Side by side · Fishing Lodges

Sointula Lodge vs Steep Island Lodge

Two fishing lodges side by side from their own published tariffs: Sointula Lodge from $7,035, Steep Island Lodge from $545 per person, with seasons, what is and is not in the price, deposit and cancellation terms, and the transfer from the gateway.

How this page is made. Every figure is from the two operators' own published tariffs and booking pages, as recorded in their Ledgers, last read 14 September 2026. The sentences under "Which one" are rules over those figures, not opinion; where an operator publishes nothing, the row says so and the rule stays quiet. Ben has stayed at both.

Aerial view of Sointula Lodge's dock and two guide boats in a sheltered cove, with the lodge and cabins in the trees behind

North Vancouver Island Sointula Lodge

The lodge at Steep Island lit from within at dusk, its deck and boardwalk running along the bluff above Discovery Passage

Discovery Islands Steep Island Lodge

The record

Side by side

Fact	Sointula Lodge	Steep Island Lodge
From, per person	From $7,035 per person for 3 nights (4 Day Fishing Trip), The season (May to October), 2026 tariff	From $545 per person per night on a 1-night minimum, 2026 tariff
Per night	about $2,345 per person per night, the 4 Day Fishing Trip rate divided by its 3 nights	$545 per person, the printed nightly rate
All in, with tax	about $7,387 per person for the shortest stay, with GST at 5%	about $572 per person for the shortest stay, with GST at 5%
Stays sold	4 packages of 3 or 4 nights	By the night, 1 to 7 nights
Priced for	Double; Single; Triple; Quad	Double; Single; Triple; Child, 12 and under
Season	The season, May to October	Not published; salmon fishing in Discovery Passage runs roughly May to September
In the price	Your log cabin, meals (hot breakfast, lunch out on the water or a beach, a four-course dinner from a set menu), and wine, spirits and beer A guided day on the water every day, three to four guests to a boat with a licensed guide, in a 27 ft NorthRiver with an enclosed heated cabin and its own bathroom All fishing gear: rods, reels, tackle, plus Columbia insulated rain jackets, rain pants, rain boots, Mustang inflatable life jackets and children's life jackets On the fishing packages, your catch weighed, filleted, frozen and packed in insulated boxes that check as airline luggage The High Seas Day (bottom fish and salmon off the northern tip of the island) and a day of Great Bear Rainforest fly fishing, both on request, on the fishing packages Beach Bistro lunch of boiled crab on an island one day, the Burger Boat lunch delivered to you on the water another Kayaks, paddleboards, bicycles, the hot tubs and the Finnish sauna, the pool table, the trails and the alpacas Binoculars on the boats	Transport to and from Campbell River: the shuttle from Campbell River Airport and the water taxi to the island A suite in one of the cedar cabins, each with a private ocean view and a wood stove Breakfast, lunch, dinner and appetizers The exercise room, the games room with pool and shuffleboard, and the large-screen TV in the lounge On a fishing day: guide and boat, all fishing gear, rain gear and floater coats, a picnic lunch and snacks, and your catch cleaned and boxed
Not in the price	Tax Getting to the lodge: the flight or drive to Port McNeill and the 15-minute boat ride, or a chartered floatplane; the lodge helps arrange it BC tidal fishing licence, $38.85, printed and in your hand on arrival Tips for staff; the lodge suggests 15% of the trip value per guest A private boat for a party of two, $1,950 The cellar wine list, massages, and the half- and full-day helicopter adventures, priced on request	Applicable taxes Alcohol Gratuities Fishing: $190 an hour per boat on an 8-hour tide, one to four anglers to a boat Fishing licences Extra fish processing: vacuum sealing, smoking and canning, available on request Diving and eco tours, priced on request; a fuel surcharge may apply to eco tours Getting to Campbell River
Deposit	33% at booking. Inside 60 days of the trip the whole balance is due at booking.	Not published. The lodge books by email and phone and does not print a deposit on its site; ask when you enquire.
If you cancel	More than 90 days out: deposit kept, but fully transferable to another date in the same season; with the lodge's permission, to the next season 90 days or fewer: all funds forfeited; a transfer to another date in the same summer at the lodge's discretion if there is space Moving to the next calendar year: 25% of the deposit paid is applied to a visit the following summer	Not published
Getting there	Boat from Port McNeill (the Port McNeill dock; the lodge sets arrival and departure times, confirm them before booking travel): 15 minutes by boat to Malcolm Island, not in the price. Timing partly our estimate.	Water taxi from Campbell River (Campbell River Airport, or the Discovery Marina dock if you drive): an airport shuttle and a 10-minute boat ride, in the price.
Sleeps	18 guests	22 guests
Region	North Vancouver Island, British Columbia	Discovery Islands, British Columbia
Source	2026 tariff, read 14 September 2026	2026 tariff, read 14 September 2026

"From" is the lowest adult double rate in the newest tariff, per person for the shortest stay sold; the all-in line adds the tax the calculator adds. Anything marked "our estimate" is ours, not the operator's.

Which one

What the record says

The two are not priced the same way, Sointula Lodge is priced as a package (4 Day Fishing Trip) and Steep Island Lodge priced by the night, so the fair comparison is per night: about $545 per person at Steep Island Lodge against about $2,345 at Sointula Lodge, both before tax.

Sointula Lodge prints its season, May to October; Steep Island Lodge does not publish its dates, so ask before comparing.

Sointula Lodge lists more in the price, 8 items to 5; both lists are in the table.

Sointula Lodge is the quicker to reach: 15 minutes by boat to Malcolm Island from Port McNeill. Steep Island Lodge is an airport shuttle and a 10-minute boat ride from Campbell River.

Sointula Lodge is the smaller place, 18 guests to 22.

Which of those matters is yours to weigh; the pages behind each place have the rest, and the calculators price a stay for your own party.

Sointula Lodge
The record and the Ledger What a trip costs, all in Request availability
Steep Island Lodge
The record and the Ledger What a trip costs, all in Request availability

From the Journal

A story that covers both

From the Journal How to choose a fishing lodge in Canada Read the story

Answered from the record

Which is cheaper, Sointula Lodge or Steep Island Lodge?

What is included at Sointula Lodge and at Steep Island Lodge?

Sointula Lodge lists 8 things in the price, starting with your log cabin, meals and a guided day on the water every day. Steep Island Lodge lists 5, starting with transport to and from Campbell River and a suite in one of the cedar cabins. The full lists, and what each leaves out, are in the table on this page.

How do you get to Sointula Lodge and to Steep Island Lodge?

Sointula Lodge: Boat from Port McNeill (the Port McNeill dock; the lodge sets arrival and departure times, confirm them before booking travel): 15 minutes by boat to Malcolm Island, not in the price. Timing partly our estimate. Steep Island Lodge: Water taxi from Campbell River (Campbell River Airport, or the Discovery Marina dock if you drive): an airport shuttle and a 10-minute boat ride, in the price.