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Of the hundred or so Canadian towns that claim to be "Salmon Capital of the World", CAMPBELL RIVER , 46km north of Courtenay, is probably the one that comes closest to justifying the boast. Fish and fishing dominate the place to a ludicrous degree, and you'll soon be heartily sick of pictures of grinning anglers holding impossibly huge chinook salmon. Massive shoals of these monsters are forced into the three-kilometre channel between the town and the mainland, making the job of catching them little more than a formality. The town grew to accommodate fishermen from the outset, centred on a hotel built in 1904 after word spread of the colossal fish that local Cape Mudge natives were able to pluck from the sea. Today about sixty percent of all visitors come to dangle a line in the water. Others come for the scuba diving, while for the casual visitor the place serves as the main road access to the wilds of Strathcona Provincial Park or an overnight stop en route for the morning departures of the MV Uchuck III from Gold River . If you want to fish , hundreds of shops and guides are on hand to help out and hire equipment. It'll cost about $20 a day for the full kit, and about $60 for a morning's guidance. Huge numbers of people, however, fish from the 200-metre Discovery Pier , Canada's first saltwater fishing pier. Diving rentals come more expensive; try Beaver Aquatics near the Quadra ferry dock in Discovery Bay Marina (tel 287-7652). If you merely want to know something about salmon before they end up on a plate, drop in on the Quinsam Salmon Hatchery , 5km west of town on the road to Gold River (daily 8am-4pm). Campbell River's well-stocked infocentre is at 1235 Shopper's Row (daily 9am-6pm; tel 287-4636). Four Laidlaw buses run daily to Victoria, but there's only one, occasionally two, a day north to Port Hardy and towns en route. Airlines big and small also fly here, including Air BC, Central Mountain Air and Vancouver Island Air . The bus terminal is on the corner of Cedar and 13th near the Royal Bank (tel 287-7151). Accommodation is no problem, with numerous motels, Campbell River being a resort first and foremost: try the Super 8 Motel , 340 S Island Hwy, on the main road south of town (tel 286-6622 or 1-800/800-8000; $80-100), or the carving-stuffed Campbell River Lodge and Fishing Resort, a kilometre north of the town centre at 1760 N Island Hwy (tel 287-7446 or 1-800/663-7212, www.vquest.com/crlodge ; $80-100). You won't be able to escape the fishing clutter common to all hotels unless you head for a B&B . Contact the infocentre for listings, or try Pier House B&B , 670 Island Hwy (tel 287-2943, pierhse@island.net ; $80-100), a three-room 1920s antique-filled heritage home in downtown right by the fishing pier. The place to camp locally lies 5km west of town at the Parkside Campground , 6301 Gold River Hwy (tel 830-1428; $20; May-Oct). Cheap places to eat abound, mainly of the fast-food variety, and in the pricier restaurants there's no prize for spotting the main culinary emphasis. The best burger joint is Del's Drive-In & Diner , 1423 Island Hwy, a place with plenty of local colour. For beer and snacks try the Royal Coachman , 84 Dogwood St, popular with tourists and locals alike. For a seafood treat, head for the Anchor Inn , 261 Island Hwy (good views), or the Gourmet by the Sea on the main road about 15km south of town at Bennett's Point.
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