing team, who rode with guide Brin Townsley-Smith of Coastal Charters, took the next two spots with a 19.3 lbs Chinook coming in second and a 19 lbs chinook earning third.
Brad Benini caught the event’s largest halibut, weighing in at 30.6 lbs, while guided by Rob Frawley of Lucky Strike and the local business challenge Biggest Fish in Town award went to Elizabeth Brown of Wickaninnish Inn chartered by Bobby Kimoto.
“To me, Tofino is a world class fishing destination. It’s so diverse in the amount of different species you can target and just the area that you can fish,” Morrison said. “That combination of the area and the diversity lends itself to being one of the premiere spots.”
The philanthropic fishing derby that’s expanded into a weekend of festivities, including a ball hockey tournament for local youth and a kids dock fishing tournament along with the derby itself, has raised more than $800,000 since it was launched in 2009.
“We had no idea it would get to this point. It’s fantastic and a lot of gratitude towards the community for supporting this event. People volunteering their time, their energy, their effort, businesses donating funds, donating auction items, this doesn’t happen without the entire community getting behind it and that’s what we have here,” Morrison said. “It’s just really grown into a special weekend where you have different events that all contribute to the overall benefit of the community.”
The money raised goes straight into the coffers of local organizations and initiatives, like the Tofino Salmon Enhancement Society, Raincoast Education Society, Tofino Community Food Initiative, Pacific Rim Hospice Society and the Tofino Volunteer Fire Department, with the largest beneficiary being the Wickaninnish Community School Society.
“We’re really trying to focus on having an impact on children who eventually will be the leaders of this community. We think if we can improve things and experiences for these kids it will lead to a better community overall,” Morrison said.
He added his love for Tofino began early as his family visited often when he was a kid and now he enjoys spending time in the community he loves with his own kids.
“I fell in love with it right away. I was fortunate enough to spend time here with my family and we all love it. I’ve always thought that if you’re in a position where you have an opportunity to make a difference, whether that’s donating your time or being able to generate revenue that you can donate back to different initiatives, it’s almost your duty to do that,” he said. “Everybody loves the Canucks in B.C. so we had a little bit of a platform to get started and we figured that it was something that was the right thing to do and wanted to really have an impact on the younger generation of kids here.”
Morrison wasn’t the only star power lure at this year’s event as current NHL defenceman Tyson Barrie and former NHL stars Tyler Ennis and Mike Smith joined this year’s roster as well as three-time Olympic medalist snowboarder Mark McMorris.
Smith and his fishing team were all smiles as they arrived back at the dock with their local fishing guide Dave Tom on Saturday afternoon.
“We had an absolutely fantastic day out there. Dave Tom put us on the fish and our crew here made it happen. We had an unbelievable day out there on the water, came back with a full cooler and it was a pleasure to be here,” Smith told the Westerly. “Today was a gorgeous day out there and we got into them pretty good. It was a fun day.”
Smith was taking in his first Saltwater Classic experience and, based on his enthusiasm at the dock, is likely to return.
“If they invite me back, I’ll be more than happy to come back to this place. It’s an unbelievable place to be,” he said, giving a nod to the event’s organizers and supporters.
“From the time we got here, everything was dialled in. It just goes to show how much the people come together in this community and make this happen. Obviously, there’s a lot of volunteer work and blood, sweat and tears that go into an event like this. Brendan’s done an unbelievable job to bring this community together and put on an awesome event.”
Morrison said Smith’s experience rang true for many event participants as raves about Tofino were abundant throughout.
“They were just raving about the hospitality of the people in Tofino, how everyone was so genuine and friendly and obviously talking about the beauty of this area. It couldn’t have been any better really. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase Tofino, which we already know is one of the most magnificent places on earth,” he said. “When you get that feedback it really kind of hits home and sends a message that we’re on to something pretty cool here and people want to be involved and be a part of it.”
He added those positive experiences will lead to word of mouth spreading, attracting more fishers and more donation power.
“We have a foundation of people that have been at this event every single year for 14 years, but I think in order for events to have sustainability and longevity, you kind of need that fresh blood, that new energy. When people come here and have a phenomenal experience, they tell their friends, ‘You have to get out there and participate in this event,’” he said.
“One: it’s for a great cause. Two: you’re around great people. Three: you’re in a beautiful part of the world and four, as a bonus, you’re catching fish. That’s a pretty good combination of things right there.”
He added that along with immaculate surroundings and fishing opportunities, the region is packed with guides passionate about putting their guests in beauty and on fish.
“The guides here in Tofino are fantastic. They’re super, super knowledgeable,” he said. “You can’t replace it. These guides are in tune with what’s going on in the ocean everyday. They’re out there on the water, they know what spots you need to fish at what tides, what contour lines you’ve got to fish…They’re some of the best guides up and down the coast just based on their experience and the other thing is their passion and their love of fishing.”
Whether this year’s events pushes the Classic’s total amount raised to over $1 million is yet to be seen, but the net tally is rising.
“We’ve had just tremendous support from the community, local businesses, people stepping up,” he said. “It shows how they’ve bought in, how selfless they are and how they want to be part of making a difference. These businesses in small communities get hit up all the time for fundraisers and all kinds of events. Having them onboard just means the world to us and we don’t have an event if we don’t have contributions from our volunteers in town and our local businesses…It’s a real intimate family feel here in this town.”
