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May 31, 2016 Duane Foerter1

The new season opened with a bang on Friday, guided and unguided boats hit the fishing grounds with great excitement. The first 2 days of the season proved to be a busy time! Guests have been scrapping with feisty 15-25 lb Chinooks throughout the day.  There have been a few Humpback whales hanging around and their consistent feeding is a good sign for bait in the water around Cape Naden and Bird 1. The MV Driftwood made her way to Naden Harbour on Friday and has taken up her position on the fishing grounds for hungry fishermen and fisher ladies. On the weekend guests fought against some northwest winds but most made it out on the Hali grounds. Some great chicken and turkey-sized halibut made their way to the dock.

With a shift in the winds to southeast we’re fishing Cape Edenshaw today; it proved quite productive on Monday for our new guests who arrived for the week.  Lots of bait, really small needlefish predominantly, are hanging in close around the Mazzaredo Islands.  Fishing small spoons like a Coho Killer on the rigger at 17-22 feet in only 30-45 feet of water has been too much fun!  Jim B boated a 30 pound beauty near the Mazz on Monday to get a crack at the Tyee Bell on the dock last night.  Great fish Jim!

One of the coolest things about our early season fishery is the presence of larger-sized “keeper” halibut in close to shore.  Big flatties in the 40-60 pound range cruise around the kelp beds to feed on the millions of needlefish that hold there.  It’s not unusual to bump into one of these while trolling for salmon so be ready!  Ask Troy R about it!  With his guide Jordan G just trolling for salmon along the kelp, it was WHAM and he was on the business end of a halibut that tipped the scale at 49 pounds last night.  Total bonus fish.  Great job guys!

The Bell Ringer is in full swing with delicious appies and tasty treats while fish are limed up at the scale.  Never a dull moment down there!

Season 2016 is underway big time and we look forward to seeing you up here soon!


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May 26, 2016 Duane Foerter0

Tyee Chinook at QCLWith opening day tomorrow, the QCL crew is all on site, enjoying training week and putting on all the finishing touches!  We’re already having a great start to the 2016 season! Our guides have been out on the water for the last few days getting a feel for the grounds and the current fishery. Yesterday marked the first tyee of the season, a 32 lb Chinook from Parker Point!  Returning guide Tegan B was running an anchovy & teaser head at 52 feet on the down rigger and success came quickly.  We’re seeing good numbers of early Chinooks out there, mainly 15 to 25 pounds, but it’s nice to know the big ones are present in the mix!  We even had a Coho come to the dock yesterday afternoon! Boats out on the water were also greeted by a humpback whale feeding at Bird 2. We welcome the first guests of the season on Friday and hope to see the fishing continue like it has been the last few days. It looks like 2016 is going to be a fantastic season and we can’t wait to see all of you step off the helicopter!

Our new Tyee Release Trophy…  The traditional photos taken of anglers with their catch is a highlight at the Bell Ringer.  But with many anglers choosing to release their Tyees, it’s a shame for them to miss out on the photo!  This year we have a great solution!  Look for these stunning trophies at the lodge this summer!  Hopefully you’ll get to hoist one of these babies yourself!


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May 11, 2016 Duane Foerter1

With just over two weeks until we open the doors for our 26th season, “rig up” is in full gear in Naden Harbour.  The winter tarps have all been removed from the log buildings and “Mike the Painter” has the wood refinishing almost complete.  The new set of Mercury outboards traveled north to the lodge weeks ago – Johnny C and the marine mechanical crew have everything bolted on and are just completing the rigging of our fleet of aluminum boats.  Now that the docks and the breakwater are all in place, they’ll start floating them and the marina will begin to fill up!  The Grady Whites are ready to come home from their winter storage in Sandspit over the next week or so.  John S and his operations team have been busy through the winter with updates and upgrades to facilities – both on land and on the floating equipment.  Advance groups of summer crew are starting to arrive to set up their various departments and prepare for the major staff arrival on May 22nd, when final training sessions will get under way!

It’s shaping up to be an incredible season and everybody here is so pumped up about it!  We’re looking forward to welcoming you very soon!