While the 2015 fishing season to this point has been a full-on flood of incredible feeder Chinooks, we’ve seen a dramatic shift to a more traditional fishery this week.  There are still 15 to 20 pounders out there, but fewer of them.  The arrival over the past 7 days of larger salmon, many of them Tyee-class, has really got a buzz goin’ on around here!  It feels more “normal”!

The Tyee bell has been getting a good workout with beautiful salmon over 30 pounds coming to the dock every night and a number of nice ones reported as Catch and Release.  We’ve recorded 20 Tyees over 40 pounds this week and 6 of those were over 50!  Bird Two has turned out a good number of these fish, particularly for our guests staying right there aboard the Driftwood!  John B, fishing unguided early Tuesday morning, brought a handsome 51 pounder to the scale about the same time that fellow DW guest Peter R was weighing in a nice 43 lb Tyee.  Right after lunch Gerard B was fishing the east point of Bird Two with partner Norman C when he hooked up with heavy fish that set the bar for the season so far – a stunning big Chinook that tipped the scale at 58 pounds! Congratulations guys!

QCL guide Ryan Winger really had it goin’ on this week, putting his guests onto 3 giant salmon.  Caleb S hooked up a monster Chinook on Monday which put up a huge fight but when it finally came to the boat, the hooks were down too deep and they were unable to release it.  Ringing that bell 5 times for his 55 pound Tyee certainly set the tone for the rest of the trip!  Fishing partner John R managed to release a beauty on Wednesday that taped out to 45 pounds and then on Thursday, topped that with a C&R 50 pounder!  Not a bad week at the office Ryan!  Great job guys!

On Wednesday Paul & Cyn were enjoying an afternoon fish with their granddaughters when Cyn set the hook on a solid Chinook at Bird 2.  So accustomed to passing the rod off to her guests, Cyn was suddenly confronted with the prospect of playing a big Chinook herself!  And of course she handled the fish masterfully, playing it to the net while their excited young passengers cheered her on!  She and Paul did a quick measurement and released an awesome Tyee that taped out to 55 pounds!  Congratulations Cyn!  Welcome to the Club!  (And, for those of you who know about the QCL tradition, she did complete the heart eating ceremony without a hitch! Albeit with a substitute heart!)

So much news to share and so little time!  Stay tuned for the next chapter of QCL 2015!