Our Guides

We have over 100 years of guiding experience as a group. Our "team fishing" philosophy and extensive experience in the area provide you with your best chance for success.

Fishing Guides

At Coastal Springs we have a team of guides beyond compare. We have over 100 years of guiding experience as a group. Our "team fishing" philosophy and extensive experience in the area provide you with your best chance for success. All skilled fishers and boat handlers, the similarities end there. You will find that our diversity in age, knowledge, approach, and technique will give you a productive, yet different experience on each outing.  The differences in fishing style that each guide has, ensures that all bases are covered by us, as a group at any given time.  As a result, we have the most complete knowledge of fish movement and feeding behaviour at any given time.

Cam "Silent Bob" Reid

Cam is the owner of Coastal Springs Float Lodge and has been on the lodge in one capacity or another since he was born.   Cam is the youngest son of the original lodge owner (John Reid) and has thus been raised in the business. He had his own boat at age 5 and has been guiding full time since he was 16 . His mentors in the business have been the solid line of guides past and present which has made him the fisherman he is today. Cam used to live at the lodge year round as a young child, giving him a strong understanding of the area from a young age. Cam has quite the collection of gear and is always looking to try something new.

Steve "Grouper" Kelly

Steve is the previous owner of the lodge, and still loves to spend his summers guiding. Born and raised on the outskirts of Vancouver, he started fishing at a very early age thanks to his Dad's love of the outdoors. He started guiding at the lodge in 1980 as a summer job while working on a biology degree at university. It took him about 24 hours to realize that lodge life was the life for him. He became a partner in the business in the mid-eighties and took sole ownership of the lodge in 2003.

His fishing philosophy is simple. One third skill, one third patience, and one third luck. Knowing that he controls a solid majority of the factors leading to a successful outing has served him well over the years.

Terry "Kojak" Steele

Terry has been guiding at the lodge since 1998, after working at a different lodge in our area. As a full time teacher and father of two young daughters, he has mastered the patience part for fishing success. However, his real strength is his attention to detail. Terry spends between 3 and 5 weeks with us each season, and is arguably the most consistent fisherman on our coast.

Ed "Jaws" Sharkey

If you were to look up "fishing guide" in the dictionary, (or google it for those in the computer age), you would find Ed. Born and raised in Campbell River on Vancouver Island, Ed started guiding in the Knight Inlet area back in the mid-seventies. His 35+ years of guiding have led to an extensive knowledge of not only fishing tactics, but a wealth of knowledge and theories about the local environment. He has an incredibly keen awareness of the surrounding animals, plants, weather systems etc. which serves to enhance any trip out in his boat.

Bruce 'Pathfinder' Barnett

Bruce has been guiding in the area with is off and on since 2002, and has made a great addition to our crew. As a full time teacher in Vancouver and all around great guy who is full of tales from a life different than most, Bruce brings a more experimental, try anything approach to fishing at times. This has dug us out of the odd rut when the rest of us have been stuck in our ways.

Bruce "Ironman" Cook

Bruce is the newest addition to our crew, having been with us since 2014. The retired mail carrier spends his time fishing the waters near Victoria, BC just about every day while he is not guiding for us. He is a serious fisherman who has absorbed huge amounts of information from pros up and down the coast, gaining a very keen eye and attention to detail when it comes to his gear and his technique.