Thought you guy's would like to see the first fish report out of Hippa- It's going to be pretty nice off the WCVI shortly [
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RYAN ORR
operations | lodge manager, HIPPA ISLAND
West Coast Resorts - We’re just BETTER at it!
phone: 604.278.3130
cell: 778.839.1669
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http://www.westcoastresorts.com
Hippa Island Fishing Report – May 31st, 2010
We have just started our third trip and I am delighted to sit down and write the first official lodge report of the 2010 season. The weather gods granted us a fantastic tow up here, our rig-up went extremely well, and by the time our first guests arrived on May 22nd, the crew was chomping at the bit to get the season rolling. We have certainly assembled an excellent crew this season; with the usual mix of a few new faces, a few older faces, and a few that just never seem to leave!
Now I know everybody is wondering, how is the fishing? Well, in one word, excellent. Just like we experienced in May last season, the spring salmon fishing has started off incredibly strong. On days when the boats have been able to get on the outside (which has been most days so far) most boats have easily limited out on springs. On some of the hotter days, many boats were limited out by 8 am! When the “bite” has been on, double and triple headers have been commonplace. It seems that the spring salmon are here with a vengeance.
One noticeable difference between this season and last season has been the average size of the springs. Much like we anticipated for this season, the average size has been at least 3-5 lbs larger than last season. Last year, the average size at this time seemed to be in the 15-20 lb range and this season it is definitely in the 20-25 lb range. The have not been a huge number of big fish but there has been at least one tyee almost every day. The largest spring of the season (so far) was a beautiful 37 lber pulled in by first time salmon fisherman, Grant Gladish. Nice work Grant!
As for the hotspots, they seemed to have shifted slightly from day to day but in general all of our favourite spots have been producing. Much like this time last season, Freeman Rocks has produced very strong results, with the added benefit of very strong bottom fishing (more on that later). The Lighthouse and Next Rock have also produced quite consistent results. In terms of depth, springs have been found everywhere from 20-100 feet deep and the majority seem to be around 40-70 feet deep. It probably won’t surprise too many people to hear that a cut-plug herring has once again been the bait of choice.
With the strong salmon fishing, we have had ample opportunity to focus on the bottom and so far we have had mixed results. Freeman Rocks has produced fantastic ling cod and critter fishing as well as a decent number of halibut. Some nice halibut have also been caught around Next Rock and Sadler Island but for the most part, boats have had to put in some time to find the halis. We have not had any really big halibut yet but a number in the ideal 30-60 lb range. So far, the largest of the season has been a 65 lber caught by Larry Faulkner.
What about the weather? I don’t think many people will be surprised to hear that we have experienced a little of everything. For the most part the weather has been great and we just experienced three consecutive days of near ideal weather which certainly contributed to the catch totals. We have also experienced one nasty gale which forced the boats to fish inside Hippa Island and around Nesto Inlet. This certainly brought down the total number of salmon caught but almost every spring that was brought in was a tyee. What can I say, a typical inside fishery. Looking ahead, it looks like we have a little nasty weather on the way but this should hopefully move through quickly. As is always the case in Haida Gwaii, things change fast, so be ready for anything.
If you have recently visited Hippa, thank you for joining us and we hope to see you again. For those of you who have a trip planned to Hippa in the near future, the staff and I look forward to your arrival. If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at
rorr@westcoastresorts.com.
Ryan Orr
Lodge Manager, Hippa Island
