Last weekend’s trip carried on with a most excellent finish on Sunday. Light winds out of the northwest provided perfect conditions and the fish certainly cooperated.  The Tyee bell was pretty noisy Sunday evening with over a dozen big fish making an appearance at the weigh station.  Shawn Tracy enjoyed a fairly good day on the water, teaming up a 40 lb. halibut and a 49 lb. Chinook!  That’s a day he’ll not soon forget!   Dean Melnyk impressed with a max-sized 72 lb. halibut.  But the big stories were the fish that didn’t come to the dock!

Kirk Cottrell, with his guide Mike Langley, released his second big Tyee of the trip, this one taping out to 39 lb. Up at Klashwun Point Dan McHugh was fishing with guide Andrew Simpson where they spent some quality time with a big Chinook that they measured out to 52 pounds before releasing it.  Great job guys!  Veteran QCL angler Julian Mannix shared a similar experience with an even bigger fish while fishing with his Mom and QCL guide Oliver Massey.  Julian landed a stunning chrome Tyee that taped out to 54 pounds, a new personal best for angler and guide alike.  Well done and congratulations!

Bird Two continues to produce some of the best opportunities on the coast for giant Chinook salmon, as Phil Goldsney discovered midday on Sunday.  Making the turn around the famous kelp hump on the corner of B2, guide Ryan Winger put the right bait in just the right place and Phil was ready when the big bang happened.  The 30-minute fight carried them offshore away from the safety of the kelp and when Ryan finally got the big salmon in the net they quickly did their measurements and grabbed a few photos.  The release went exceptionally well and the giant swam away from their Grady with ease.  At 58 pounds Phil’s big beauty capped off a stellar weekend of incredible salmon adventure at QCL Haida Gwaii.  A special thanks goes out to all these anglers who, without a second thought, chose to let these amazing big fish go in the hope that they will find their way safely to spawn in their natal streams, hundreds of kilometers away.