We were at QCL last week, fishing was great, all of us limited out on coho, springs and halibut. Sea Lions was a big problem, seams like every point had one or two lurking around stealing fish.
2021 Haida Gwaii Reports
- Thread starter SFBC
- Start date
Brian McDermott
Member
That's great to heading to Langara lodge tomorrow morning thanks for the update
Zodiac fisher
Active Member
Was at QCL July 5-9. Tough weather conditions for the first few days… 20-30 knots out of the NW with seas 2-3M. Lots of action on cookie cutter chinook 10-14lbs. A 56 was released (anchovy at 27 feet with a dummy flasher), 38 and 30 bonked. Really had to work for chinook in the low 20’s and above. Anchovies out produced herring by a large margin. Fishing was so hot we switched to spoons (4-6 inch) with no noted decrease in productivity. Didn’t use a flasher all trip. Coho action steady but small (5-8lbs). Easy hali limits when the weather cooperated.
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Four days out on the Driftwood mostly around Bird Rock 2-on again/off again Spring Salmon fishing and steady Coho action for decent sized units.
Some trips you go through a lot of gear and that's what happened to me every Sea Lion attack seemed to cost me $20-$30 very frustrating.
Probably my last QCI trip for this lifetime too much travelling/monkeying around for so/so results- QC Lodge is a slick organised operation far too much so for my taste and it didn't help that I'm suffering 'vaccine flu' pretty bad these days.
Lots of nature on view saw some Orcas attacking a Humpback very dramatic.
edit-weather was decent light winds/some rain until the last day anyway; some stellar flying by pilots from Aspire airlines from Alberta put us into Masset in some very marginal/downright dodgy conditions and earned them a round of applause from the passengers.
Some trips you go through a lot of gear and that's what happened to me every Sea Lion attack seemed to cost me $20-$30 very frustrating.
Probably my last QCI trip for this lifetime too much travelling/monkeying around for so/so results- QC Lodge is a slick organised operation far too much so for my taste and it didn't help that I'm suffering 'vaccine flu' pretty bad these days.
Lots of nature on view saw some Orcas attacking a Humpback very dramatic.
edit-weather was decent light winds/some rain until the last day anyway; some stellar flying by pilots from Aspire airlines from Alberta put us into Masset in some very marginal/downright dodgy conditions and earned them a round of applause from the passengers.
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Hung my hat in Massett since the start of August. Fished off and on during the times of friends and good fishing weather.
The fishing was slower at the start of the month but has progressively picked up as we near September.
The northern coho have arrived in the last week or so and their acrobatic displays and their zipping across the surface have managed to rap a few of my friends knuckles and create havoc onboard especially when double headers are encountered. Using dummy flashers with whole herring, though spoons work well when one runs out of bait. When conditions are right we have been “bucktailing” with herring and the action is nonstop. I have been having some friends just hang onto their rods with the bait just past the prop wash, don’t do this with rookie fishermen as the hits are very aggressive and we nearly lost a rod when some isn’t paying attention. The biggest to the boat was definitely in the mid teens with of the coho over 10 lbs, the September fish should be spectacular.
Hali fishing is hit and miss with many of the flatties being in shallow water (30-50 ft.) earlier, but they seemed to have moved to deeper water in the last week or so (100-150 ft.). Lots of action when you find them with many double headers and tangled lines in the process. It is always a good way to tire out some of my friends who have way to much energy in the day. Lots of fisher people are trolling the sand flats for them and doing quite well.
The spring fishing seems to be a series of micro bites with constant coho action in between. There seems to be a lot of fish in the teenager range and then groups of fish in the mid to high twenties. I have had some schools in the tyee class, and these fish are not extremely long but very fat with broad shoulders.
Not a lot of guides or locals fishing this year, many of the guiding outfits out of the harbour have cut back their fleet this year so many of the traditional fishing locations are not crowded. I fished Edenshaw many a day without any other boats and 7 mile was void of any other boats on many afternoons with some epic fishing going on.
Will probably pull the boat this week and head for home if BC Ferries will let me. I think this year was exceptional, not for the size of fish but the consistency and quality of the adventure. Sharing this area with friends and neighbours is always special up here.
The fishing was slower at the start of the month but has progressively picked up as we near September.
The northern coho have arrived in the last week or so and their acrobatic displays and their zipping across the surface have managed to rap a few of my friends knuckles and create havoc onboard especially when double headers are encountered. Using dummy flashers with whole herring, though spoons work well when one runs out of bait. When conditions are right we have been “bucktailing” with herring and the action is nonstop. I have been having some friends just hang onto their rods with the bait just past the prop wash, don’t do this with rookie fishermen as the hits are very aggressive and we nearly lost a rod when some isn’t paying attention. The biggest to the boat was definitely in the mid teens with of the coho over 10 lbs, the September fish should be spectacular.
Hali fishing is hit and miss with many of the flatties being in shallow water (30-50 ft.) earlier, but they seemed to have moved to deeper water in the last week or so (100-150 ft.). Lots of action when you find them with many double headers and tangled lines in the process. It is always a good way to tire out some of my friends who have way to much energy in the day. Lots of fisher people are trolling the sand flats for them and doing quite well.
The spring fishing seems to be a series of micro bites with constant coho action in between. There seems to be a lot of fish in the teenager range and then groups of fish in the mid to high twenties. I have had some schools in the tyee class, and these fish are not extremely long but very fat with broad shoulders.
Not a lot of guides or locals fishing this year, many of the guiding outfits out of the harbour have cut back their fleet this year so many of the traditional fishing locations are not crowded. I fished Edenshaw many a day without any other boats and 7 mile was void of any other boats on many afternoons with some epic fishing going on.
Will probably pull the boat this week and head for home if BC Ferries will let me. I think this year was exceptional, not for the size of fish but the consistency and quality of the adventure. Sharing this area with friends and neighbours is always special up here.
ILHG
Crew Member
Dreaming of next year. I hope to bring the boat up for a few weeks and have friends and family come join me.
Thanks for sharing
If you are in Masset next year, always willing to share info and lie about the one that got away. I have a slip in the Masset Village marina, really sweet deal.
Fishing has come to an end for me, the last few days were the reason I keep coming back, lots of coho and a sprinkling of Nookies to keep one on their toes. The Lodges are stilling keeping their clients smiling and the commercial boys are doing well so I guess all is good in Haida Gwaii.
Only concern is the proposed transferring of fisheries management areas to specific local concerns. Not sure if the capacity is there for each entity. Time will tell.
Until next year, keep smiling and remembering the one that got away.
Fishing has come to an end for me, the last few days were the reason I keep coming back, lots of coho and a sprinkling of Nookies to keep one on their toes. The Lodges are stilling keeping their clients smiling and the commercial boys are doing well so I guess all is good in Haida Gwaii.
Only concern is the proposed transferring of fisheries management areas to specific local concerns. Not sure if the capacity is there for each entity. Time will tell.
Until next year, keep smiling and remembering the one that got away.
