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Tyee Club
[Chinook Jargon tyee]
Fishing
DCHP-3.1 (Jan 2026)
1an.
a historic fishing club in Campbell River, BC for Chinook salmon anglers.
Type: 1. Origin — Tyee Club is a Canadianism due to its origin in Campbell River, BC. It comes from the Chinook Jargon word tyee 'chief'. Tyee is a name given to a Chinook salmon that weighs more than 30 pounds.
BC's Tyee Club is a historic tradition in the Campbell River Tyee Grounds (see Image 1), as it emphasizes sportsmanship and the "fair fight" between an angler and a fish. To become a member of the Tyee Club one must catch a Tyee salmon in a row boat using only artificial lures, light tackle, and barbless hooks (see Images 2 and 3).
The term is distinctly Canadian in its usage (see Chart 1); in non-fishing domains it is limited to advertisements pertaining to BC tourism.
BC's Tyee Club is a historic tradition in the Campbell River Tyee Grounds (see Image 1), as it emphasizes sportsmanship and the "fair fight" between an angler and a fish. To become a member of the Tyee Club one must catch a Tyee salmon in a row boat using only artificial lures, light tackle, and barbless hooks (see Images 2 and 3).
The term is distinctly Canadian in its usage (see Chart 1); in non-fishing domains it is limited to advertisements pertaining to BC tourism.
Quotations
1987
Six-year-old Brian Kruse has become the youngest person to qualify for membership in the prestigious Tyee Club of B.C. by catching a 17.7-kilogram (39-pound) chinook salmon from a rowboat.
1997
The club's objectives include "to emphasize the ideals of sportsmanship as distinguished from slaughter, to properly authenticate and record weights and measures of fish taken on legitimate tackle and officially frown on the taking of fish in any other way. All to the end that our brave Tyee may have a fair fight and that men and women, whom we meet wearing the coveted emblem of the Tyee Club, shall be known as worthy champions of the rod.''
2010
RCMP Cst. Alexa Blacklock said the incident happened just before 6:30 a.m. A 75-year-old man, a 72-year-old woman and a 44-year-old woman were taking part in the Tyee Club fishery and had a 48-pound salmon on the line. While fighting the big fish, their boat capsized. All three were rescued by other fishers in the area - and they managed to retain the fish.
2014
Turns out this rowboat fishing is a traditional summer event and has been going on for 90 years. The general idea of it is you have to land a Tyee salmon weighing 30 pounds or more in a non-powered boat with 20 pound line and a barbless hook. If you are able to accomplish this you are granted membership into the Tyee Club of British Columbia.
2022
The sense of community is strong, just like my determination to become a member of the exclusive Tyee Club of British Columbia, which has had the same traditions for 97 years.
References
- Merriam-Webster Unabridged • or tyee salmon : a Chinook salmon especially when of large size
- OED-3 • Link
Images
Image 1: an angler with a tyee salmon in front of the tyee pool (https://www.tyeeclub.org/)
Image 2: Tyee Club of BC history (https://www.tyeeclub.org/)
Image 3: a Tyee Club rowboat with anglers and their catch (https://fishingbc.com/story/the-historic-tyee-club-in-campbell-river/)
Image 4: a clipping from The Cumberland Islander (1925) (https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers/cumberlandis/items/1.0342604?o=14).
