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Last week we were talking about “special combo” fishing and the great variety of fishing experienceLast week we were talking about “special combo” fishing and the great variety of fishing experiences there are to be had up here. Well this week we had a father & son angling team at the lodge that really took it to heart! Ronald and Dan R not only found the variety but, with the help of their QCL guide Jake Harrach, they found the quality as well!

Over the past 4 days they managed to catch the largest fish of the trip in each of 3 species and the 2nd largest in a 4th! On Tuesday Dan caught and released the big halibut of the trip, a big slab that taped out to 163 pounds. On Wednesday Ron boated a nice big lingcod that tipped the scale at 35 pounds which, in most weeks would be the big one! But he came second to a 50-pounder landed by Lino P! That’s only 6 pounds short of the lodge record! Congrats Lino! On the same day Ronald caught the largest Coho of the week, coming in at 16-pounds – a beautiful fish for sure! Then on Thursday, making that famous “just one more pass” at Cape Naden on the way in, Dan hooked up with a big Chinook that really put him to the test. After a twenty-minute tussle, Jake slipped the net beneath the chrome beauty and they knew there would be some more Bell-ringing back at the dock that night! At 39-pounds, this big Tyee would add to Dan’s record of success as the largest Chinook of the trip. Congratulations guys! That’s an amazing catch report! It’s a good thing you’re going home for the weekend to get some rest!

The weekend forecast is for more southerly weather and calm seas (with a regular dose of liquid sunshine.) The inshore Chinook fishing has certainly picked up in the past week with the best action during the first and last hours of the day. Offshore the Coho catch remains strong and we’re seeing more of the larger Coho coming to the scale. Bottom fishing has been getting easier with the tidal range diminishing every day since Monday’s new moon. QCL anglers released 6 halibut over 100 pounds this trip and we’re still seeing nice 30-plus fish at the Bell Ringer every night. These are great days to be fishing at QCL!

This summer, we’re supplying our guests with the gear to try a different, fun and highly effective way of catching fish! Your tackle box will now include a selection of jigs as an option to trolling and bottom fishing with spreader bars.

Simply put, jigging is lowering a weighted lure into the water, and repeatedly lifting and dropping the tip of the rod, enticing fish to strike at the active jig. It’s a surprisingly simple and successful way to catch halibut, lingcod, rock cod, and even salmon!

I have spent many successful days on the water with only my jigging lures to keep me busy, and I find it a nice change of pace to traditional fishing. Staying active on the boat, and even having the chance to turn off the engine for total peace and quiet is hard to beat. And nothing is better than holding the rod in your hands when the fish strikes!

Here are a few tips to effective jigging:

Find the right area! For salmon, find schools of bait and jig to the side or just below a bait ball. For bottom fish, look for “humps” or depressions on the sounder and fish a few feet off the bottom.

Once you find the right spot, motor up current and drift back over the zone.

Lower the jig to just below the depth of the bait, then start slowly raising and quickly dropping the rod tip

If fishing deep, don’t let the jig rest on the bottom, to prevent snags.

Keep the lines completely vertical – this can take some practice when driving and working a rod at the same time!

Keep the strokes short, lift the rod tip only 1.5 to 2 feet – no need for big 6 foot pulls!

If you feel the slightest bump, it’s a fish hitting the lure so strike hard and set the hook!

Why not give it a try this season? Ask me on the dock for some of my favourite spots, and I’ll point them out on your GPS!

Tight lines!

Ryan Ashton

Charlotte House is the perfect destination for groups of up to 14 people who like to have their program a little bit separate from the main lodge.

Haida House and the adjacent rooms are located just down the beach from the helipad.

The MV Driftwood is a crucial element of the QCL hospitality program.

The MV Driftwood has just come out of dry dock after a 2-week stay at Allied Shipyards in North Vancouver. Transport Canada requires that all passenger vessels come out of the water every 4 years for inspection. The shipyard removes the rudder and stock, the propeller and tail shaft and all of the through-hull valves for service and inspection. The shaft is checked on a lathe for true, the bearings are serviced and everything is cleaned and lubricated. The hull itself gets a thorough examination by a shipwright to replace traditional oakum caulking between the planks. They service and replace protective gumwood cover boards and apply a special anti-fouling paint to the entire underwater hull to prevent growth of algae and barnacles.

Wooden vessels of this size are an increasingly rare sight on the coast and the Driftwood attracted a fair bit of attention while in dry dock. Thankfully back in 1944 she was well built to Canadian Navy standards at Star Shipyards in New Westminster. The hull is sound and tight and is an impressive sight from below. The hull above the waterline was scraped, filled, sanded and painted – a huge job that’s really only feasible during a haul out.

Photo gallery of the Driftwood in dry dock

With only 5 weeks until she sets sail for Haida Gwaii and another season at QCL, we’re sprucing up the interior and getting her all set up to host our guests on the fishing grounds. Captain Ryan, Trevor, Sparky and crew are looking forward to welcoming you aboard!

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Tuesday, June 2/2003 - Vancouver Canuck Brendan Morrison shows off a 45 lb Chinook Salmon on Sunday June 1/2003 on the docks of the Queen Charlotte Lodge.in the Queen charlottte Islands in British Columbia. Klatt was the 1st place champion in the 13th Annual Big Silver fishing derby held over the weekend. Photo by CHRIS BOLIN / QUEEN CHARLOTTE LODGE ©2003

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dave eng premium salmon

The QCL Record Chinook salmon was caught and released by Chris Lewis on August 20, 2011 with QCL guide Derek Poitras. The big beauty taped out to 84 pounds!

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The first few trips of the 2014 season have treated QCL guests to some fantastic fishing. Plenty of Chinook in the 15-25lb class have graced the dock, with a few surprise catches of early chrome bright Coho to add to the pile of fish guests are taking home. Increasingly abundant schools of herring and needlefish are beckoning the Salmon in from the open Pacific to feed along our shoreline. All of the major points have been providing steady action so far this season, with many fish being found near the bottom and slightly offshore in 70-90ft of water. All the usual suspects are enticing the Salmon to bite; spoons, cut-plugs, herring & teaser heads.

From the last trip, shout-outs to Bell-Ringer’s Brent Brady, Nick Ritchie & Zack Hunter with their Tyee’s coming in at 32lb, 36lb & 39lbs respectively. Halibut fishing is always fantastic in early June and Dustine Owen, Dave Middleton, Don Stirling & Mike Pidlisecky are all off to great starts with 46lb, 53lb, another 53lb & 61lbs respectively.

Weather of late has been dominated by NW winds and some brilliant blue skies. Fishing activity has been focused on the waters from Bird 2 to the Mazzaredo Islands, but as the wind settles back this week, QCL anglers will no doubt start to get out and explore more fishing areas.