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Been south of Campbell River a couple of times, just wading off the beach. They can get pretty large so heavy gear is needed. Taking a 9wt this time, previously used my 7 with floating line. Did the job but thinking the 9 is better. Be prepared for long casts. Clousers seemed to work best, 4 to 5 inches long. Chartreuse and white or pink and white. If you're getting consistent hookups on things like sculpins, you're retrieving too slow. Ideally you can find passing schools and cast out ahead of them. Give your fly time to hit bottom and strip quickly, you're trying to imitate a baitfish trying to escape. Right off the top of my head I don't recall the effect of tides, we fished incoming, outgoing and in between without favouring any one condition. Did seem like we got best results early morning and late afternoon and evening.

I carried a camera on my vest for years, but had to jettison it because my back is so bad that even that little bit of weight makes a difference (terrible getting old:). Same goes for the bear spray.... hope I never need it. I have sent pictures in before, and even had a quadder who was tearing up the blackstone confronted by officers (he eventually got off with just a warning despite my pictures and report). These ones on the Fallentimber are very easy to find and there are quadders camped right there. If the government did even a half ass job they would periodically patrol and investigate these areas, stop and talk to quadders about what is proper behaviour, and hand out a few fines where appropriate. It's not rocket science. It would only take an afternoon every week or so and I've voiced these suggestions to many iterations of government in the past.

Not related to the Castle area specifically, but I was on the Fallentimber yesterday and saw many ATV crossings that had "burned/revved" the banks down into 6 foot high ditches on each side that would be absolute torrents of mud entering the river every time it rains. Looked like someone has driven a bulldozer across each one. Understandably the river was full of muddy silt below each one. Absolutely no justification for this from anyone or any group as far as I'm concerned. These machines have the capability to do so much damage and destruction, even in the hands of only a few idiot owners, that I would personally ban them from any area that could potentially be destroyed and establish a couple of special areas in the province where they can damage and destroy until their hearts are content. Letter sent.