Bears of Bute

It may not seem like professional basketball has much to do with Bute and its Bears, especially a team from Memphis, Tennessee, but without the Bears that roam Bute and the surrounding area of British Columbia the Memphis Grizzlies might play under an entirely different banner.The name Grizzlies actually pays homage to the BC native bear breed, christening the Vancouver franchise when the National Basketball Association expanded to Canada prior to the 1995 season. The Vancouver Grizzlies joined the Toronto Raptors as the first NBA teams to call the Great White North home since Toronto Huskies, also named after a local product of the animal kingdom, back in 1946-47. Originally , the Grizzlies were set to be called the Vancouver Mounties, though due to objections for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, there Grizzlies moniker was chosen as a suitable replacement. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bear Bay Fishing Lodge is an outdoorsman’s paradise, one that sounds almost too good to be true. The beautiful site is located right at the mouth of Bute Inlet’s Bear River on British Columbia’s West Coast, and is optimal real estate for those looking to come face to face with the river’s eponymous species. In the fall, you can get as close as you dare (safety allowing) to grizzlies and black bears in their natural environmentthat’s the season when they flock to the streams to “welcome in” the spawning salmon.With such competition, the fall isn’t the best for prospective fishers, but the lodge is still a great destination any time of the year. During the early spring, the Bute Inlet’s many streams provide an amazing angling experience. There are even helicopters ready to ferry you to the perfect location. When you get bored, you can go hiking on the ridge tops surrounding the bay. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bute Inlet is situated on the British Columbia coast, expanding parallel to Knight and Toba inlets. Running an estimated 80 km inland from its head at Stuart Island, it provides the Homathko and Southgate rivers with mouths to the larger body of water. The Bute Inlet enjoys a feel of privacy and isolation afforded to it by Stuart Island’s shielding location. The island nearly hides the inlet’s opening into the much larger Georgia Strait completely, rendering it easily overlook by passer-bys in plain sight. From bank to bank, the Bute Inlet averages a 4 km width, wider at its onset and slowly narrowing as you move further inland. Mountains shoot up around the inlet, offering a picturesque backdrop as boats float through. Read the rest of this entry »