Ebb & Flow Week 7: July 15, 2016

By Deepwater DonSome welcome visitors arrived at Langara Island this week friends, Coho Salmon in their thousands. Heck they may be in their tens or hundreds of thousands, but the point is there are a lot of Coho Salmon - “Silvers” as our American friends would call them - being caught up north by guests of North Island Lodge and The Clubhouse, with reports of same down Port Louis way by guests of The Outpost.

* Austin Jenkins and his nice Coho. Nothing off the charts size-wise, with about nine pounds being the current average, but for my money, these fish are hard to beat. They punch well above their weight, they change directions on a dime, they shoot across the surface at incredible speed and they are aerial acrobats, especially when close to the boat. I’m not supposed to say this but they are particularly fun to catch on a lightweight fly-rod trolled on the surface with a bucktail streamer. I would never ask a guide if I can confuse things or get in the way by throwing a bucktail out just past the prop wash while he is already trying to run three or more rods, but on a self-guided mission I do it whenever the Coho abound, as they do right now.

* Guide Andrew Matheson nets a large Coho for John Lucchesi as David Suzuki looks on.

* John and guide Andrew admiring the catch as David captures the moment!And with guides having to work hard and anglers having to exercise patience to find their larger cousins, the Coho explosion couldn’t have come at a better time. Guests are still finding Chinook Salmon in various places, although not much by way of size to report this week from Langara Island. David McGlothlin was the sole angler to catch a Tyee of late, a 33 which he opted to release in the sporting manner for which guests of The West Coast Fishing Club tend to distinguish themselves.

* Liam Pattemore and his 28.5 pounder caught far east.

* Very nice 28.5 lb Chinook for Reg and Liam Pattemore.

* Couple springs for the BBQ for Ken and Austin Jenkins. Speaking of distinguished groups, long-time Club friend Paul Douglas was back up at The Clubhouse recently with friends and associates who each brought their daughters for some fishing fun. I am more than pleased to report that we are seeing more and more women of all ages proving they are every bit as capable as their husbands, fathers and grandfathers while prospecting for silver in the magnificent waters of Haida Gwaii. The Clubhouse manager Terry Cowan reported that the girls ensured the dads got lots of rest with no late nights to impede the early morning dock departure. I am guessing we’ll see that happy group back next year and hopefully many more of the same variety.

*Left to right; Meaghan and David McComb, Ariana, Tas and Jaqueline Candaras, Eliza and David Filipchuk; Dalyce, Daena and Paul Douglas, Nicole and Peter Stalenhoef,
Melissa and Dwight Brown, Natalie and Bob Martz. The other good news on the fishing front is that Halibut continue to keep folks more than amused, especially down at Port Louis where guests of The Outpost have continued to lift grand pianos off of the ocean floor. Recall that last week it was Scott Fox who caught and released a fish estimated to weigh 440 pounds. This week it was Jim Denny who got an 82 and 92-inch Halibut on one afternoon, estimated to have tipped the old Toledos at about 300 and 435 lbs respectively. Not sure how enthusiastic I would have been about getting a second behemoth in such short duration but Jim reportedly had a blast, not to mention an upper-body workout he’s not likely to repeat anytime soon.

* Steve Patittuci and Ernesto Licursi celebrate a good day on the water. Guides at The Outpost are continuing to work hard to find Chinook Salmon, but here too the abundance of Coho has filled the gaps nicely. No Tyees to report of late around Port Louis, save for an even 30 for Bruce Langereis on his last afternoon with the Delta Land Group. Bruce is a rather competitive-minded individual who has pulled many a large Chinook Salmon out of these waters in his many years of fishing with The West Coast Fishing Club.

* Bruce Langereis with his 30lb Tyee, guide Carl Archibald and Ernesto Licursi. The next special event on this year’s calendar kicks off on Sunday in the form of the 10^th annual David Hawksworth & Friends Culinary Adventure. An enthusiastic angler and long-time friend of The Club, “Hawk” will presumably be hard-pressed to get out on the water himself as much as he would like to in the next few days. I am assuming that is why he joined the Delta Land group last week at The Outpost to get the fishing fix we all need at regular intervals. This year features the return of Normand Laprise of Montreal’s altogether wonderful Toque! Restaurant as the head-lining guest chef. The five-day trip features two-hour morning Culinary Adventure classes that conclude with guests dining on the entrée they individually prepared, after which they are free to head out onto the water. There may be another such utterly unique fishing adventure offered somewhere on the planet, but I can’t think of one.

* David Hawksworth and the rest of the Delta Land group with featured guest David Suzuki at The Outpost. Even if you didn’t get in on this year’s long-sold-out Culinary Adventure, you can still be adventurous at pretty much anytime provided you’ve got friends willing to join you in an impromptu beach picnic. That’s what Andrew Paterson and friends did for their first exclusive trip to The Outpost this week. A featured lunch of ground sirloin beef burgers cooked over an open fame made for a memorable afternoon for this intrepid group. Naturally there was a full bar service too, proving once again that there is no “roughing it” when taking in marine wilderness experiences with The West Coast Fishing Club. As always, the experience is Far Beyond!

*Andrew Paterson and his group enjoying a beach lunch at Twin Beaches near The Outpost. Until next week friends, stay safe and well.Tight Lines!

* Port Louis sunset.