Monday 31 December 2018

Happy New Year of the Salmon


2019 is International Year of the Salmon.   Really . http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/iys-ays/index-eng.html 

2019 is also 100 years since the 1919 patent for the Superior spoon .  Think of how much the world has changed in 100 years ! 

 Fishing tackle certainly has changed , and yet these are still solid fish catchers .  They have a rhythmic side to side swim and substantial body , wobblers , in contrast to the light flutter spoons that are popular now-a-days for towing behind flashers . ( Did I mention I dislike flashers ? )  A lot has been learned about what fish will bite, but the fish don't follow the fashions entirely. 


 

Tuesday 25 December 2018

Christmas at home



  Going for a walk in the neighbourhood Christmas Day .  There is an eagle in the usual perch and a deer on a lawn .  I pulled the boat out of the water for a while this winter , so it is right beside the old pear tree decorated  in a few festive lights.




 


Saturday 17 November 2018

last trip of the year


 We can fish all winter , and many years we do , but for this year today is the last trip , November 17.
 Fishing reports have been mostly good for these winter chinooks , the local feeders . It is a calm clear day , preceded by a cold frosty night , so we didn't get started until nearly noon when the world warmed up .


 Calm is nice for fishing , not so good for sailing , but one sailboat is out to harness what little wind there is .


 A sea lion tracks us for a while . We saw him at a distance splashing the surface with a fish of some kind , as they do to break the meal into large bite-size pieces.  He came over to check us out but lost interest after a few minutes. 




  I rarely hold the rod for the whole fight of a fish . I thought about what I coach people to do , and tried that.



 There were only a few boats out, even though the conditions were perfect .  We noticed these fellows playing a fish as we drove by on the way in.



 We think the winter chinooks are the tastiest salmon of all. 

 

Friday 12 October 2018

chum salmon


 A couple chums grabbed on for Steve on this sunny October day .   
Chum salmon are the last species migrating in from the open Pacific.  They come in schools and when they are biting it is crazy-busy fishing . But sometimes they are moody , you see them while they mostly ignore you ,and occasionally one bites .  Still pretty good , hey , Steve !   And speaking of chums ,  Scott came along on this trip for good company and to take the wheel often, to make things very easy. 

 




Tuesday 25 September 2018

from England in lovely late September


 Nick and Rebecca , from England , had a lovely day in late September .  



 A herd of Pacific White -sided Dolphins met us as we were going through Seymour Narrows. 



We released a couple of nice cohos , and brought back two sockeyes . 






They are staying at Loon Point cottage on Quadra , which is one of the few places with it's own dock .

 

Sunday 23 September 2018

looking around


 Cory had to have patience for the slow fishing , but he is an outdoorsy Alberta guy who can also appreciate seeing the bear, and dolphins, and sea lions.  






 






Wednesday 12 September 2018

variety pack with late sockeyes


   Some schools of sockeyes came late and unexpected .  Add a bunch of those to a couple of chinooks, also put in a couple of lingcod and an incidental rockfish and you have a lot of dinners for winter.  Shamra brought the good luck .  Chen's family enjoys more parts of the fish , including heads for soup and stir-fries.  Smart , we should try that , really. 




 

Monday 10 September 2018

Lucky photo


That is Rich and his guest,  in Lucky the rowboat , playing a fish out of Tyee Pool .   

 

Tuesday 4 September 2018

Combo day


  Mary initiated this combo day .  Morning fishing from the motor boat with hubby Dietmar and their friend Wayman .  Evening fishing , just the guys, rowing in the Tyee Pool . 







Friday 31 August 2018

more Super Island

  
A few more super days from Super Island .







 Bailer and his personal assistant play low key. 








Thursday 30 August 2018

Sotsols 2018


























 How to describe these guys ?   The originals have been coming to fish with us from California for over 35 years , and the size of the group has varied .  This year three are sons of the originals.  It is a 4 day trip , as usual. 
 What a treat to have this reunion and then settle in to the comfort of sharing fishing with our old pals. 






  We release a lot of very nice fish .