Fishing Reports & Fish Stories For Haida Gwaii

And just like that, we’ve had another trip of first class fishing.

While salmon fishing the past week has continued to be consistent, we’ve seen success throughout our fishing grounds. Fish have been found at Green Point, all the way east to Cape Edenshaw. Weather has been the primary factor when choosing a spot, which we will see continue into the next week. Although fishing has been quite good throughout the day, the mornings have been noticeably more productive. If you’re not afraid of an early start, some incredible Chinook action has been found just as the sun has been rising. Enjoy the sunrise and the reason we are all here – tight lines!

Anglers have seen success with anchovies producing nice fish, likely due to the abundance of needlefish and sandlance spread throughout the grounds. If you find one of these bait balls, spend some time trolling anchovies and skinny G style spoons over top of it. No need to fish too deep, 27-37 feet has been the sweet spot.

The bell continues to ring as Tyees find their way onto lines and into nets. This weekend we saw a 39-pound Chinook for our young guest, Freddie M! Congratulations Freddie, what a thrill – Thanks for letting that big one go!

When it comes to bottom fishing, the big tides have created less than ideal conditions, but if timed properly at either end of slack, bottom can be found with not too much back trolling required. The flood tide has seemed to be most productive for halibut and lingcod. A herring tipped mud racker is all you’ll need to hook either.

Lead Guide, Jake Comrie

A spell of classic Northwesterly weather last week certainly brought sunny skies and some “busy water” down from Shag Rock, but along with it came a noticeable change in our fishery. That “change for the good” was defined by greater abundance of migratory salmon in the twenty-plus class and an increase in the Tyee count throughout the fishing grounds. Our guests this past weekend enjoyed some intense salmon action inshore, in the early hours of the morning ebb tide. From Yatze down to Cape Naden, double-headers were common with a healthy mix of teen-sized Chinooks, 5 to 7 lb Coho and enough larger Chinooks to deliver a major surprise every half hour or so! The Tyee Bell has been tolling nightly for notably large salmon, some coming to the scale and some caught and released. The largest salmon on the dock this weekend was a 35-pound beauty for Laura P, fishing with friends on the 89 with veteran guide Braeden H. Michael F and Darren S each boated 34-pounders last trip while Michael M released a 31 and Ray P sent back a big chrome buck that taped out to 35 pounds. Great work!

A huge highlight of the weekend trip was the arrival of our first 50-plus Tyee of the season! Fishing the famous kelp bed off Yatze with Robbie C at the helm, angler Andrew A battled a stunning big Chinook for 20 minutes before Rob slipped the net under it. A quick measurement and careful revival saw this amazing fish return to the safety of the kelp… having taped out to 52 pounds! It’s nice to see those giants returned to the water in hope that they will find their way to the river this summer! Congratulations Andrew! Well done!

The offshore fishery may have seemed a little slow from the start this summer, but recent catches have proven that all is well on the hali-grounds! All the favourite benches and pinnacles are producing excellent results for anglers in search of tasty halibut and lingcod. Finding the bottom on the ideal stage of the tide is an art that all guides work hard to perfect, and the rewards are certainly worth the effort. So far this season QCL anglers are finding good success with consistent catches of keeper-sized halibut from 15 to 50 pounds. But there are those who go offshore to the deep, hoping to feel the weight of something bigger! They were well rewarded this week with some seriously large fish! Brad G started it off on Wednesday with a “barn door” that taped out to 75 inches or 224 pounds! On Saturday Wayne B and Dan T tag-teamed to haul up its twin, also in the 75-inch class! And yesterday Matt L got his annual halibut workout, doing the tug-of-war with yet another halibut in the range of 76-inches! Admittedly, seeing these giants alongside the boat is most impressive, but what a lot of work! Congrats guys! It’s a good thing our massage team at the Twin Creek Spa are here to help you recover!

Until next week, Fishmaster

Waking up to the vibrant sunrise in Naden Harbour always ensures the day starts out just right. As you pass through the Narrows, on your way to the fishing grounds, you might see a Humpback feeding or playing in the nearby shallows. An assortment of sea birds fly past the boat as you run towards your desired destination to begin your fishing adventure.

Over the past few days, we’ve seen a northwest wind causing a slight delay in travel time. While your day takes a bit longer to start, we haven’t seen any guests deterred because the fish are here! There has been bait pushed inshore from the sustained wind and the fish have followed suit. Getting your second rod into the water can be difficult before the first rod gets a fish on – A great problem to have! We are seeing a lot of fish in the 10-12 pound range, but don’t let them fool you, they will take you for a ride as smaller fish are fresh and fight much harder than you might expect.

Spend time playing and you’re very likely to get into a larger chinook. In the span of 90 minutes today there were 7 Chinook over 25 pounds caught between Yatze Bay and Parker Point, including a minimum of four Tyees.

Despite having two pods of Orcas joining in on the feeding frenzy, the fishing was incredible. If Coho is your focus, head out slightly offshore and drift east, you should find them midway through the water column. The halibut grounds were choppy, but if you stick it out through the run out there and drop some lines to bounce the bottom, they are more than willing to take your herring, after which you’ve got the task of hauling up a piece of plywood off of the bottom of the ocean!

After a full day out on the water, exhausted from fighting fish all day, relax, and enjoy the ride back to the lodge, waving at the other anglers as you pass them by, toss a wave at the whale near the narrows too as Timmy the humpback is often there. Pull up to the dock and look forward to a mean Margarita in the Bellringer as you wait to weigh your catch of the day!

Another trip of great fishing is in the books!

Guide, Tommy G

At QCL, we spare no expense when it comes to providing our esteemed guests with the finest fishing experience. We understand that exceptional equipment is the key to a successful and enjoyable fishing trip. Therefore, we have curated a collection of premium fishing tackle, rods, reels, and rain gear to ensure that every angler is equipped with the best tools available.

When it comes to fishing tackle, we believe in nothing but the highest quality. Our tackle is sourced from renowned manufacturers who have a reputation for crafting top-of-the-line equipment. We offer a wide selection of lures, bait, hooks, lines, and other essential accessories that cater to various fishing techniques and preferences. Whether you are a seasoned angler or a beginner, we have the right tackle to suit your needs and enhance your chances of landing that prized salmon.

Our fishing rods are custom made for QCL to provide the perfect blend of strength, sensitivity, and flexibility. We understand that different fishing conditions require different rod characteristics. We offer a range of rod options, from lightweight casting models for inshore fishing along the kelp beds, to mooching & trolling rods for battling salmon. QCL also supplies powerful bottom fishing rods with backbone, but also flexibility, to take on our famous halibut. Our rods are constructed from high-quality materials, ensuring durability and optimal performance.

To complement our top-notch rods, we supply our guests with the best salmon fishing reel available – the Islander MR3. These reels are designed with precision engineering and cutting-edge technology to provide smooth and reliable operation. Islander reels are known for their exceptional drag systems, allowing you to effortlessly control the line tension during the fight with a salmon, helping to ensure a successful catch.

As weather conditions can be unpredictable in Haida Gwaii, we ensure that our guests are well-prepared with high-quality rain gear. We understand the importance of staying dry and comfortable during a fishing expedition, and that’s why we provide top-of-the-line waterproof jackets, pants, and boots. Partnering with Grundens to design custom equipment, our rain gear is made from advanced materials that are fully waterproof, allowing you to stay protected from the elements without compromising on comfort. To keep your feet warm, dry and very comfortable, we have chosen Bogs boots as our supplier for footwear. We also provide a custom QCL hat to ensure that you are fully equipped for any weather conditions.

In addition to the premium fishing equipment, we offer a range of standard extras on board the boats to further enhance your fishing experience. These include cutting edge Lowrance fish finders with GPS and marine stereos with Sirius satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity. For safety, boats are also equipped with VHF marine radios and AIS systems.

At QCL, we believe that every detail matters, and providing our guests with the best equipment is an essential part of our commitment to excellence. We want you to have an unforgettable fishing adventure, and with our top-tier equipment, you can be confident in your ability to hook, fight, and land your prized catch. So, come and indulge yourself in the ultimate fishing experience at QCL, and experience fishing, first class!

In true Haida Gwaii fashion, the North coast has seen some diverse weather and fishing conditions throughout the past few days!

We saw South Easterly winds to a Northwest only hours apart. Through these conditions, anglers have seen great success out on the fishing grounds. Bigger Chinook have started to roll through and Coho are plentiful right now. The salmon have not been to picky either, eating everything from anchovies to hardware.

Personally, I’ve been fishing mostly from Parker Point to Green Point, having great results with plenty of fish. Over the next couple of days we are expecting a semi-heavy westerly wind, which I am thinking is going to make the salmon fishing even better.

Bottom fishing has been great recently, with the offshore fishery heating up with both numbers and size. We’ve seen many oversized halibut being caught and released, as well as an increase in lingcod. If you read last week’s Kingfisher Report from the Fishmaster, we had a massive halibut caught trolling by Eagle Rock on an anchovy, weighing an approximate 250lbs! The past trip continues to display a halibut trend, ranging in size, and many boats hooking up while trolling close to bottom without even leaving the hot salmon zones.

We have experienced loads of different wildlife; orcas breaching, eagles swarming bait balls on the surface and humpbacks popping up all day long. There have also been many salmon feeding on bait balls close to the surface, some even going airborne to get their fill of needlefish!

It’s been action-packed on the water throughout Trip 11!

Guide, Ryan Green

I really do have the best job in the world.

As the Vice President of Sales and Corporate Relations for Queen Charlotte Lodge, I get to do some incredible things.

Every year has its cycle and rhythm. In the fall, after a busy summer, the Lodge is put away for the winter and our team of Sales Executives begin the huge task of selling the next season. Reaching out to potential guests to gauge their interest in hopes we can introduce them to the QCL Experience; and reaching out to previous guests to secure their spot for the upcoming year. Throughout this process, we get to hear our guests’ stories from past trips and their excitement for the next. We strive to curate exceptional memories, and hearing about them firsthand is one of my favourite things about the off-season.

It truly is the best feeling to be able to introduce or reintroduce guests to QCL, and to describe to them the first class experience they are about to have; only to have them come back after their trip to tell us we undersold the adventure and what an unforgettable time they had.

The work put in behind the scenes is nothing compared to the on-season component. Having the opportunity to create, firsthand, those special moments at the Lodge, is what makes my job the best. I leave our offices in Richmond, and head North to the Lodge spending about 40 days on property each season. The first visit is to assist in guide training. While I work in sales, my passion for fishing has developed over the 51 years of on-water experience, and I aim to share the knowledge I’ve gained with our team. After that comes the season itself. A wild, organized, all hands on deck, 120 day period. I have made so many friends over the years and to share the joy of fishing in beautiful Haida Gwaii, there truly is no job that quite compares.

Seeing the awe in the faces of our guests as they arrive onsite, the friendships made and sharing the joy of fishing in such an incredible corner of the world are all parts of what makes my job the best. QCL is a magical place. I am grateful to be involved in such an operation, to experience the best job in the world. Come on up and see what I mean!

Brian Clive

So far there are few surprises with our early season fishing. As you would expect this time of year, the fishing grounds are flush with large numbers of aggressive feeder Springs. These are not the migratory spawners that we see through much of the summer but young fish in their ocean phase, bulking up on the incredible shoals of needlefish and herring in these northern waters. There certainly is a lot of bait around, evidenced by multiple Humpbacks feeding in the area. There’s lots of amazing eagle action; we’re sometimes seeing dozens of eagles circling over boiling bait balls, swooping down in turn to grab fistfuls of wriggling needlefish and eating them in mid-air. It’s really quite a spectacle. The shallow basin that is Virago Sound is especially productive for needlefish or Pacific Sand Lance. This year they seem to be especially abundant and all of their predators know it!

Salmon action in the past week has been consistent throughout the fishing grounds. Anglers are finding no shortage of feisty, teen-sized Chinook salmon and occasionally they get a surprise when a 20-plus pounder goes screaming off the rigger. It’s great to find relatively steady salmon action with a good shot at a bigger fish at any time. Plus, we’re already seeing several Coho, Chum and Pink salmon in the catch log every day.

QCL anglers are still encountering halibut while trolling inshore, sometimes huge ones! Over the weekend there were several flatties boated around Capes Naden and Edenshaw. Long time QCL guest FJ certainly got more than he bargained for while trolling an anchovy along the shoreline from Eagle Rock to Green Point with his guide Jon Landry. What certainly felt, initially, like a big strong salmon went screaming down the shoreline in 75 feet of water. By the time FJ and Jon were able to get the boat over it they sure knew why this fish could pretty much do what it wanted! A massive halibut lie alongside the Grady and they called the Fishmaster for assistance. Using a salmon rod as a yardstick, they concluded FJ’s catch was a 78-inch halibut! That works out to about 254 pounds – caught on a salmon rod with and anchovy! So we continue to be in awe of the wonders of these amazing waters – You just never know what could happen next!

We’re experiencing some classic northwesterly conditions this week with our anglers fishing the west side below Klashwun Point. Last week’s big tides are easing and after today we’ll enjoy light to moderate west to southwest conditions, providing easy access to the full fishing grounds. Look for more news from the offshore fishery in the next report!

Fishmaster

This past trip was distinguished by four excellent weather days with calm seas, two full days of sunny skies, and no precipitation – Haida Gwaii summer vibes all around! Fishing was good overall with most guests picking up their limit of Chinooks and most had two halibut plus some assorted bottomfish.

Halibut fishing is also heating up and while much of our halibut are caught inshore at present, the favourite offshore haunts are starting to produce predictably. FJ H released a 74-inch halibut (215 pounds), caught on salmon gear while trolling towards Green Point with guide Johnny Moonshine! James F released a 120lbs halibut and Lorne released a 65!

Salmon fishing inshore was well distributed from Cape Edenshaw and Cape Naden, around Bird 2 and Parker Pt., all the way through Yatze and Klashwun Point, and out to Green – all sections producing. Chinook action seemed most productive at Cape Edenshaw, Green Pt., Bird 2 and Eagle Rock.

We’ve also seen several Coho, Chum and Pink hit the dock – All found offshort at 35-50ft depths.

The Kingfisher Derby weekend is officially here and with over $90,000 in prize money up for grabs and the , we’re in for an exciting for few days! Best of luck to all Derby participants!

Step into an angler’s paradise, where the past week has been filled with excitement and bountiful catch. This past weekend saw mild mixed skies, and light rain.

Salmon fishing has been consistently impressive throughout the grounds. These days, in the early season, we commonly see lots of “feeder Springs” – powerful fighters and aggressive feeders, they’re generally in the mid-teen range.

Some of the standout spots for salmon fishing as of late have been Cape Edenshaw, Cape Naden and Bird 2, particularly during the morning ebb tide. Anglers have witnessed an influx of salmon, drawn by the abundance of baitfish.

Bottom fishing has been equally rewarding, and this past trip saw several good halibut releases! Jennifer D 50lbs, Candice W 65lbs and Andrew S 46lbs. Dan M, fishing with Scott R and QCL guide “Smurf”, was awarded the full set of halibut pins on Sunday night with 100lbs & 70lbs releases before boating a 47-pounder to keep – earning bronze, silver & gold pins! Congratulations everyone!

Looking at the week ahead we’ve got a mixed bag of weather in the forecast, winds west to southwest to northwest. Large tides with 7-to-17 foot swings daily.

Monday | LOW 9:08 am / 1.1 ft. | HIGH 3:39 pm / 15.2 ft

Tuesday | LOW 9:54 am / 1.2 ft. | HIGH 4:27 pm / 15.1 ft

Wednesday | LOW 10:43 am / 1.6 ft. | HIGH. 5:17 pm / 14.9 ft

Thursday | LOW 11:34 am / 2.3 ft. | HIGH 6:12 pm / 14.8 ft

We’re almost a full week into the new season and things are ticking right along. Our crew has settled in and the 2023 summer is off to a perfect start.

Typical island weather has provided the full range of conditions, often all in one day! Beautiful sunshine, grey and wet, dramatic and flat… we’ve seen it all, but have had no big winds and very comfortable seas. The whole of the fishing grounds has been open and we’ve been exploring most of it!

Early season fishing has really been very good. While our guests and guides all have their favourite spots, this week we’ve focused a lot on Cape Edenshaw, Cape Naden and Bird Rock 2. There’s been a ton of bait around since mid-May with so many whales, eagles and seabirds gorging themselves continuously. It’s mostly needlefish and we’re finding plenty of feeder Chinook pushing that bait around and stirring things up. The tides have been moderate with only 5 to 9 foot swings so the bite tends to last longer when everything sets up.

Chinook salmon ranging from 12-18 pounds are most plentiful, though we’re seeing fish over 20 pounds every day and we’ve had the Tyee bell ringing a few times this week. Last weekend, Driftwood guest Todd M was fishing solo off Cape Naden and boated a beautiful 37-pounder. Sam and Alana G are fishing with QCL guide Seb this week and have 21, 26 and 31 pound Chinooks on their cards so far. Jose C boated a 27 and Matt F found a 29-pounder on Tuesday. On Wednesday John S joined the Tyee Club with a nice 30 lb Chinook, fishing with guide Jeff G. First thing Wednesday morning, Dan K was fishing off the point at Bird 2 and found a salmon that seriously tested his fishing skills before he managed to get the net under it. The big, bronze-coloured male was quickly taped out to 42-pounds, and Dan was mighty proud when he felt that big Tyee swim out of his grip with strong sweeps of its tail! It’s nice to see those amazing big fish continue their journey back to the river.

Halibut fishing in early season often requires a bit of guesswork! We generally find a lot of halibut move inshore in May to feed on needlefish and crab larvae but return to deeper haunts by mid-June. It’s quite common for QCL anglers to pick up their halibut limit while they’re trolling for salmon! In that mix we’ll see some larger fish and this week Arnold A boated a 30-pounder, Ron C kept a 31 while Drew B hooked a 36 and Glorija T boated a 46-pound halibut.

Prospects for the weekend trip are looking great with light winds out of the south and west with continuation of these really mixed up skies! Tide range will continue to grow through Saturday’s full moon and peak on Monday with a 17-foot swing. Hang on!

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