Queen Charlotte Lodge Archives - Page 6 of 24

What Does Guiding Mean to Me?

Now in my early 60’s, I can honestly say I have almost seen it all on the water. Starting as a guide in Campbell River when I was 13 in the early 70’s until today guiding at QCL when I get the chance, I can see how much things have changed. And for the better I might add!!

As a guide you are a jack of all trades. First, but not most importantly, you know how to fish. The mechanics, the theories, and the techniques. When I was a young guide, that was all there was. Use your skill to catch as many, and as big a fish as possible. Make yourself look good and beware to the guest that lost the big one or could not learn how to set the hook! Looking back now, it was all about the guide and not the guest.

Thankfully that is changing. A great guide asks more and talks less. He finds out what a guest wants out of their experience and then strives to match that expectation. A guide becomes a teacher and instructs as much or as little as the guest wants. A guide does not yell at or intimidate his guests. If he does, he leaves the rest of the day with the guest feeling uneasy, inadequate, paranoid or just sad or angry. None of these emotions are conducive to a fun environment on the boat. The magic is quickly lost and it is oh so difficult to find again.

If the highlight of the trip is to see a Humpback or Killer Whale and the guide ignores the Fishmaster or another guide when they see whales, and doesn’t offer to take the guests to catch a glimpse, then the guide is not doing his job. There is lots of time to fish and to miss maybe that one chance is almost unforgiveable. The great guides know what is important and how to deliver. Throughout the day the guide effortlessly applies his fishing skills and simultaneously looks for any and all things that he can add to the day to increase guest’s enjoyment. It could be a bit of Haida history and culture, pointing out a jellyfish, or explaining how a halibut’s eye moves across their body as they grow. (They really do!) Each one is a little thing, but taken as a whole, so much is added to the day.

To work at QCL as Vice President Sales is extremely rewarding. But to spend a few days on the water and have the opportunity to reconnect to my guiding roots is the highlight each summer. You can never get too much of watching a person catch their first or biggest salmon, see something that Mother Nature has on display each day in Haida Gwaii, or simply know that you have made someone’s day. As a guide you get to do that. I guess I have the best job in the world. Fun to think of one’s self as the Old Man and the Sea and watch the guiding profession at QCL transitioning to what guiding should all be about.

Brian Clive

Two weeks of steady, moderate and predictable northwesterly weather has been an unusual treat up here! Looking ahead, it appears that we’ll see light variable winds start on Tuesday and carry on towards the weekend. The good weather has provided consistent fishing throughout the grounds with abundant salmon in a mix of all 5 species. Anglers are enjoying lots of action, often provided by scrappy 10-12 pound Chinooks, 5-9 pound Cohos and Chum, and large, hungry Pink salmon! The larger Chinooks are there and we’re getting the occasional Tyee but anglers are thrilled to see one of those 20-plus beauties alongside the boat! Productive Chinook fishing has been around the usual haunts between Cape Naden, Parker Point, Bird 2, Yatze and Green Point. We’ve been able to fish the east side comfortably on the morning flood tides and Cape Edenshaw has produced its share of nice Spring salmon on most mornings.

The offshore jigging action has been equally reliable with great results for both halibut and lingcod. Many anglers are enjoying the ability to retain two halibut in one day; a couple of teen-sized fish provide lots of beautiful 1-pound portion-pacs to enjoy with friends and family. But quite a few guests are finding one of those “overs” (20-70 lb) and happily settle for just one. Our portion packing service sure comes in handy to preserve all of your precious catch right through to next year. (if you can resist eating it all up sooner!)And while you’re out there on the hunt for your big catch, you just never know who you might bump into! QCL guests especially enjoy the almost constant presence of so much wildlife in the area. Humpback whales, in particular, are feeding constantly in the same waters where we fish and frequently come around the boats, bringing thrills and chills to excited anglers!

We hope that your Canada Day was as fantastic as ours was up here at the lodge! We welcomed an excited new group of guests on Friday morning and they enjoyed a productive day of fishing in glorious sunshine here in Haida Gwaii… it felt like July! (in a 13-degree C kind of way!)

Last night we all joined in a rousing rendition of Oh Canada in the dining room around 9:00… but then we had to persuade everyone to stay up until it was dark enough to launch the fireworks! That finally came at 11:15… but it was worth the wait and our Operations Team did a great job of delivering an authentic Canada Day display for all of us! And today… another beauty!

It’s hard to believe… but June is almost over! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, with full house trips right off the bat and a “green but keen” new crew to bring up to speed in a hurry. But we have to say, it’s been a great start to the season with tons of memorable experiences and stories being created.

We’ve seen an unusually solid streak of moderate northwesterly weather in the latter half of this month, bringing lots of sunshine, but still cool temperatures. Fishing in general had a slower start with delayed spring runoff from the mainland river systems and cold water, but by mid-June the migratory salmon were showing up in numbers and we’ve been catching all 5 salmon species ever since. Lots of teen-sized Chinooks have dominated the catch and we’re seeing more 20-plus fish and Tyees reported every day. Mark N boated a nice 32-pounder on the weekend with guide Nick R and Daniel T had an awesome trip, combining a 30-pound Chinook with a 32-pound lingcod! Most anglers are going home with several “other” salmon, mostly a tasty combination of Coho and Pinks these days.

Our bottom fishing has always been outstanding out on the grounds with anglers’ favourite spots marked at depths from 175 to 325 feet! But some know there are places where, at the right stage of the tide, large halibut are regularly caught in as little as 30-feet of water! Just ask Brian M who boated a 49-pounder just a few minutes from the lodge or Desmond F who pulled a 55-pound halibut right out from beneath the Driftwood at Bird 2! Sometimes in life, an in fishing, it helps to think outside the box! Good work guys!

There are a lot of important qualities involved in being a successful angler, and among some of the most important are patience and positivity. I maintain the belief that fish will only bite hooks that are attached to a vessel with positive attitudes on board, and if you ever fish with me then you will probably hear me say that at least once or twice throughout the trip.

Fishing isn’t always easy; it can often test us. We all love those days where you can barely even sink a line to 45 feet without a Chinook ripping it off the clip on the way down! On those days positivity is easily achieved! The thing is, in order to reach those action-packed days an angler may need to work through some days that are not so action-packed. Fishing can be slow, but to be successful on those slower days patience and positivity are needed. There could be torrential rain, big winds, and kelp as far as the eye can see, but if you possess a positive mindset and believe that if you keep working your tacks effectively and roll some tight ‘chovies or mean cut-plugs then results will eventually come your way.

A bite can turn on like a flick of a switch. One simple switch from an ebb to a flood, or a slight change in water depth, gear colours, or maybe even a switch from country radio to classic rock. Sometimes just cracking open an ice-cold silver bullet could bring an angler the bite they’ve been searching for all morning! They just have to believe that it will happen. Hope, visualize, and work hard to make it a reality. Patience will be rewarded in some way, shape, or form and positivity will help those rewards flourish. I guarantee it.

Tight lines and good luck out there!

Braeden “Bhard” Hardie

Light winds from the west and a generous dose of sunshine really delivered some summer vibes for our guests this week. It certainly helped that the fish were around, and everybody had their chances at some really nice salmon and groundfish. The average Chinooks are still in the low to mid-teens but we’re definitely seeing more fish in the twenty-plus class and the Tyee Bell gets to sing most every night for some of those larger salmon, halibut and lingcod. This week we saw all five salmon species on the dock which is always a good sign of things to come. Some of the outstanding catches were 33-pound Chinooks for Andy B (guide Alex) and Paul C (with guide Anton) last trip. While there were no giant halibut released last week, QCL anglers managed to find lots of keepers in both the “under” (<90 cm) and “over” (90-133 cm) classes. Several anglers found impressive fish between 30 and 46 pounds, which always draw some attention at the Bell Ringer.

The weekend saw some blustery northwesterlies on Saturday but the salmon really seemed to like it… because the action from Klashwun Point down to Parker was very good on the ebb tide. Solid numbers of teen-sized Chinooks were taken, with a surprising number of Coho, Chum and Pink salmon mixed in. Curtis L landed a fine 31-pound Tyee with his buds and veteran QCL guide Derek P in those lumpy seas on Saturday so he’s got a great story to tell! Sunday flattened right out to pancake seas for Father’s Day and we scattered over the whole fishing grounds to pick up limits of halibut and lingcod. Jim M released a big halibut that taped out to 180-pounds & Brian H turned back a 92. First time angler Erin R battled her first halibut, which just happened to be an 82-pounder (Wow!) and veteran QCL guest Dana B released a 77. This week is shaping up nicely with a busy Bell Ringer last night, celebrating several nice halibut and lingcod in the 25 to 40-pound class. While we didn’t see a Tyee Chinook yesterday there were several in the mid-twenties so we’ll see what today’s effort brings! We’ve got light to moderate northwesterlies all week with daily doses of sunshine, so everyone is enjoying beautiful Haida Gwaii weather through the weekend.

One of the more common questions I get asked by my guests during trips is how I got into fishing and more so, how I got into guiding. For me it’s a two-part answer that blends into one.

From a very early age, before I can remember, my parents always spent time taking my two older brothers and myself on camping and outdoor trips that always had river, lake or ocean fishing involved. This set me on a course to always have a passion and love for the outdoors, nature, fishing, and everything in between.

My Dad spent a lot of his life ocean fishing around Vancouver Island and as I got older, into my late teens, I knew I wanted to spend a lot more of my time ocean fishing as well. In a way I was following in his footsteps but in a more professional and serious manner. That’s what led me to be a fishing guide in Haida Gwaii at QCL.

This past week I was fortunate enough to have my Mom and Dad visit QCL for the first time for a fishing trip, a 4-day trip guided by me! I was able to show them, more than ever before, my passion for the outdoors and for fishing, as they had done for me in my early years.

Fishing has a unique way to create a bond between fathers and sons, mothers, daughters, grandparents, siblings, friends and really, everyone. I hope all of you who enjoy fishing, regardless of type or level of ability, are able to spend time with someone that you care about this Father’s Day weekend, enjoying the outdoors, as I was able to do this past week.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father figures out there. Happy Father’s Day Dad…Thank you. Love you always.

Jeff “Smirf” Smirfitt

After what felt like the longest wait ever… we were absolutely thrilled to welcome our first QCL guests of the 2022 season on Friday. And it felt so good! While every guest who popped out of a helicopter was wearing a mask, once they took it off, the smiles were a mile wide. Many of our guests this season booked their trip in the summer of 2019! And finally, they’re here.
An awesome crew of talented and enthusiastic staff have just come through training week with flying colours and they’re looking forward to the next 100 days, working together here in Naden Harbour.

Our first group of guests found pretty typical early season angling with good numbers of teen-sized Chinook salmon sprinkled with a bunch of twenty-somethings to keep them on their toes. Our first Tyee of the summer arrived on the dock on Day One when Fred M and his guide Gerritt put a 31-pounder on the scale. While effort was well distributed around the fishing grounds, Cape Edenshaw was where we found most of the action on the weekend. Early season halibut are commonly found in close to the kelp and this May weekend was no different with several nice flatties picked up while trolling bait close to shore. But we did see quite a few come in from the usual haunts, with some larger-sized fish among them. Top “keepers” were a 37 for David R, a 39 for Patrick M and an impressive 63-pounder for Myles M! Of course, there are always halibut out there that are just too big to keep! Michael J released a 73-pounder on Friday, Lauren D turned back a 92 on Sunday and Carole T battled a “barn-door” halibut that taped out to 180 cm for a score of 188 pounds! Those are some impressive fish for sure! Well done!

Our culinary team under the direction of Chef Chris Green have outdone themselves once again this season with exciting new menus in the Main Lodge dining room as well as in the Totem House and Charlotte House. First impressions have been awesome so our guests should look forward to memorable dining to compliment their incredible experiences out on the water this summer!

We hope you enjoy the 2022 edition of the QCL Desktop Calendar. It’s sized at 2560 px by 1440 px so it’ll look stunning on your computer desktop or on your HDTV.

This special selection of images is set up as monthly calendars for your computer desktop.
They’re easy to download from our QCL Flickr page and we hope you use them them all year long!