The Alberni Valley Tyee Club was formed in the 1930s by a group of businessmen who loved to fish and wanted to promote fishing in the Alberni Inlet. The club brought people from all over the northwest and beyond to Port Alberni to fish, and continues to do so today, more than 80 years later.
The club originally operated out of a clubhouse at the foot of Argyle Street, where Harbour Quay is now located. Throughout the season, the top 50 heaviest fish were displayed on the club’s leader board. After the tsunami of 1964, a new clubhouse was built at Clutesi Haven Marina, where it now resides.
The Tyee Club was the first group to run a Labour Day weekend salmon derby in Port Alberni, which eventually became the Port Alberni Salmon Festival.
In this photo from the Alberni Valley Museum, circa 1946, several large fish hang under a Port Alberni Tyee Club sign at the old clubhouse, labelled with their weights. This and 24,000 other historical photos can be seen on the Alberni Valley Museum’s online photo archive at portalberni.pastperfectonline.com.
The Tyee Club’s ladder season runs until Sept. 12. Memberships are available at Gone Fishin’ on the corner of Johnston Road and Margaret Street. Proceeds from the ladder season go towards the Alberni Valley Tyee Club and Alberni Valley fish enhancement projects.