Things picked up right where we left off for the next group of eager guests. On the weekend trip, long-time friends and guests, the M.A.P group, from Alberta joined us for some great fishing.
The large saltwater freight trains continued to roll through the waters surrounding Dundas Island and another massive Chinook salmon was reeled in! A big Congratulations goes out to Joerg, who reeled in a 52lb. hog! This was Joerg’s first time out to Haa-Nee-Naa and his largest salmon to date!
That same morning 3 other tyees were brought to the dock – including a solid 40lb chromer caught by the “Candyman” Mel! It is mornings like these that really make us appreciate this spectacular fishery and beautiful area we have to chase these fish of a lifetime! Both Coho and Chinook fishing stayed very consistent for the following two days with plenty of action to be had. Periods of frantic, aggressive Coho action kept anglers very busy during certain times of the day. It was vital to jig at least 75 herring to make it through the day! The M.A.P boys all left with sore arms, smiles on their faces … and like everyone else, wishing they could stay for just one more day!
Salmon fishing stayed very consistent for the weekday trip with plenty of action to keep everyone smiling. The largest Chinook caught was a hard fighting 41lber, reeled in by long time guest, and no stranger to big fish, Gary Lewis. There seemed to be an abundance of Chinook between the 25-29lb mark … oh so close to that shot of Goldschalger and a HNNL tyee pin! Beautiful fish.
The Coho are continuing to gain weight, averaging 8-13lbs, making them a blast to catch on mooching gear! Chef Paul was out fly-fishing at Holliday Island and hooked the first Coho of the season on a clouser. Conditions are setting up nicely for productive fly-fishing in August.
Halibut fishing has remained excellent and all of our hot spots are producing the usual 10-20lb chickens with the occasional 100cm+ one caught.
This last weekend another guest joined the Haa-Nee-Naa Lodge 50+ club! Congratulations goes out to first time guest Jon who fought the 54lb slab, guided by local expert Clint. That marks the 3rd 50+ Chinook caught this year at the lodge. Another personal best was set last trip by newcomer Chris who landed a pretty 43lb Spring salmon with rookie guide Clayton Vanier.
Knowing that your next bite could turn into one of these monsters really gets the adrenaline going when you are out on the water! Big fish continued to roll in throughout the trip with a couple 30+ pounders caught each day.
On a side note, Monday morning we received more rain in two hours than we have in the past two months! But not to worry, we are back to Northwest winds and sunny skies. Time to get some shuteye as 4:30am comes quickly and I wouldn’t want to miss the morning freshies!
Tight lines,
Nugget
It has been a very eventful past 10 days here on Dundas! Kicking things off were the Matcon boys who have been regular guests at the lodge for the past 10+ years. Chinook salmon fishing was spotty with a few periods of heavy action mixed in. Some boats were lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time and got rewarded with multiple Chinook hook ups in a short period. The fish were a good size weighing 18-24lbs on average. There were plenty of Cohos around which kept everyone busy during the slower Chinook fishing. Some beauty Coho were caught weighing up to 12lbs. A great time was had by all and we are looking forward to seeing them again in 2016!
The weather and fishing stayed much the same for the weekend trip. Herring continued to be tricky with the occasional large school swimming by while you were out mooching for salmon. A couple of boats, who went off shore halibut fishing, ran into some large schools and were able to jig enough fresh bait for the day. Sunday evening Chinook fishing started to pick up again. A few skiffs went out for the evening bite and returned with half a dozen nice Chinooks in the 12-20lb range. The following morning, herring returned thicker than ever and a new wave of aggressive chrome slabs came rolling in! Becky and Darryl were fortunate enough to wrestle with 4 hogs on Monday morning before the planes arrived, with the biggest being a 34lb Tyee caught by Becky. Her first ever Tyee! Becky celebrated her fish according to Haa-Nee-Naa tradition with a shot of Goldschalger and her first Tyee pin.
A whopping 58lb Chinook was caught by Dan! A true fish of a lifetime and memories that will last forever. A big congrats goes out to Dan, his son, Jason, and guide, JT, who were on the boat for this beast! Dan was not the only one enjoying a sip of the traditional Goldschalger that evening, as 3 other Tyees were brought back to the dock. Everyone was able to shake hands with at least a couple Chinook salmon.
Another personal best was achieved this week with Steve’s 39lber – best of all it was an experience he got to share with his son. A very memorable day on the water for everyone! Wednesday and Thursday morning consisted of much the same.
Chef, Paul Williams, even got in on the action with a pair of 37s during an early morning solo fish. You know fishing is hot when even the Chef can get a couple big boys….