Howdy Folks, with the first few trips of the season under our belts, I am stoked to give you an update of the goings on around Dundas.
The first trip brought back many familiar faces that were just as eager to get out there and roll some herring as all of us were, and on a 7-day trip you could feel the excitement on the dock to get out there and explore the opportunities.
The fresh herring were plentiful with many of them being what I would describe as “The Perfect Herring”: 5-7 inches and not a scale missing – the perfect weapon for hungry Chinook. The jigging was also very close to home, some mornings were spent getting bait right in front of the Lodge.
The first trip of the season, beginning May 24th, had some hot days on the water with a healthy number of chances for everyone, this allowed for some great catch and release fishing – throwing some beautiful fish back into the water to continue their journey to the rivers. This followed by some slower days, but it showed that if you stick it out on the water and are patient, you will be rewarded. The forecast was sunshine and low winds which allowed for some off-shore bottom fishing days, guests and guides had the opportunity to venture out and explore some farther flung fishing spots.
This pattern continued for the next few trips: some stellar fishing days followed by some tougher fought ones, but time spent of the water is a major factor of success, and when that bite comes, we have to be ready to capitalize on those opportunities.
Hats off to Mike who patiently waited for his bite and managed to stick a beautiful 35 pound Chinook with his good friend, Ray, and guide RBS.
After a slow day on the water, Guide Noel was so keen to get into some fish he and his guests skipped dinner and headed back out the wall – they made up for their tough day with three Chinook on the evening bite!
Overall the early season is showing great signs of a healthy run, with some of the elusive Tyees hitting the dock every trip and with this cold water the fight in these migratory fish is breath taking with big jumps and massive long runs giving us what we all love to hear: screaming reels.
Along with these brutes is the first sign of early coho runs, these smaller fish still pack a punch and are a great tasting bonus to take home. This is hopefully a sign of things to come for our fly fishing guests in August.
One of the questions that we keep hearing is – what are the limits this season? At the moment the retention limits for salmon are the same as in 2017. You are allowed eight salmon, of which 4 can be Chinook. This means you are once again allowed to retain up to 2 chinook/day with 4 in possession. The official management decision has not been released by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but all indications are that there will be no change in retention for the 2019 season.
If you’re interested in receiving the most current information on regulation changes, you can sign up for email notifications through the DFO website!
Tight Lines and see you on Dundas soon!
Cheeks