North Island Lodge Fishing Reports

2016 Ultimate Grill Showdown

June 7, 2016 | 2385 Views

Day 1 – Monday May 30th

We departed from Vancouver under clear skies and arrived in true west coast fashion with an overcast day with light showers in Masset. After a great arrival meal by Executive Chef Liam Paul and his crew, the majority of the guests headed out to chase the 2:30 tide at Lacy. It was a slower day with most guests having to work hard for their bites, but there were some nice fish caught. Andy Annat who came all the way across the Pond from Jolly Old England lead the pack with his first ever Salmon and biggest on the day for NIL with a 21 pounder caught with guide Jacob Brunelle. Greg Cosway also caught his first fish of the trip – a 16lb Spring out of Bruin Bay on a beautiful calm afternoon on the inside pass. There were also a lot of nice bi-catch Hali’s caught on the day all on Salmon gear with Ted Reader leading the pack with a 70lb release, followed by Deep Water Don with a 47 pounder, Andy Annat with a 40, and Chris Gordon with a 37. With rumblings of bigger fish being caught by a few Clubhouse guests and in greater numbers offshore McPherson, the guests of the Ultimate Grill Showdown are ready and excited for the fishing and what Park Heffelfinger has in store for his cooking debut on day 2.

* Ted Reader and Andy Annat with a 40lb Hali and 21lb opening day Chinook.

* Greg Cosway with a 16lb Chinook.

* Calm end to opening day at North Island Lodge.

* Dinner with a view – Bon Appetit!

Day 2 – Tuesday May 31st

Day 2 started with overcast skies and winds keeping most of the guests off the east side. The biggest Salmon of the trip so far was caught by first time NIL guest Jerry Leonard off of Lacy island with guide DJ – a 27lb Chinook on a 602 plug. Salmon weren’t too easy to come by today, but Rod Clapton and Harvey Wiens pulled out a couple and had a great afternoon bringing back a 22lb and 17lb Chinook each. It was a big day for young Ben Jones, here with his grandfather from Arizona, that caught a 55lb Hali at 55 feet on a Salmon Rod at the fish bowl on Salmon gear. Congrats Ben!

* Jeff Larmar with his father Jerry Leonard and his 27lb Chinook.

Lunch Day 2:

Lots to report on the food front as it was Park Heffelfinger and his lovely wife Charmaine’s day to man the Yoder Smoker and Napoleon Grill. They didn’t disappoint and grilled up some delicious barbeque items for our guests. First up for lunch were Porcetta sandwiches with chimichurri and pork cracklings on a ciabatta bun with French fries and Memphis creamy slaw.

* Park explaining how the Porcetta is rolled.

* Needless to say all of the guests came back for lunch!

* Close up deliciousness.

* Park, Liam and Charmaine with the featured lunch on Day 2.

* One more shot for good measure.

Dinner Day 2:

They followed lunch up with a dinner that knocked it out of the “park”- Memphis style St. Louis and baby back ribs with jalapeno bacon corn bread, twice baked potatoes, and asparagus with smoked butter hollandaise. Followed up with buttermilk pie with a strawberry rhubarb compote for desert.

*Park with the ribs ready to hit the Yoder Smoker.

*The Yoder fully loaded.

* Park taking the baby backs off the flaming Napoleon grill.

* Appetizer: Smoked candied Salmon served with a view.

* Plating being finalized as the ribs are finished off with a cherry demi glaze.

* As Ted Reader says, “It be tasty!”

* Time for your closeup! What a start to the Ultimate Grill Showdown!

Day 3 – Wednesday June 1

Waking up and looking out the window at reasonably light skies and calm water, I knew today would be a great day. The morning bite was the best we had seen on the east side as boats were spread out from Cohoe to Andrews and catching the elusive chrome fish we have been chasing. Park and Charmaine Heffelfinger had a great day with Charmaine being the first guest to limit out with 2 nice springs capped off by two Cohos the biggest an 8lber – great to see the larger Cohos already here. Greg Cosway had a busy morning with 6 fish on the line, including one Coho, and brought a couple nice teenagers back to the dock to take home to his wife and daughters who absolutely love fish! Largest fish of the day goes to Pete Perry with a nice 24 pounder, but that doesn’t include the ones that got away….

* Barely a ripple on the water.

* Guide Pat Davies with Charmaine and Park Heffelfinger and a nice Chinook.

* 22lb Chinook for Greg Cosway.

* Ted Reader with his 60lb Hali caught off Cohoe point on Salmon gear.

On the food front it was time for Ted Reader “The Godfather Of The Grill” and Andy Annat, a legendary international man of the BBQ that has cooked in over 30 countries, to step up to the grill. Today was a mouthful to take down and describe, and our lucky guests enjoyed every minute of it.

Lunch Day 3:

Hot & Sour soup w/ smoked bacon, Dungeness crab & spot prawns. Followed by homemade garlic and herb flatbread wrap with chicken thighs, pork tenderloin with roasted red peppers and red onions served with smashed new potatoes fries.

* Ted’s take on a classic!

* Garlic and herb flatbread wrap.

Dinner Day 3:

First course: Killer Crispy Sea Food: Salmon, Halibut, spot prawns, squid, scallops, tartar sauce, jalapeno lime sauce, honey Siracha. Salad: mixed leaves, watermelon radish, charred heirloom grape tomatoes, churred red onion, smoked blue cheese ranch dressing.

* Shannon with the seafood platter.

Second course: 12 Hour Smoked Heritage Angus Beef Brisket. Yorkshire pudding, sweet potatoe puree, red cabbage slaw with rhubarb cider dressing, marinated jalapenos, bacon wrapped onion rings, bacon wrapped cheese stuffed jalapenos, jalapenos and horseradish crème fraiche, Kahlua tequila demi glaze.

Dessert Trio: Hot smoked butter tart cheese cake “Mr. Big” crumble and dulche de leche. Lemon penna cotta, short bread cookie with raspberry coulis. English bread and butter pudding with Devonshire custard.

* Ted Reader checking the temperature on his brisket.

* Ted Reader and Andy Annat around the finished 12 hour brisket on the Yoder Smoker.

* Ted and his pièce de résistance.

* Ted and Andy presenting their family style meal.

* Dinner is served.

Day 4 – Thursday June 2

On day 4 fishing continued to get better as we saw more fish by volume on this final day than any other. Most caught off McPherson point at a variety of depths. Deep Water Don had a great self-guided day with his son-in-law Chris Gordon that included a couple wild double headers. Greg Cosway and Ted Reader survived an epic double header of their own that included a couple ugly line crossings that they managed to battle through in fine style and get both fish in the bag.

* Chris Gordon and his first ever Salmon.

On the food front the final night saw Chef Liam and his team do a collective meal with all of our featured chefs lending a helping hand.

Dinner Day 4:

Spicy gaspacho ceviche with squid, spot prawn and scallops -olive oil/garlic croutons and diced avocado garnish.
Plank smoked tiger prawns with Memphis spicy brown butter served on a bed of housemade sauerkraut and Memphis house smoked bacon.

Reverse sear thick cut strip steaks – smoked and then finished on the napoleon grill. Served with Dungeness crab macaroni croquettes, smoked cheese potato stacks and assorted grilled vegetables.

* Ted getting ready to smoke the thick strip loins in the Yoder.

* Ted and Park with the steaks fresh out of the Yoder smoker.

* It be tasty!

* Andy Annat and Deepwater Don enjoying a cocktail, cigar and a laugh on the back deck.

Special thanks to all of our feature guest chefs: Ted Reader, Andy Annat, Park Heffelfinger, Charmaine Heffelfinger and especially North Island Lodge Executive Chef  Liam Paul and his all star team!

* Andy Annat, Liam Paul, Ted Reader, Park & Charmaine Heffelfinger having some fun with the group photo.

DON’T MISS OUT ON NEXT YEAR: Dates for the 2017 Ultimate Grill Showdown are May 29 to June 2. To secure your spots be sure to call us TODAY at 1-888-432-6666 or email us at info@westcoastfishingclub.com