The toughest part about being a saltwater fishing guide is seeing your boat out of the water. This year the off season blues are kicking in early and all we can think about is slow trolling a herring tight to the kelp beds waiting for that subtle big Chinook bite and the chaos that follows. While we wait out the stormy winter months in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) there is another great fishing opportunity to satisfy our angler urges in this time of despair. Most saltwater fishing guides on the BC coast pursue winter steelhead in their time off and it is no different on Haida Gwaii. Rivers such as the Yakoun, Tlell and Mamin can be quite productive for large wild run steelhead and can be a winter sanctuary for saltwater guides. Even the gear we use is reminiscent of that used in the ocean, long Spey rods with knuckle buster fly reels and a quarry that will put your angling skills to the test.
So while we bide our time wading the icy island rivers in pursuit of the elusive sea run rainbow trout, one can't help but wonder what lies ahead for the 2013 saltwater season. Ocean conditions have improved over the past two years on the west coast of Haida Gwaii with colder ocean temperatures producing more phytoplankton, the staple diet of juvenile salmon and baitfish in the North Pacific. Evidence of this has been obvious over the past couple of seasons as massive schools of Herring and Krill have been present in Cartwright Sound throughout the summer. It has been years since we have seen acres of bait boiling on the surface day after day. It comes as no surprise that the Chinook (King) salmon fishing has been nothing short of spectacular with so much feed hanging around our local waters. Another contributing factor to the great fishing lately on Haida Gwaii's west coast is the recent conservation efforts by our friends south of the border. The US has invested a great deal of money and effort into restoring wild runs of Chinook salmon with incredible success, bringing some rivers back to historic or near historic levels. Many of these fish feed along the west coast of Haida Gwaii during their annual migration south to US waters. Catch records of hatchery marked fish and scale samples collected by DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada) have proven that a large portion of the Chinook salmon we catch are indeed destined rivers in the lower states. Chinook salmon returns to Central Coast and West Coast Vancouver Island rivers have been healthy in recent years as well. These fish also pass through our waters lending opportunities to catch large ( 50lb+ ) Chinook salmon as they feed along the rugged shoreline of Cartwright Sound.
Whatever the reason, the salmon fishing in Cartwright Sound and the west coast of Haida Gwaii has been some of the best seen in a long time. We can only speculate what the upcoming season will throw at us but you can bet our Islander reels will be singing and our guests will be high fiving one another once again in 2013.
Best Fishes,
Neil Goodwin
Guide/Owner
www.avidsportfishing.ca
info@avidsportfishing.ca
1-877-770-2843