Welcome to the Kingfisher Report. This is where you'll find the latest news on what's happening up at the lodge in Naden Harbour. |
| Date Range: | Topic: |
| 100 Results | (Page 1 of 10) << Back | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Next >> |
July 28th Report Posted By QCL - Wed Jul 28th, 2010 - Filed under: General  QCL guests are definitely enjoying prime time fishing these days with good solid Chinook numbers daily and a high incidence of larger fish in the mix. Moderate to strong Northwesterlies have dominated the weather pattern so the fishing effort has been focused on the waters east and south of Bird Rock 2. Bird 1, Cape Naden and the Mazzaredo Islands have provided excellent fishing throughout the day, particularly for Chinooks. While we are seeing steady catches of Coho, the bulk of these salmon are likely further from shore right now and anglers have not ventured out so far this week. Winds have settled back to moderate westerlies as of Wednesday and lots of boats will be out there looking for Halibut and Coho Thursday. Big Tyees are regularly being teased from the kelp at Bird 2, Cape Naden and the Mazz with both weighted rods and riggers running anchovies. Catch & Release honours go to a number of anglers this week who elected to let those big fish have a chance to get back to the river. Doug Birch released a beautiful 48 pounder as did Jason Carpenter on Sunday. Marjan Hozjan joined his family in the big fish department, releasing a big Chinook at the Mazzaredos which taped out to 53 pounds while his son Rob released his second 40+ of the week, a 46 on Sunday! QCL Chef Ryan MacKay dropped a line solo at the Mazz on Wednesday and almost instantly was hit by a freight train Tyee that ran him around the boat 4 times before coming to the net. Ryan figured the fish to be in the high forties as he revived and released the big silver prize. Well done all! We definitely need to do what we can to ensure that we continue to enjoy such an incredible fishery in years to come! The weekend weather is calling for Northwest winds to continue right though mid-week with mixed skies - we aren t seeing the solid blue we expect with this wind pattern - but I imagine it helps the fishing so we are good with that! Tides peaked last weekend so we have moderate swings through the next few days, helping to keep the action going throughout the day! It s all good! - Comments (0) |
July 24th Report Posted By QCL - Sat Jul 24th, 2010 - Filed under: General
It is a big fish season at Queen Charlotte Lodge and this week has been no exception. The Tyee bell has been ringing very consistently with most anglers getting a chance to boat a nice Chinook salmon over 30 pounds. Cape Naden, Bird Rock and Parker Point continue to turn out the lions share of trophy-sized salmon. Anglers are having good success with anchovy & teaser head combinations as well as spoons and herring. The fish aren t running very deep these days and the standard 31/41 foot combination is consistently productive through most of the fishing area. Interestingly a number of these big Springs are biting on Brads Super Bait Cut Plug, a plastic lure that holds a bit of anchovy or herring inside a cavity for scent. We re catching them on everything right now! Veteran QCL guide Sam Harrison had a banner day Friday, fishing with Ontario brothers Rob & Dan Hozjan at Cape Naden. They had only been on the water an hour after their helicopter arrival at the lodge when Dan hooked up the fish of a lifetime. A 30 minute battle ended when Sam slipped the net beneath the giant Chinook and he went to work measuring and reviving the big chrome beauty before it swam away. A calculated weight of 61 pounds boosted Dan into the QCL Kingfisher Club with one of the season s biggest fish! Less than 2 hours later brother Rob got his turn when another big Tyee fell for Sams anchovy teaser. This one was also turned back after a solid fight and Sam had taped it out to 48 pounds. Terrific work guys and thanks for letting those big fish go! These northwesterly winds will continue for most of the next week but hopefully we ll see some of that blue sky which has eluded us thus far! Tides are growing again and will peak early in the week. Bring sunscreen! - Comments (0) |
July 21st Report Posted By QCL - Wed Jul 21st, 2010 - Filed under: General  Steady west to northwest winds in the 15 to 20 knot range have dictated where the bulk of the fishing effort has been focused this week. While a few guides have headed up top to Green and Klashwun Points most QCL & Driftwood anglers have been drifting the tack and working the points from Bird Rock 2 all the way down to Cape Naden. They seem to be getting the best action in the mornings lately with the high slack coming mid-morning these past couple of days. Usually we see lots of blue sky with a westerly but have enjoyed only patchy sunshine over the past week with almost no precipitation. Tide changes are starting to spread out again with a peak of only a 12 foot change over the weekend. A visit on Monday from a pod of salmon-eating Orcas scattered the Chinooks out pretty well this week but all seems to be back to normal now with most anglers getting a shot at some big Springs through the day. Tuesday saw a couple of anglers particularly successful with big trophy Chinooks coming to the boat. On the dock first thing Tuesday morning, Utah angler Chad Nelson received some sage advice from Dock Manager Ryan "Longjaw" Ashton which proved to be extremely valuable. Longjaws preference for spoons is well known around here and he confidently recommended that Chad use one of his favourites, the 5" green & glow Coyote fished at 31 feet. Sure enough, barely an hour later as they worked their boat along the kelp fringes off Parker Point, Chad and his boatmate Chris hooked up with a great Chinook salmon. Half an hour later Chris eased the net under a beautiful 55 pound trophy. Congratulations Chad! Thanks Longjaw! Later in the day Howard Farmer, fishing with Chad s father Gary, managed to find another big Tyee at Parker Point, this one weighing in at 46 pounds. That s a great fish Howard! With these Northwesterlies continually pushing the baitfish into Virago Sound the Mazzaredo Islands have been one of the steadiest hotspots throughout the day. Large numbers of Coho in the 8-12 pound class mixed with quite a few Chinooks have rewarded any boats who have spent an hour or two around there. With winds expected to remain westerly through the weekend it is very likely that "the Mazz" will continue to be a favourite spot! - Comments (0) |
July 17th Report Posted By QCL - Sat Jul 17th, 2010 - Filed under: General
The ebb tide continues to produce great salmon action this weekend but as the tide swings moderate we are starting to see the bite carry on throughout the day. Northwest winds have kept most of the fishing effort focused on the the lower west side with Parker Point and Bird Rock turning out considerable numbers of great Chinook salmon in the 25 to 35 pound range. These larger fish are hiding in the kelp during the big floods and choose to go hunting when the current slacks off some. QCL anglers are finding them at depths of 35 to 45 feet and are having good success on weighted rods as well as downriggers. Most guides are sticking with anchovies and teaser heads in purple haze or glow green and using flashers to match. Theyre finding lots of fish with equal numbers of Chinook and Coho in most areas. The Mazzaredo Islands have lit up bigtime this weekend with large numbers of Coho hanging in there, gorging themselves on the abundant Needlefish. It s action central late in the day when many lodge boats choose to stop by on their way home and top up with some great Coho action. Fishing highlights for the weekend saw a nice 45 pounder caught & released by Rachel Schnurr at Parker Point with the guidance of Fishmaster Keith Burdette. Great job & thanks for letting that one go! Some terrific fish were boated today at Bird Rock with a 44 pound trophy for Russ Burmatoff and a 40 pounder for Steve Stonehouse. The thrill of the day definitely came for QCL guest Tim Cross late in the morning at Bird Rock 1. Fishing with guide Mike McLennan they hooked up in about 75 feet of water off the east corner of the rock. The hungry salmon chose to slam a plug-cut herring on their 3rd rod, weighted with the traditional 8 ounces and fishing between the downrigger lines. Taking off on reel-screaming runs 3 or 4 times in the ensuing half hour, the big fish sounded for a good 10 minutes beneath the boat before finally coming alongside and into the net. It took a mighty lift to bring the netted fish into the boat but guide Mike quickly took charge, got a couple of photos and a measurement, and then eased the precious Chinook back into the water for a revival period before it swam out of his hands. Exceptionally deep at 48" length x 32" girth, Tims dream fish scored out to 65.5 pounds, making it the largest salmon of the seasonso far! Fabulous fishing Tim! Thanks for choosing to let that big beauty go - hopefullly it will get all the way back to the river this fall! - Comments (0) |
July 14th Report Posted By QCL - Wed Jul 14th, 2010 - Filed under: General
Weighted rods fishing plug-cut herring are doing well at 20-25 pulls while the downrigger crowd are finding consistent success on anchovies fished at 25-35 feet with teaser heads and flashers. With the extreme tide swings this week - a 15 foot flood this morning - we re finding the ebb is most productive, both in the morning and in the evening. The salmon are still full of needlefish and there always seems to be lots of them around, although we haven t seen much of the whales in the past week. Veteran QCL angler Andy Hintz was thrilled to bring a beautiful 40-pounder to the boat last night at Eagle Rock while fishing with his wife Carol. The newest member of the QCL 50-Pounder Club is Gerald McMorrow who landed a beautiful, deep-sided 55 pounder at Parker Pt. late this afternoon, fishing with QCL guide Matt Burr. Congratulations guys! Well done!
- Comments (0) |
July 10th Report Posted By QCL - Sat Jul 10th, 2010 - Filed under: General .jpg) Light westerlies will continue to dominate the weather pattern this week, providing comfortable fishing conditions thoughout the grounds. The good weather goes hand in hand with the fishing as QCL guests continue to enjoy pretty steady action through the day. The tides are peaking early this week with a 15.7 foot swing Monday & Tuesday so the slack tide periods will be short. Chinook salmon still range widely in size with lots of 20 pounders coming to the dock, perfect fillets for the table. The Tyee Club continues to grow daily with several anglers finding those 30-pound-plus fish, often hiding along the edges of the kelp beds. Ronald Halberg boated a nice 43 pounder Friday while Chris Holman landed his second over-forty for the trip, again off the east end of Parker Point. Parker has certainly been the most productive spot over the past week, though Bird 2 hasnt been far behind. Totem House angler Rick Rowbotham has done well this weekend with 33 pounders on both Friday and Saturday; electing to release todays Tyee. Great job Rick! Over-forties came today as well with Chris Ashwell finding a 42 and 15-year-old angler Cole Guolo opting to release a beautiful big Spring which taped out to 43.7 pounds. Great job Cole and thanks for letting that big one go! Loads of Coho are out there right now, averaging 8-10 pounds so everybody is having some fun with those. Now is the time to break out those 8-weights and chase these fantastic game fish on the open salt water! Its a feeling thats just hard to beat! - Comments (0) |
July 7th Report Posted By QCL - Wed Jul 7th, 2010 - Filed under: General  Summer has arrived in Haida Gwaii! Big blue skies and warm breezes have motivated the staff to call it Hawaii Gwaii! We re certainly enjoying it. A major bonus that QCL guests are enjoying right now is the light westerly winds are giving us very comfortable fishing conditions and anglers are fishing from Bird Rock all the way around to Green Point. It seems the low slack tides are more significant to the fish activity this week. While we get the odd snap happening here and there throughout the day, the bite hasn t really been happening until the low tide arriving in mid afternoon. The mix of salmon remains strong with lots of feeder Springs still keeping anglers busy alongside the plentiful supply of Coho. The Chinooks are hitting herring, anchovies and spoons at depths from 45 feet right down to 80 feet in 90 feet of water. We ve seen some nice trophy-sized Chinooks caught again this trip with Matthew Bolsoy boating a mixed bag; an awesome 45 pound Chinook and a 41 pound Halibut on the same day! Now that s good fishing! Today we saw a 42 pound Tyee taken at Parker Point by Chris Holman, fishing with guide Mike Tustin. Great job guys! - Comments (0) |
July 3rd Report Posted By QCL - Sat Jul 3rd, 2010 - Filed under: General  The weekend fishery has seen some great action for QCL guests with moderate Southwesterly winds providing flat calm seas and regular doses of liquid sunshine. Wrapping up last weeks derby with a strong finish, Bob Clarkson boated his second Tyee of the trip, this one tipping the scale at 40 pounds. As it turns out, the derby winning fish arrived on the dock mid-morning Thursday when Mike and Ed Neaves ran back to the lodge to weigh in Mikes trophy Chinook at 54 pounds. There were surely lots of contenders this week! The fishing effort over the weekend has shifted primarily to the west side although there have still been a few boats working Cape Edenshaw and being nicely rewarded with a good mix of Chinooks and Coho. Most of the fish are being found at depths from 40 to 60 feet but some of the guides are finding success down to 85 feet off key points like Klashwun. It seems that the majority of anglers are fishing anchovies and spoons off downriggers and getting good numbers of salmon off Parker Point, Bird 2 and the bay at Yatze. Weighted rods and cut plug herring are still the favourite of many lodge and Driftwood guests and they re doing especially well in the tight spots around Bird 2 and Parker Point. We re seeing more Coho around every day and the average size is moving on up the scale with 8 - 10 pounders regularly spiced up with some 12s and 13s. They seem to be everywhere and anglers are picking up Coho in close to the kelp as well as out on the Halibut grounds. Highlights so far this weekend have been a 43 pound Tyee for Kevin Conibear, fishing with his dad Paul and a 43 pound Halibut taken by Steve Letwin right at Bird Rock on his salmon line! Great job guys! The weather outlook for the next few days is for these Southwesterlies to swing to moderate Northwest by Tuesday, typically bringing blue skies and some welcome sunshine to the island! Temperatures are to reach 20 degrees and the staff will be all smiles as they take off the polar fleece and break out the t-shirts! Bring it on! The tides will be building steadily through the next week so those slack times will be more critical every day. - Comments (0) |
June 30th Report Posted By QCL - Wed Jun 30th, 2010 - Filed under: General  QCL guests this week have experienced some very fine fishing under excellent conditions. We have a large group derby going on and anglers are carefully considering all the fish they catch in order to build the best score for their team. They certainly have lots to choose from! Chinook fishing remains strong with some really big fish spicing up the mix every day. Everyone has a shot at a fish over 40 pounds, whether they are fishing at Cape Edenshaw or Klashwun Point, on weighted rods or on downriggers. The Springs are still pretty deep - usually 45 to 65 feet down, and the strong tidal flow often makes the slack periods the busiest times on the water. Fishing with Rob Clough at Klashwun Pt. on Monday afternoon, Ernie Blake battled for an hour before bringing a perfect 49 pound trophy to the boat. On Tuesday it was Al Slaughter s turn and Al came through loud and clear with a big Tyee weighing 48 pounds. The big fish of the day, however, came from Drew Hoyle who landed a deep-sided Chinook weighing 51 pounds. A 48 pounder for Larry Knapton this afternoon from Klashwun Point followed a hefty 51 pounder boated by Jim Boxall at Cape Edenshaw early this morning. Todays biggest catch was a released Chinook that was hooked at Green Point by QCL staff member Adam Dunlop, fishing with DW skipper Mike Boscovich, which measured out to 56.4 pounds. Great job fellows! Looking ahead to the weekend the weather forecast is calling for light westerlies and mainly cloudy skies with showers and temperatures still cool at 14 degrees. - Comments (0) |
June 26th Report Posted By QCL - Sat Jun 26th, 2010 - Filed under: General
Anglers have been sharing the salmon bounty with a number of Orcas who have made the rounds through the past few days picking up their share of salmon, sometimes taking them right off the lines of shocked fishermen. Although most of the Orca we get around here are primarily hunting for seals and other mammals we do see the salmon-hunting pods of orca occasionally. Fortunately theres lots of salmon to go around! The weather forecast for this week sees the light to moderate southerly system continue with relatively calm seas all around; mainly cloudy skies with showers through Thursday and temperatures in the low teens. Tides have peaked this weekend so we ll see more moderate changes as the week goes on. - Comments (0) |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
