Ebb & Flow Week 8 ~ July 13, 2017

By Deepwater DonWe are now at the mid-way point in the season friends and all cylinders are firing on the waters and in the lodges of The West Coast Fishing Club. Thanks to North Island lodge manager Todd McIntyre and guest Tim Kennedy for providing reports, data and pictures from Langara Island this past week.The highlight was another 42-pound Tyee for a North Island guest. This one was caught by first-timer Dan Harding on a self-guided mission off Andrews Point along with long-time guest Ryan Molitwenik. Tim says that everybody in his group landed numerous 20-something Chinook Salmon, most of which they released to live another day.

Dan Harding with his 42 lb Tyee!

Jeff Wojahn with his 26 lb Chinook.Nice one-two combinations were recorded by Mark Boppre, who picked up a 31-pound Tyee and a 64-pound Halibut and by Mike Woods who combined a 29-pound “Tryee” and a 38-pound Hali. Brad McArthur gets an honourable mention too with a 29-pound fish that probably only needed another few days of gorging to have crossed the 30 mark. Dave Kirzinger lifted a 52-pound Hali off the bottom on this trip. As I am quite certain this gentleman is the same Dave Kirzinger I know from UBC football alumni circles, he is just that, a gentleman, not to mention a former CFL all-star with the Calgary Stampeders. Nice work Dave.

Mike Woods and his "Tryee" of 29 lbs.
Incidentally, it was great to hear that a good number of our neighbors to the south chose this period to head north to the floating lodge in Beale Cove, where the staff secretly rehearsed and then performed a respectful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner on July 4th. Classy touch there team!Todd took to the water himself as a guide on the second trip of the week. No Tyees to report but lots of fish in the 24-27-pound range around the Aquarium, Gunia Point and Bruin Bay (nothing like finding bigger fish scarcely 10 minutes away from the breakfast table). Todd also tells us that light winds and favourable weather enabled the gang to get out west where they found lots of teenagers, and that Andrews Point has been on fire lately with Coho. Once again the guides were able to find perfect take-home Halis both mid-water and off the bottom, including a 65 for Howard Hilgress and a 46 for Mark Peterson.Meanwhile over the The Clubhouse, the bigger Whalers were able to get off shore on the west side where they found several Halibut in the plus-100 category. Jim Jack took top spot with one that taped out to approximately 150 pounds before being gently unhooked and sent back home. Shawn Nunnemaker did the same with a version estimated at about 120. Ditto for Randy Huffman with another right around the century mark. No Tyees of late to report from The Clubhouse but similar trend as North Island guests with lots of fish in the mid to upper 20’s. This week’s three stars were Mehmet Yasar Daglioglu with a 28, Maryann Wiggan with a 27 and Matt Badylak with a 25.

A magnificent display of wildlife for our Clubhouse guests. Photo by guest Drew Firestone.

The birds even stuck around to enjoy the show.

And he's back under...for now!

Chris Spafford & son Erik enjoying Erik's first trip to The Clubhouse.

Chris Spafford with his catch of the afternoon.

Erik Spafford with a fish on the line.

A beautiful eagle nestled in the trees. Photo captured by Chris Spafford.

Puffin sighting! Thanks to Chris Spafford for another great photo from his trip.Last week Outpost Lodge Manager Jordan Knight penned a report describing that the fishing has remained strong all season long down Port Louis way. He also notes that The Outpost was paid a recent visit by famed environmentalist, geneticist, author and long-time host of CBC TV’s The Nature of Things, Dr. David Suzuki. Pretty darn cool for the staff at The Outpost, many of whom grew up watching that show and learning about the natural world through the lens of Dr. Suzuki and his production crew. If you haven't read Jordan's latest report, I recommend you do. OP Report: Skip Across the Mill Pond ~ July 6, 2017.

Outpost guide Bradan James posing with a nice Chinook.

Outpost guest Bruce Langereis’ boat played 13 fish the first afternoon!

Outpost guests Sandra Cawley and Steve Merritt with guide Carl Archibald.

Kris Britch is all smiles with his 34 lb Tyee!Finally, with July now well under way, it’s time for well-known chefs to make their way to The Clubhouse for the annual David Hawsksworth & Friends Culinary Adventure, which kicks off Sunday. Watch for a special report on the 11^th annual edition in the days to come.

David Hawksworth & Friends Culinary Adventure.Later on in August there will be another gastronomic odyssey in the form of the second annual Coastal Culinary Experience. Sorry friends, but both of these food and fishing extravaganzas are long sold out.

Coastal Culinary Experience.But in light of the popularity and increased demand, there has recently been another food-themed trip added to the special events calendar. This would be the inaugural International Culinary Series that will debut September 3 to 7 at The Clubhouse. This year will feature the Central American flavours of top Panamanian chef Mario Castrellon, Executive Chef and Owner of MAITO, one of Latin America's Top 50 restaurants. Gotta love the special events team at The Club for raising that bar higher, and higher, and…well, you get the picture.

The International Culinary Series, Sept 3-7 will feature top Panamanian Chef Mario Castrellon.Until next week friends, stay safe and well.Tight Lines!*Photo Credit: Langara Island Landcape shot by Clubhouse Staff Member Mattika Noey.