July 2018 - Queen Charlotte Lodge

from our Fish Handling Supervisor

Each day I put on my signature red boots and head down to the dock, never too sure what is in store for me that day, but always eager to find out. I start my day in the freezer, sorting the previous day’s catch into each guest’s bin. A quick check against the catch boards, everything matches, perfect.

Early evening arrives and boats are starting to come back from the fishing grounds, ready to weigh in the day’s take and enjoy a beverage and some appies. The totes are lining up in the Bell Ringer, full of fish ready to be weighed. The music is on and the drinks are flowing. I look back and see a silver tail peeking up over the edge of a tote; it looks big. Standing nearby, an excited guest and guide can barely contain their smiles. Will it go 30? As each guide lays out the fish, I’m sure to check the tags to ensure the angler will receive their own fish, cut exactly the way they want. Fillet? Portion cutting? Smokehouse? Then it’s time to snap a quick photo with the catch before it’s recorded. By now, I know the guides well. I can usually guess which guest’s fish they’ll weigh first, second, third. In between weights, I catch snippets of fishing stories; the good one that got away, the near-misses and the close saves. A few times each night, it’s time for a ‘Bell Ringer’. Whether it be the perfect ‘turkey’ halibut, or a coveted ‘hog’, we celebrate just the same. After each fish is weighed, it is sorted into bins by cut, then off to the processing room it goes, where it is cut, washed and vacuum packed. From there, it hits the freezer, flash frozen for freshness for months to come.

It’s the last night of the trip, and once all of the fish have been recorded, processed and sorted, it’s time to box them up to send out the following morning. The boxing team and I pack up every guest’s fish, checking the catch and recording the outgoing weight. As the morning sun is rising, we load the boxes onto “The Q”, sending them out to Masset, where they’ll fly south and be waiting for their owner in Vancouver.

Every day I am fortunate to be at the centre of the ruckus, recording each fish, celebrating each victory with guide and guest alike. This season has been one for the books, with near-daily Tyees, and many multiple-Tyee days. Our largest thus far has tipped the scale at 40.4 lbs. Coho fishing has been on, right from the get-go. We’ve seen plenty of ‘Silvers’ in the double digits all through July, and even some pushing close to the 15-pound mark moving into late July. The season high stands at 13.4 lbs, but I suspect we’ll see some bigger ones moving into August. This season has also brought an unusually high number of the most elusive salmon: the Sockeye. We had ten in one week! With the increase in Sockeye numbers, three boats have been able to complete the ‘Grand Slam’ of salmon fishing, one of each species. This season has also been strong for bottom fishing. Numerous Halibut north of the 50-pound mark have been released, and several have even taped out to more than 200 pounds, a real ‘barn door’ of a Halibut. June also brought about a large quantity of Pacific Cod. We caught more in one day than the entirety of last season! We also got to see a new kind of fish this year, landing our very first Alaskan Pollock. You never know what you’ll pull up when you drop a line down to the bottom!

I am lucky to have this unique vantage point which affords me the privilege of taking care of each and every fish brought back to the dock. The excitement of the scale draws the attention of veteran anglers and first-timers alike. Whether someone is looking for a guess on weight, a crash course in salmon identification, or just to take a photo, I’m always happy to help.

Breanne C

With a little over a month left in the season the memories of the good times are starting to build. Every morning that I wake up I am wondering how the day will unfold. Action has been found at all of the major points, and big fish are being caught on a daily basis. I am excited to get on the water tomorrow morning and see what will unfold, and to find the fish.

The other morning, we were off the dock at 8 AM and decided to head directly offshore. High slack tide was at 12 PM and the plan was to go catch our Coho, then be inshore for the tide change to target Chinook. On our way out we were cruising through the flat calm water and noticed tidal rip had formed off of Cape Naden. We decided to stop here and ride the tide line with the ebb current to shag rock. After about 20 minutes we had a couple Coho in the boat and released some smaller sized Chinook. Something then caught my eye as a killer whale spout blew off my port side. We decided to pull up our lines and watch the show. This was amazing just like we had chosen to fish the tide line a pod of resident killer whales were hunting along the rip searching for Chinook salmon.

After watching the whales cruising through the tide line and feeding on salmon we decided to head inshore and look for some Chinook. We planned to go to Green Point for the low slack and then do the “Haida drift” with the flood tide towards Bird 2. We dropped in close to our western boundary and rode the flood tide towards Green. Before hitting the point … BOOM! A fish hit the ‘chovie and was off the clip screaming line. After a few big runs we landed the fish which ended up weighing 33 pounds.

I am looking forward to what the day will hold tomorrow. There has not been a 50 Lb Chinook caught yet this year, however I know within the next two weeks some lucky angler, or angler’s will have the opportunity to real in one of these unicorns.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the dock,

Skywalker

Northwesterly winds have definitely set the tone over this past week, directing the fishing effort to the sheltered shorelines south and east from Klashwun Point. Fortunately we’re finding some pretty nice Chinooks while combing along the kelp beds and rocky points. There have been opportunities to get offshore and pick up some Coho and Halibut as well, but some sizeable tide action can make that a challenge much of the time. The odd twist is that we usually enjoy a pile of big blue sky with these winds but that’s been pretty spotty most days too!

The Tyee bell was getting some action on most nights last week with several Chinooks and halibut tipping the scale over that magic 30 mark. John R kicked the party off with a 30-pounder, repeating his Tyee Club appearance from last year. Brian K added a 30 on Wednesday along with Jordan C who boated a 32 and Laurence H who’s 37-pounder was the big salmon of the day. Matt C came close, however, with a 34 lb Tyee, but he seriously proved his skills with the 41 lb halibut that he weighed right after that! That’s a nice day on the water!

The winds let up nicely on Tuesday and the halibut fishers responded! We saw lots of flatties on the dock with several perfect specimens ranging from 30 to 42 pounds. Rob G missed the cutoff however with a big one that taped out to 86 pounds!

Thursday proved fruitful for salmon hunters with more Tyee catches recorded. John P shared the thrill of the Tyee with his 2 sons, boating a stunning 31-pound Chinook. Makenna C got the day off to a great start at Bird 2 when she caught & released a beauty that taped out to 36 pounds! Fishing with his guide Trevor Harris, Clark H worked the shoreline religiously and was rewarded with two fine Tyee catches – at 31 and 33 pounds! And off the outer face of Bird 2 at afternoon slack, veteran QCL anglers Carol H and her husband Andy connected with the big salmon of the week, a hefty Tyee that thrilled the Bell Ringer crowd at 42 pounds! The average size is creeping up steadily for both Chinook and Coho salmon over the past couple of weeks, and we’re really pleased to see so many chunky Coho in the 10-12 pound range! Let’s see what happens this week!

At Queen Charlotte Lodge we have a saying, “You come as a guest, leave as a friend and return as family!” Two of our longest lasting QCL family members are Cal and Roxy Speckman, who bring their group to QCL on an annual basis. Within the group are many returning family members and with their attendance and others, the lodge feels like old home week!

July 17^th marked a special day on the calendar for our owner. Paul Clough, had his first grandchild (Jordan) born on this day 16 years ago. Cal was here to celebrate that occasion with Paul, and Cal bought champagne for the entire resort to enjoy the occasion. As luck would have it this week, Jordan was at the Lodge to see his Grandpa and his Dad, Rob Clough. On Tuesday night, with short speeches from Paul, Cal and Jordan, the lodge enjoyed a nice toast of champagne again…this time Paul returned the favor, a great night!

Most people that read our blog are looking for fishing information, a fishing story or anything to do with what’s going on so let’s not deprive you anymore!

As the week started a light Northwest wind came into the area and we waited for more bait to move in and cover the grounds. Northwest winds are the best for bringing bait and fish into the QCL fishing areas. The only issue is there were some huge tides to finish the weekend and start the week. Huge tides bring bait in and flush it out just as quickly. When tides are large you should organize your fishing days based on the tides and fish them hard, at LEAST one hour before and one hour after. Tides and water movement might come early or late, so be in your favorite spot and be ready to fish the tide.

As a guide for 20 years at QCL, I am often asked where to fish on a particular tide. Although the answer can usually be, wherever you think the “Big One” sits, the reality is every guide has a theory. I have never shared my theory until Ryan Ashton, QCL dock manager (Guy Fieri look alike), suggested people would love to hear it directly from you. Tides, theories and fishing strategies are often a secret but at QCL, we encourage all guides to share their knowledge. The more people that know, the more they will become hooked on fishing, and that’s good for QCL! Anyway, here is my theory.

Before I start you need to know what an Ebb and a Flood is and what I mean by those terms. Masset Inlet gives you a great reference point so you know which way the water should be moving. An Ebb tide is when the water is moving OUT of Masset Inlet and going from a HIGH slack to a LOW slack tide. A Flood tide is the exact opposite. The key is to think about the bays around a point. Klash has a large bay to the east of the point and the 3 large protruding rocks. When the tide swings from an Ebb tide to a Flood tide (slack) the water starts to move out of the bay, along the rocks and pumps everything that was in the bay out. This is the time for the fish to feed, the easiest way possible. It’s like going to a McDonalds’ drive thru for the fish and the Big Mac and Fries, Super-Size are on the way…oh yeah, don’t forget the Hot Apple Pie! As the water flows out of the bay, position the boat right on the edge of a pronounced “ripline”, try to hold the position just outside the last rock as long as you can, eventually something has to show up! Stay patient, often it takes up time for this type of fishing to pay off. Once you drive through the ripline, circle back to the end of it, and drive back up it, all the way back through and repeat until you hit one or two or 10!

There are no guarantees this is going to work, that’s the beauty of fishing. As an example on Monday I was fortunate to have my wife, son and daughter join me at the resort. Monday and Tuesday we went fishing as a family using my “theory” and it worked…um ok that is a fish tale, it didn’t work at all! 2 Coho only and no other bites, zoikes, I suck! We come back to the dock and most of the guides are dragging in nice totes of fish to the Bellringer and now I am second guessing myself. Tuesday night we celebrate Jordan’s 16^th birthday and I have a little chat with him about the next day. He wants to go fishing at 5am! Mom and Makenna decide to take a pass for a sleep and a workout. We get up at 4:30am and are on the water as the sun is rising. Scott and Henry guests of the DW are already fishing Bird 2 and have a fish in their net! So we stop and Jordan and I give it a try. The Ebb is just starting at Bird 2 and the water is pushing nicely off the point. Jordan puts on his favorite anchovy teaser head and puts it down. BAM, fish on! 3 passes and 7 Chinook later we are giggling and laughing! More boats are now showing up and Jordan resets his line, 41 feet. As we are still sitting in the rip and his line pounds off the clip and starts peeling. A nice one for sure, a beauty fight, a beauty play and the best morning as a Dad with a son you can imagine. Jordan lands a 32.2 pounder to show Mom and sis! Back to the dock by 11am for lunch with the family and grandparents!

Now Makenna is fired up and wants to go early to catch the early tide the next day with her brother! We decide we better head back to Bird 2 and see if we can find another. We fish the ripline at Bird 2 and pick one up early, then a Coho, then a second smaller Chinook. Not as hot as the morning before. The boats are out way earlier and the fishing seems to die off for about an hour. We continue and are persistent fishing the rip. We fish it hard but nothing is happening so we are sure to scrape the wall at Bird 2. We do this about 10 times and in the back corner of Bird 2, right off the bow of the Driftwood we nail a good one. 20 minutes later, the 13 year old young lady lands an awesome fish measuring 36 pounds! We release the fish back into the wild and the day feels complete. So we troll from Bird 2 back to Naden hitting all the points. We hit Parker and see Hawgfather with Clark, his guest. Trevor and Clark had a beauty morning, 31 and 33! We pick up 5 more fish on the drift out and decide it’s time to go meet Mom again for lunch at the Main Lodge. As a guide, my theory was validated but only 2 of 4 days. As a Dad, the greatest day of my year fishing with my kids! (Love you Tricia, Jordan and Makenna!)

Fishing is currently hot and cold all in the same day and trip. Persistence always wins! Look forward to seeing you at the resort! Until next time…

Red Baron

One of the coolest things about being a fishing guide in Haida Gwaii is the unknown of what each day will bring. No two days are ever the same, as the sea conditions, weather, and fishing are always different. Although we like to plan our day out and try to predict what might happen on each tide change, our plans are often altered due to the various scenarios that take place on the water. Today was no different.

With the first tide change not happening until around 10:30am, my longtime QCL guests John R. and Dan S. decided that we wouldn’t leave the dock until 8. My plan was to fish salmon a couple hours through the tide change, go out and grab a couple of Halibut, and then stop for lunch. The first part went according to plan; we set up shop for a couple of hours at Cape Naden with only 1 feeder spring to show for it that we ended up turning back. With not much happening through the slack tide I suggested we do one more pass and then run out for Halibut. On that pass we hooked another little feeder that popped off by the boat. A couple minutes after that I said, “Okay, let’s go grab some Hali’s”. Dan responded, “Come on, one more pass!” Sure enough, right near the end of that pass John had something pop the clip and then it was game on!

After a great battle we bagged a bright chrome Chinook that tipped the scales at 30.0 lb back at the Bell Ringer. Of course we weren’t going to leave now! Before we could even get a third line back in the water, John again has something smash his bait but it quickly popped off. Within a few seconds our back rod started sizzling line and this time Dan was tied into a beauty! After an even longer fight than the first fish we put another one in the bag that weighed in at 26 lb. After a few more passes with no luck it was time for lunch at the DW.

Although the afternoon was not quite as eventful, we grabbed a couple decent chickens, did some Coho fishing offshore, and then finished the day back at Naden. During our final couple hours we were greeted with some rain showers, followed by blue skies, and calm waters, followed by strong gusts of wind out of the west. In addition, the flood tide brought in waves and waves of kelp that made it nearly impossible to keep all lines in the water at once. Once again, on one of our “last passes”, Dan was into another dandy. After a lengthy first run this fish managed to tangle the line into various large pieces of floating kelp. I thought numerous times that this fish was gone but today the fish gods were on our side. While I was steering the boat, John was able to use the gaff to unhook all the weeds from the line, which finally gave me an opportunity to slide the net under another beauty. It was a great team effort and a great way to finish off another adventurous day in the Gwaii!

Until next time, goodnight from Naden Harbour!

Jackson “Wacko Jacko”

Today was another sunny day on the fishing grounds with low to mid teen knot winds blowing from the northwest. In the morning the fleet of QCL boats either headed offshore to the 120-150 foot line searching for Coho and Chinook salmon or stayed close to shore, hitting the major points working the tide change searching for those larger Chinook lurking in the depths. The lighter morning winds allowed for calmer seas to hit the deeper depths for hali fishing as well.

Grady 114 and its crew decided to start the day off by hitting Cape Naden, looking for a chance at a few larger Chinooks. This seemed to be a common thought as quite a few other boats came to join the party. After all was said and done we had a bright chrome 21 pound Spring hit the deck for the morning tide. We were hoping for a couple more but with few hook ups seen or heard of, we gladly took what the fishing gods gave us!

My guests and I rounded out the day with a tote of a couple of halibut, several nice Coho, another mid-teen Chinook and we let a few other feeders go to grow up! Not a bad day overall up here in this special part of the province. High fives, lots of laughs and positive energy at the Bell Ringer capped off another memorable day up here at QCL.

‘Til next time,

Keep your tip up, line tight and hang on for the ride!

Jeff ‘Smurf’ Smirfitt

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As we enter the middle days of July, (and of the season!) we’re happy to report that things are cooking along just fine. Fishing has been exceptional lately with incredible amounts of bait and salmon showing throughout the fishing grounds. Herring, in particular, has been the common denominator that draws so much life around it. Besides the extraordinary volume of salmon in the area, Humpback whales, white-sided dolphins and Dall’s porpoise are regular attendees at the party. Anglers who find themselves in the midst of all this excitement return home with stories and memories to share for years.

While the bulk of this bounty is found offshore in what would traditionally have been called the “halibut grounds” it’s nice to see that the inshore fishery is back on track. Regular catches of 20-pound-plus Chinook salmon around the shoreline structure and kelp beds are the preferred pastime of many anglers and they’re happy too. The Tyee bell has been ringing nightly, reporting nice catches of those larger fish in the 30-plus range. Parker Point, Bird 2 and Green Point have been productive lately around the tide changes. Veteran QCL angler John V released a big beauty last weekend that taped out to 39-pounds and yesterday Timothy M brought a big chrome beauty back to the Bell Ringer that tipped the scale at 39 as well. Those are stunning fish guys! Congratulations!

Halibut are completely distributed throughout Virago Sound and we catch them absolutely everywhere. The regular flow of the tides in and out of Naden Harbour push the needlefish around and halibut love to come inshore to feed on them, providing exceptional opportunities to catch giant halibut in shallow water. Many a giant has been played off the deck of the MV Driftwood as she’s anchored up in 40-feet of water at the Mazzaredo Islands. Of course, when you drop your halibut bait to the bottom in search of the perfect 30-pounder you never know what you might find! Such was the case for Sharon & Ward M yesterday when they hooked up with a heavy fish just east of “the Mazz” in 50-feet of water. The excitement of pulling a big halibut up alongside the boat is soon accentuated by the anxiety of how to deal with it! Thankfully in this case, QCL Dock Manager Ryan Ashton was in the area and jumped aboard to help out. Sometimes the fish cooperates and a quick measurement is possible before an uneventful release. Not this time. They did manage to come up with a length of about 60-inches and they were able to remove the hook from the giant’s lip – but at a price! Getting up close and personal to attend to business got Ryan well doused, repeatedly, and he returned to the lodge completely soaked, eager for a warm shower! But the estimated 109-pounder was safely back on the bottom and Sharon & Ward had to drop down and try again for the perfect take home model. Great job – well done!

The life of a fishing guide in Haida Gwaii is pretty great! But it’s been an absolute pleasure to be fishing up here the past couple days. The weekend was filled with lots of fish and the most picture perfect water you could imagine. That magic combination makes everyone enjoy their time up here that much more.

My guests were Jonathan and his 80-year old father Mike. Jonathan has fished with us many times and he brought his Dad up here for the first time. Over the course of the weekend Mike often said, “Wow am I ever lucky to experience this!” With consistent action offshore fishing for Chinook, coho and halibut there was no break on the rods. Whales, porpoises, birds everywhere… it was a fisherman’s dream. “The seas are as lively as I have ever seen them in the past several years,” I told them.

On the first day the fishing inshore was a little slow. So we ran out to 250 feet of water to try our luck there. Within minutes we were getting bites, but nothing was sticking for Mike. As a kid back in Ontario, he would cast with spoons in the lakes. He asked if I had any spoons he could try out here for salmon. I grabbed a little silver 4-inch Coyote spoon and threw that down. Within minutes Mike hooked up to a nice Chinook. It was a spunky fish and he fought it for around 15 minutes. Mike did a great job and was pretty pumped when it was finally in the net. Later when we arrived at the Bell Ringer it weighed in at 24 pounds. Needless to say we ran that spoon the rest of the trip! We joked all weekend that Mike was our lucky charm and I was pleased that he and Jonathan were having such a good time.

At the end of the trip we all were just thankful for the fantastic water, fishing, and good times that were shared. Trips like this are the reason I love my job… nothing but smiles.

Cole Guolo

It is the last day of June in Haida Gwaii. The morning sun is peeking through broken clouds and lighting up the glassy water while eagles call from the shore. The smell of fresh sea air wakes my excitement for another day of chasing trophy salmon in the most beautiful place on earth. After getting a full box of Coho and nice mid-sized Springs offshore on Day One, we are in a good spot to take a gamble and spend a day fishing in tight to shore, looking for a big one. And that’s what we decide to do.

My guests, Matthew and Daibidh and I are alive with anticipation when we drop in at Parker Point an hour before the morning tide; everything is setting up perfectly. After 5 hours without a touch I am starting to second guess whether we picked the right spot but we are determined to stick with the plan and stay optimistic. Then finally, after 6 hours, things start to pick up. So we work the east bay with a newfound enthusiasm and our luck really starts to change. On our next pass the inside rod goes off and Daibidh is into a good one! After the second tide comes to an end our work seems to have paid off and we are high fiving over two beautiful fish, a 23 and a 25 lb Chinook. But we decide to take one last lap to see if we can’t still find that monster we are really after, and then it all happens. Ten hours after we first set our gear the outside rod buckles and the reel starts to burn. “That’s the one!” I shout and start clearing the lines as Matthew takes the rod and the fish keeps accelerating towards Alaska. After the most nerve-racking 30 minutes we are marveling at a magnificent 32 lb Tyee Chinook, a real trophy! We take a few moments to take in its beauty as it regains its strength and then watch it swim off back into the depths. What a perfect way to end the day. There is no better feeling than to be rewarded for a hard day’s work. The level of excitement on the boat is unreal as we head back to the Bell Ringer, this was the perfect end to another amazing month in heaven!

Tristan “Youngblood”

Older Posts

Bell Ringer Report

It’s a Guide’s Life – July 27th

Kingfisher Report for July 24th

It’s a Guide’s Life – Family Time

It’s a Guide’s Life – July 17th

It’s a Guide’s Life – July 14th

Look what came in the mail today!

Kingfisher Report – July 11th

It’s a Guide’s Life – July 10th

It’s a Guide’s Life – July 1st

Happy Holidays!

QCL Signatures Series | Tom Yum Baked Lingcod

QCL Signatures Series | Seared Scallops with Romesco

Thank You | QCL Crew

A Wrap on 2024