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| Around 10% of the world's total fish species can be found just within the Great Barrier Reef. |
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| Starfish can re-grow their arms. In fact, a single arm can regenerate a whole body. |
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| Starfish do not have blood. Their blood is actually filtered sea water. |
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| Starfish don't have brains. Special cells on their skin gather information about their surroundings |
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| Not all animals with the word fish in their names count as fish. |
| Though their names may suggest otherwise, cuttlefish, starfish, and jellyfish aren’t actually fish. Generally-speaking, fishes must have skulls, gills, and fins. Surprisingly, though, not all fishes have proper spines. |
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| In three decades, the world's oceans will contain more discarded plastic than fish when measured by weight, researchers say. |
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| As of 2020, there were 34,000 known fish species around world. That’s more than the number of species in all other vertebrates: birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians combined. |
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| Just how man species of fish are there? |
| As of 2020, there were 34,000 known fish species around world. That’s more than the number of species in all other vertebrates: birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians combined. |
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| Even Catfish are finicky |
| Taste Buds ? Catfish have a more refined sense of flavor than humans. Our 10,000 taste buds may seem like a lot, but catfish can have as many as 175,000. This helps them find the exact location of their next meal. |
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| A bit of Humor |
| My brother has 2 German Shepherds named Rolex and Timex. You guessed it they are Watch Dogs. |
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From Jan 01, 1999 To Sep 22, 2025
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May 25, 2009; 12:38PM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 18-24, 2009
Notes: Well, we finally had a reported case of swine flu in Cabo and guess what? Yep, it was a tourist that brought it with him! I just knew it was going to happen! Anyway, just the one case and it had no effect on any of the fishing. One good thing this week was the fact that the inshore fishing was great and the Marlin started to bite pretty good for the offshore guys. Check below for a little more detail.
WEATHER: We really had a great week as we got a bit of rain at the beginning. Not of lot of it, mind you, but it was enough to make everyone get their car washed right afterward as the rain spots made the dust covering them easy to see. Combine the rain with a bit of fog and it was a nice cool start. As the week wore on the clouds and fog moved away and it started to warm up. At the start of the week the nighttime lows were in the high 60’s and low 70’s, at the end of the week it was in the high 70’s while the daytime highs at the end of the week were in the low to mid 90’s. Combine the temperatures with light winds and it was a very nice week to be here.
WATER: The water on the Pacific side of the Cape was off-color out to the San Jaime bank this week, once past there to the west the water cleaned up a lot and was nice and blue. On the Cortez side the water was a bit off color out to 10 miles offshore then it cleaned up as well. The cold-water plume along the Pacific shoreline continued through Saturday with temperatures in the mid 60’s up to 2 miles from shore but on Sunday the warmer water from the Cortez side pushed the cold water back and it warmed to a very nice 70-71 degrees. At the end of the week the water around the San Jaime bank was 74 degrees; it was 73 degrees at the Golden Gate Bank. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was a nice warm 76-78 degrees everywhere wit the exception of a ridge of 81-84 degree water that ran from the Grey Rock south to the west side of the 95 spot and continued south at least 40 miles. Surface conditions on both side of the Cape were just great at the end of the week with small swells through Saturday, then some larger ones coming in on Sunday but with very little wind pushing them.
BAIT: We had a nice mix of different size Caballito this week and it was nice to be able to get the smaller ones for inshore fishing. There had been some very good small Mackerel available at the bait barge, but according to all the boat captains all the guys that work there got drunk on Thursday night and did not show for work on Friday, so, no Mackerel were available that day. Bait was costing the usual $3 per bait.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: This week was almost a repeat of last week. The Striped Marlin was still showing in good numbers on the Cortez side of the Cape from the 95 spot and past the 1150 spot. Most of them seemed to be mixed in with an enormous pod of common Pacific Dolphin that moved in, probably feeding on the same squid. The difference this week was that the Marlin were willing to eat live bait. As a result there were more fish hooked up this week that last week and most boats were releasing two to four fish a day. Later in the week the action was starting later in the day so boats that stayed out an extra hour or so were doing much batter than the boats that came in early.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: As with the billfish report, there was little change in the Tuna report from last week. Yellowfin of any size were a no show with the exception of some football fish found to the west of the San Jaime. These footballs were not associated with any Dolphin and the two boats that did get into them on Saturday were not able to track them for long and as a result were limited to only a half-dozen fish apiece.
DORADO: Wow, it seems that everything is a repeat of last weeks report and the Dorado are not exception. Find something floating on the water and you might get lucky, and the chances of this happening in the warm water of the Sea Of Cortez were much greater than in the cooler waters of the Pacific. A couple of boats were able to find some small debris and picked up a few fish each, but for the most part there the chances were about 10% of getting one stray Dorado.
WAHOO: Once again, what Wahoo?
INSHORE: Like I said, everything is a repeat of last week. Fishing from a Panga was the way to go this week. I fished just to the north of the lighthouse on Friday and caught a 19-pound and a 13-pound Pargo in the rocks at the lighthouse. One of the Pangas we use got into a nice school pf Pargo late in the day farther up the beach and had 10 fish over 20 pounds for his two anglers. Small live Caballito were the way to go. The Yellowtail bite dropped off a bit and the fish were scattered. Trolling Rapallas at 6 knots found some of the fish and then working yo-yo’s in the area would result in a few more bites. There were some bigger skipjack just outside the 50-foot depth that made a few reels scream as well. On the Cortez side there were scattered Sierra between Cabo and San Jose and past San Jose they were getting into some decent Bonita.
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May 23, 2009; 01:37PM - Offshore – Leapers and Ample Bait
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Endless Season Update 05/21/2009
REPORT #1167 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
With 77 degree calm seas, offshore action has begun to comeback from the slowdown caused by excessive bait and cooler waters. Lots of jumping marlin and ample bait have equaled enough action for some boats to rack up decent multiple scores.
Dorado action has continued to produce limits around anything floating. Plenty of ‘schoolie-sized’ fish with some larger fish mixed in.
Sunny skies and little wind have allowed the rooster action to pick back up. They are mixed with large schools of good sized jacks. Boats fishing at the lighthouse found some pompano along with a few pargo very close to shore.
The new fishing inspectors implemented earlier this season are being criticized by both the locals and the hotels for devoting all of their time to policing the sportfishing fleet while the inshore gillnetters continue to illegally set their nets along the shore.
Be sure to check out our newest audio project, Gary Graham’s Baja Backroom. Unabridged taped interviews of individuals featured in Gary’s columns and articles are now available online either on iTunes or http://www.bajabackroom.com/
The first is with Captain Peter “Pete” Groesbeck, with his background of over 30 years of successful tournament fishing, discussing and comparing Southern California and Baja billfishing.
Water temperature 72-78
Air temperature 61-91
Humidity 53%
Wind: SSE 6 to 9 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Plenty of smaller yellows were found under the bird schools at the Entrada according to Enrique Soto, Puerto San Carlos. While there are few boats fishing offshore, reports of dorado being spotted by local shark fishermen sound tempting.
Punta Belcher is producing good catches of small halibut in the shallows twenty yards off the beach.
Also a few grouper and corvine are being caught from shore under the bridge entering Puerto San Carlos.
Lopez Mateos has been eerily quiet. Maybe the grouper bite reported last week broke wide open and they are trying to keep it to themselves?
Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 64 -93
Humidity 36 %
Wind: WNW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:39 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The sailfish action has died off a bit, with less than one fish per boat per day. But, this may be because most of the captains are concentrating on the yellowfin tuna, which have shown up in excellent numbers. Even though the blue water is still about 25 miles out, we have clean water at 16 miles. Most of the fish are being taken between the 16 and 20 mile mark.
A few blue marlin are being taken in the same area as the tuna, and small dorado are in the weed lines close to shore.
I fly fished with Greg Eynon of Vail, CO, up above Troncones and Saladita with Captain Ramon. Greg took several green jacks, a very nice sierra, and several black skipjack tuna. The schools of jack crevalle we were after were moving too fast and not slowing down enough to get a fly to them. We did not see any roosters.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 78-91
Humidity 69%
Wind: WSW 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:11 p.m. DST
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May 22, 2009; 06:27PM - Hawaii Action
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Category: Hawaii
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Author Name: Stan Wright
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Thursday, May 21, 2009
Light Kona winds, clouds drifting in and out, water clarity 2 to 3 feet....
and the peacock bass were spawning.
Near Mikimiki Flats, the small shad were leaping from the water to escape the schooling peacock bass. Red Devils lined the shallows. Decisions, decisions.
A schooling size peacock bass.
[url=http://www.postimage.org/][img]http://www.postimage.org/aVd5C0r.jpg[/img][/url]
It wasn't the wild and sustained bust like we'll see later in the year, but enough action from 1 to 2 pounders to keep us interested.
They love anything gold.
[url=http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=PqqHjc9][img]http://www.postimage.org/PqqHjc9.jpg[/img][/url]
When the schooling action slowed, we drifted closer to shore picking up a few big red devils. Every so often a peacock bass would dart in from the depths to grab the small red devil flys. We were seeing lots of fish.
Big Male Red Devil. They average from 3/4 to 1 pound in weight.
[url=http://www.postimage.org/][img]http://www.postimage.org/aVdv1n9.jpg[/img][/url]
Larger spawning fish were our target so we moved along, scanning the shallow water. (A good pair of polarized sunglasses is a must if you want to see the fish.... if you can't see e'm, you can't catch e'm.) It didn't take long. Those big boys don't like anything swimming near their nest. A minnow looking artificial fly anywhere near a spawning pair of peacock bass draws some vicious strikes. The big bump on it's head identifies this 4 pounder as a male. Unlike largemouth, the male fish is always larger than the female.
[url=http://www.postimage.org/][img]http://www.postimage.org/aVdJLgi.jpg[/img][/url]
Aloha,
Stan
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May 18, 2009; 10:42AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 11-17, 2009
Notes: The number of tourists in Cabo is still far under the normal for this time of year and yet we have had no reports of swine flu in our region at all. Add the fact that we are far from the border and the drug wars and everyone here is wondering what we need to do to get things turned around. Hopefully over time things will change, and before everyone here goes broke! If you wanted to go fishing this week for anything other than Striped Marlin you needed to go in a Panga on the Pacific side, offshore there were only billfish. Scroll on down for more information on the different species this week. Until next week, tight lines!
WEATHER: The week started with pretty steady winds from the west-northwest. I was out fishing in a Panga on Tuesday and the wind was blowing steady until about 9 am, and then the fog rolled in and the wind died down. Morning low was in the mid 60’s with the daytime highs in the mid 80’s. A few days later, and as a matter of fact through the rest of the week, the fog continued to move in, and not on a regular basis. At the end of the week the nighttime lows had risen to the mid 70’s and the daytime highs to the high 80’s, the wind had died down and the fog had finally stopped.
WATER: At the beginning of the week that cold water plume that ran along the shore on the Pacific side continued to keep near shore water at a cool 60 degrees, but as the week continued the current slacked off and warmer water from the Sea of Cortez pushed its way to the lighthouse and slightly beyond. On the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks the water remained between 65-67 degrees. On the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape the water near the beach was 75 degrees while at the 1150 and east it warmed to 80 degrees. Pacific waters were rough early in the week and became more comfortable later on, in the Cortez early in the week getting home was a wet trip as the winds really kicked things up after noon, but later on it was nice all day long.
BAIT: Bait was a little rough to get this week as the Caballito were fairly large and most of the fish that were caught were caught on lures. Everyone that could get live bait bought some though, as you never know if thy might make the difference between a good trip and a skunk flag at the end. Caballito were the normal $3 per bait, but some of the bait guys tried to sneak in half-dead fish or the small jacks instead, so you really had to watch out.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin showed up again from the 1150 to the Cabrillo Seamount, and they were there in pretty good numbers. They did not show much interest in live bait, most of fish came in pretty aggressively to lures, they just played with them and turned their bills away from live bait that was dropped back into the pattern. Boats where the mates and Captains worked the lures, teasing the fish into eating what they were already focused on, had best results. Boats that went for the Striped Marlin averaged 2 fish per boat with some getting up to four releases per trip.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again I did not hear of any boats getting into anything close to home except for a few small football fish that may have gotten lost!
DORADO: A few scattered Dorado were caught this week by boats working the beach on the Cortez side, but with the water warming up there may be a better bite in the week to come.
WAHOO: What Wahoo?
INSHORE: Fishing from a Panga was the way to go this week and the cold water on the Pacific side did not deter the fish from biting. I fished just to the north of the lighthouse on Tuesday and we caught 16 firecracker Yellowtail and lost one that surely felt much larger. Later in the week the Pargo started to show up as well and the catch became a mixed bag. On the Cortez side there were scattered Sierra between Cabo and San Jose and past San Jose they were getting into some decent Bonita.
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May 18, 2009; 10:08AM - Chinook and Steelhead On The Same Day
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Category: Canada
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Author Name: Noel Gyger
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The photo of the week shows a very happy client of Gill McKean’s of Westcoast Fishing Adventures with a beautiful Steelhead landed with his fly rod.
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Noel Gyger – Guided Fishing Adventures and Weekly Fishing Report
4012 Best Street, Terrace BC V8G 5R8, Canada
Tel/Fax: (250) 635-2568
Cell: (250) 631-2678
E-mail: noel@noelgyger.ca
Home Page: www.noelgyger.ca
Fishing Reports: www.noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
RECORD SALMON & STEELHEAD Spin or fly-fishing
RIVER, LAKE, STREAM or OCEAN!!!
RSS feed News Bulletin www.noelgyger.ca/newbulletin001.xml
RSS feed Podcast www.noelgyger.ca/itunes.ca
Follow Noel Gyger updates on Twitter http://twitter.com/guided_fishing
================================
Home Page: www.noelgyger.ca
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated May 10 – May 17, 2009
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: The weather has been a mixed bag of sun, rain and wind. Both upper and lower sections of Kalum River are high but in good shape. The first Chinook are in the river now. This time of year I like to remind folks of the great possibilities of angling for both Steelhead and Chinook (King) Salmon on the same day. The mainstem Skeena River is too dirty and not fishable. A good place to fish is at the clean seams where the tributary rivers flow into the Skeena. The Zymoetz (Copper) River is too dirty to fish. The Chinook are coming into the Kitimat River now. For the Kitimat River and Douglas Channel please check out the detailed Ron Wakita report below.
May 16, 2009 One New! Podcast #0013 is posted on Podcast www.noelgyger.ca/podcast.htm
WELCOME to my podcast! The category for this show is: Meet the 'best' river fishing guides. The guide today is Mike Herzberg of Kitimat BC. The show, 8:48 minutes in length, starts off with a photo of Mike and his drift boat and moves on to show him with friends and clients with some big fish. The last two photos show a huge 45 inch Chum (Dog) Salmon landed and released by his client Carmen from Switzerland. Mike talks about this fish in the audio portion of this podcast. I hope you enjoy the show! Cast here www.noelgyger.ca/podcast.htm
for a direct link to the podcast.
LIST OF “New” ITEMS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:
- One New item posted on 'Conservation' May 17/09
- One New podcast posted on 'Podcast' May 16/09
- One New item posted on 'Conservation' May 14/09
NOW BOOKING: Let me know if I can be of service to book you with the 'best' fishing guide and/or fishing lodges for both river and ocean. There are NO extra charges to book through me, just a lot of free information and advice from a person with years and years of fishing and fish guiding experience. It is like hiring two guides for the price of one. I will promptly answer your questions and concerns. Cast here http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to read more of what I have to offer.
Many people book three trips per year to our area; one trip in the spring (March-April-May), one trip in the summer (June-July-August) and one trip in the fall (September-October-November). They love having the same guide but fishing for different fish in different areas.
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for news bulletins, mid week fishing updates, conservation, my history, quality waters strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, podcasts, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles, archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002 and a sportfishing market place. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction. I am at your service.
FISHING GUIDE REPORTS FOR THIS WEEK ARE FROM:
Ron Wakita
Chad Black
Tracey Hittel
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT: Chinook (King) Salmon, Steelhead and Trout for river. Salmon, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks.
FISHING THIS WEEK: -GOOD-
LARGEST FISH OF THE WEEK: Specie: Where: Angler:
WEATHER: Showers. Wind south 40 to 60 km/h diminishing to 20 this morning. High 10. Sunrise 5:25 AM Sunset 9:36 PM. Today’s yearly average temperatures: Maximum 17 degrees. Minimum 6 degrees.
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
SKEENA RIVER: Is too dirty and not fishable. Fishing the clean seams of the tributary rivers is also a good idea.
KALUM RIVER: Is high and in good shape. Good numbers of Steelhead are in the river now. Spring runs of Steelhead are still coming in with the higher water. Fishing for them with fly or spin tackle works well. Fresh early run Chinook (King) Salmon are in the river now.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Is too dirty to fish.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
Cast on link below to view flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/ads/Apri 14_2009_INStore_Fishing_Specials_FLYER.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: The Kitimat River has been low and clean this week which has provided excellent steelhead fishing conditions all week.
Steelhead fishing started to heat up last Sunday which was Mother's Day. Mother's Day was also good for fathers such as Tomy Canton fishing with his daughter Laura. They caught a beautiful Steelhead. I discovered later that Laura's Mom also went on the fishing trip. Congratulations to the Canton family especially since Mom received an added bonus of a Kitimat Hatchery Steelhead on Mother's Day.
Hi Tomy: Wow! Nice fish! Great Job Dad! Dad and Daughter fishing trip. Laura will remember this for years! How did you get to go fishing on 'Mother's Day' you clever guy. I usually said that I would take the kids for the day to give their Mom a break. Thank You for the photos. I will submit your photo to Noel for consideration for photo of the week or for an update. It will definitely be in my report! Once again congratulations to Dad and daughter! Thank You so much for submitting the photos. Sincerely Ron
Mother's Day was also good for my son Corey and I as we hooked seven Steelhead and landed two. Corey who just turned fifteen years old is starting to row the driftboat on his own. Corey started rowing the driftboat when he was twelve and steering the saltwater boat since he was ten. Corey and I have an agreement that if he is steering or rowing when we hook a fish everyone in the boat especially his Dad must call him 'Captain Corey'. Corey was rowing when I hooked a chrome Steelhead on my fly rod. I lost it when she took her first run but Corey had certainly done his job. Well Done 'Captain Corey'
Donny Webber reports hooking five Steelhead on a fly landing two of them in the Kitimat Hatchery run. Donny has been hooking these Steelhead on a pink krystal flash fly. It just occurred to me to include a photo which I will do in next week's report. Many other anglers were having good success at the Hatchery run.
Ariel Kuppers, Derek Downey and Jessie Houston drifted on Tuesday, May 12th and they hooked five Steelhead, landing two of them. They hooked all of these Steelhead on hotshots. Congratulations guys!
Mike Herzberg of Reliable Guide and Charters also drifted on Tuesday. Mike drifted by himself and hooked five Steelhead landing four of them. Mike hooked all of these on hotshots and landed these Steelhead by himself which is majorly challenging. Well done Mike!
Tomy Canton reports hooking seven Steelhead on May 14th and landed five of them. 'Only during the morning I hooked 7 steelheads and landed 5. I stopped fishing during the afternoon because the last fish was a hatchery so, I kept it. It was an amazing day:)'. Congratulations Tomy on an outstanding day of Steelheading.
Corey, Art Hackler and I drifted Friday morning and we hooked four Steelhead and landed two. We shared a pool with Noel Gyger who was fishing with Mike Herzberg. I consider Mike and Noel to be very good friends and I am honored to be associated with them in the Fishing Industry.
Noel reports' I think we landed 3 (maybe four I can't remember) and had a bunch more chances ' It was nice to see Noel on the Kitimat River who after so many years in the fishing industry still 'Loves to Fish'. Noel's passion for fishing has brought Noel into the Cyber world of the internet. Noel deserves public recognition for evolving a website that profiles 'Fishing in the North West' to global status. As many of you readers can attest to, Noel's website brings 'Fishing in the Northwest' onto computer screens around the world. Noel pioneered the drift boat on the Kitimat and Kalum Rivers. Noel has helped so many people evolve in the Fishing Industry. I am proud to be associated with Noel Gyger and his website. Thank You for the kind words on your podcast. Readers interested in viewing Mike Herzberg's profile please visit the recent podcast on Noel's Webpage: http://www.noelgyger.ca/podcast.htm
I drifted with Al Smith and Martin Golhke on Saturday with the river level coming up. Al lost a Steelhead on tackle with a double egg rig. I lost one on my fly rod and then Martin lost one on a hotshot. I have a personal challenge I call the 'Triple Crown' It includes landing a Steelhead using a fly, landing another using tackle and the third landed using hot shots. We had the 'Triple Crown' on the rods but went zero for three. Such is the life in the fishing world but using the three methods effectively fishes the different types of water that the Steelhead hold in. We managed to land the fourth fish on the hotshots. Both hits on the hot shots were on a special colour that I had Luhr Jensen custom paint for us.
Anglers are reminded that the 'Bait Ban' came into effect on May 15th. There is some confusion amongst anglers that think that the Kitimat River closes for Steelhead May 15th. The Kitimat River does not close May 15th, the Bait Ban is effect May 15th. Steelheading is still very good on the Kitimat River as the results in this report demonstrate. The river height has come up overnight and at the time of submitting this report the Kitimat River is starting to dirty. Stay tuned to Noel's Twitter as I will update.
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: The May Long weekend is enjoyed by many boaters on the Douglas Channel, in fact for many groups it is an annual event. Mother Nature did not cooperate with some rain and winds in the forecast. This did not deter many of the boaters I spoke to on Friday as they were still planning to go. We also have some of our Charter Boats doing some 'pre season' trips and doing some personal fishing prior to the Charter season.
Considering that this is a long weekend most of the boats are not due back to the dock until Sunday or Monday.
Stay Tuned to this report for the fishing results of this weekend.
Our tackle Store: City Centre Hardware and Sporting Goods has many preseason specials. Please click here to view our New! Updated instore flyer http://www.noelgyger.ca/ads/Apri 14_2009_INStore_Fishing_Specials_FLYER.pdf It has some “HOT” deals!
Thank You to all who contributed to this report.
I hope every one has a safe and productive May Long Weekend!
Tight Lines, Silver Fish and Big Smiles.
Ron Wakita
Fishing Report from: Tracey Hittel of Steelhead Heaven
Spey Fishing for Skeena Steelhead May Report Kitimat Region
As predicted the past 10 days have been the highlight of the season for our guests. Making predictions for Steelhead on the fly is a dangerous choice of words, so let’s say we had to produce the past few weeks.
Attached are a few of the monsters we captured on the spey. Mr. Yamada a regular at Steelhead Heaven landed and hooked into 1-4 fish per day, a dream come true for any angler on the fly. Not to mention watching as 100m of backing line is pulled off his reel, twice! And landing both fish. Patience is the name of the game here and let’s not kid ourselves, luck as well. Yamada also fished with a 30ft Japanese telescopic rod with no reel, a traditional and very old technique used only by Japanese anglers. Last year he broke a rod on a big fish and this year he pulled out a few nice ones as well. Again fly selection was key to the Spey fisherman as Yamada chose Pink and was rewarded each pass he fished a special pool that we targeted for consecutive days.
When you are a fishing guide your client will follow your direction as he feels you know the water and the pools the best. Well sometimes we are right on the head with pool selection as high water conditions mean the fish are moving, so why move as the fish will come to you and that is exactly what we did. The key to success is first finding the fish, then once you do that, don’t leave the fish, target the pool and stick with you guns and you will be rewarded. This lesson I learned this spring when fishing some very productive water for 2 hrs without a bite thinking the fish are not there, then having a dyed in the wool bait fisher pass thru and smack three fish, so do not give up on your selection of water, change flies, sink tips etc until you get a fish, then the others will follow.
Another great week was with Tomio, his 3rd trip for Steelhead on the Spey, this trip he will never forget. Fishing a black intruder he fooled 5 Steelhead in one day and snapped one of them off. Again fly selection was key as the pink flies did not work but when he changed to a black the game was on. Tomio is an excellent Spey caster and when you fish with T-14 and other sinking tips your cast has to be perfect. Tomio hooked 10 fish in 3 days and commented to his friends before leaving that he would get a 3 fish day, we'll Tomio your friends can eat crow now. Attached is a pic of Tomio and a small taste of his trip.
Guests Sara and Cristian from Italy, spent some days with us and Cristian landed a chrome bar on his single hand fly rod.
The Diva of the season was Mrs. Hak who landed her first Steelhead on the Spey and was top rod for the week, in a very cold and snowy week. With the tough times we face this season with the credit crunch we were fortunate to have a nice group of Steelheaders and look forward to our August to October Steelheaders who have booked for the autumn season.
Now that the middle of May is closing in on us, so are the Chinooks and they are trickling in small numbers. A friend told me that he saw a fly angler with an ultra-light set-up, reel in a 25lber on the Kitimat River yesterday, fresh from the ocean.
June and July is peak for Saltwater and Freshwater Chinook out of Kitimat and July and August to the 6th for Skeena record fish.
Space is limited for the summer fishing season so please let us know noel@noelgyger.ca if we can book you a trip. Tracey John Hittel
Fishing Report from: Chad Black of Nicholas Dean Lodge
Remote Coastal Steelhead fishing at its best! Sonja Sorbo hooked this huge 20 lb buck in a deep pocket at the head of a shallow riffle on one of our favourite small streams. Dustin Kovacvich Photo
Hello Anglers, After a break in my fishing reports over the last while, I'm back with much exciting news! First off, I must formally congratulate Dustin and his wife Ruby, on their new addition to the family, Cayleigh Marie Kovacvich. Cayleigh was born on March 22, 2009 around 6:30 am, and weighed 7 lbs, 1 ounce. I'm happy to report that Cayleigh, Ruby and Dustin are doing well, and that as of this writing, Cayleigh does not yet have a fly rod in her hands, but given a few more months, I'm sure that she'll have the double spey down before she can say Daddy! Be sure to check out our updated blog site at www.nicholasdean.blogspot.com to see photos of Cayleigh, Ruby and Dustin, along with other updated fishing news.
Our Spring Steelhead opener during the last week of March posed difficult angling conditions, as we were greeted with temperatures well below zero and river levels very low and clear. Many of our favourite pools and holding water were virtually inaccessible by usual means, unless anglers were willing to embark on lengthy and often challenging hikes through snow up to one's waist. Now, as most anglers can probably attest, the measure of a good guide and lodge can often be judged on how hard its staff work to ensure clients have an enjoyable trip, and one that maximizes angling opportunity which, in these conditions, was no easy feat! To get around this, we simply had to improvise. Our solution: a snowmobile placed strategically at the take out location, to ferry clients and our 12' Aire rafts up the river valley and a farmer's field, to trucks waiting nearby. Not an easy day by any stretch, but realistically, this logistical maneouvre made all the difference, as most fish were caught mid way through the drift in deep, slower moving pools that afforded Steelhead some security. Taft Ring, a new client of ours, fared out best during these tough conditions, with several Steelhead landed during the week, the largest of which was in the 22 lb range. Taft had a particularly deft touch when it came to manipulating his fly on the swing - most of his grabs occurred just after twitching his rod tip, to animate his fly in the slow moving currents. Congratulations Taft, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!
Certainly one of the highlights this Spring was having the opportunity to fish and spend time with renowned angler, Lani Waller. It is obvious that Lani is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the subject of Steelhead fly fishing, and he conveys this knowledge and a love of Steelhead quite well through his stories, accumulated over many years spent on the water. His new book, entitled 'A Steelheader's Way' is a great read, and one that combines Lani's advanced knowledge of Steelhead fly fishing tactics, with a unique philosophical perspective on Steelhead. I highly recommend adding Lani's book to your personal library if you're a serious Steelhead angler. Lani can be reached at www.laniwaller.com.
Finally, I'm pleased to say that we've now made the transition to spectacular Yellow Cedar Lodge (www.yellowcedarlodge.ca)! This move has been a long time in the making for us, and we have been extremely impressed with the accommodations, service, and dining provided for our guests by Alf and Simone Leslie. Riverfront mountain views, private rooms with ensuite washrooms, amenities including a hot tub, sauna, games room and patio, and spectacularly prepared meals all combine to give guests a 5 star appeal. Paired up with the unparalleled knowledge our guides have of our local waters, Steelhead and Salmon fishing trips simply don't get much better. For those of you who would like a little more information on Yellow Cedar Lodge, or our first class fishing packages, please contact me or Noel Gyger noel@noelgyger.ca today.
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels...
Chad Black, Operations Manager. Nicholas Dean Lodge
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: Skeena River, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: Skeena River, 27-pounds.
FISHING REGULATIONS WEBSITES:
2007-2009 BC tidal waters and freshwater Salmon fishing information:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010
2008-2009 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011 (Note regs good for two years)
GUEST FISHING PHOTOS:
*** If any of you have special fishing photos, testimonials, scenic river photos, wildlife photos or articles I would love to see them.
Catch & Release formula:
- Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by 1000 (inches)
- Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
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NEW Cast here http://www.noelgyger.ca/articles/apr-13_2009-sales-special-halibut.net.doc to check out some super deals for Halibut tackle from Halibut.net
GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
Yours sincerely,
Noel F. Gyger
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May 18, 2009; 10:07AM - Tofino B.C. Vancouver Island May Report
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Category: [other]
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Author Name: Jay Mohl
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May 15th Sport Fishing update Tofino/Clayoquot Sound B.C.
With recent weather patterns providing a day to day mix of all types, springtime conditions may be a little delayed, but not totally abnormal.
Also a little later than normal, the Tofino sport fishing conditions and opportunities for Chinook Salmon and Halibut were slowed a bit by the mixed weather conditions, as well as the anticipated wait for the first strong runs of transient Chinook Salmon heading south past the coastline of Clayoquot Sound. The springtime waiting game is over on many fronts, with timely indicators prevalent in many areas both on land and sea. During the same time that local Cherry trees blossom, and the Black bears roam the hillsides and beaches in search of their spring forage, there are also many ocean indicators that help notify anglers that the “Spring Season” is upon us. Local Fishermen know the Salmon are here or near when current indicators at sea are so obvious. Acres upon acres of Krill or Plankton a short distance offshore have created massive clouds of the nutrient rich base food source for most local aquatic species. Amazing numbers of Humpback whales, marine mammals and birds, as well as aggressively feeding Chinook salmon, Halibut and various other fish species are currently enjoying one of nature’s best spring-time offerings. On a very positive note, there have been reports from many areas of the coast that the plankton abundance is extremely strong, supporting many marine species.
Over the past week in the Tofino/ Clayoquot Sound area, Chinook salmon fishing has increased dramatically, with consistent action and catches for those to enjoy the best tasting salmon of the season. Most Chinook Salmon have been caught offshore from Tofino approximately 4-6 miles, while trolling near clouds of bait like the pre-mentioned Plankton, as well schools of commonly abundant Needlefish. On the tougher weather days, the salmon fishing inshore has been very good as well, with spots very near Tofino harbour, creating close and reliable option. The offshore areas for Salmon fishing have also been hot spots for Halibut fishing, with many Halibut being caught while trolling for Salmon. To catch Halibut this way is not uncommon, especially when trolling with baits like Anchovies or Herring near the bottom. Coho Salmon are also starting to show up, with these likely being the start of the Columbia River summer run of Coho that is anticipated to be extremely strong over the next three to Four months.
With nature serving up a mixed bag of weather as we approach summer, it is much easier to take with the great fishing we have been waiting for, and the great fishing forecast ahead for the 2009 season.
Don’t hesitate to contact us for further details and information for your next fishing adventure in the Tofino area.
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May 16, 2009; 08:30AM - Flu you…Fish Bite Anyway!
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Endless Season Update 05/14/2009
REPORT #1166 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
There have been very few guests at any of the hotels to enjoy the continued good fishing. Even without any reported cases of swine flu in Baja, it’s taken its toll.
If you can handle the heat, the beach has been producing plenty of jacks with some roosters mixed in including some larger class Bubbas above twenty-five pounds…also ladyfish, pompano and a few pargo.
Boats fishing along the shore found plenty of action near the rock reefs near Punta Colorada which included few good sized grouper and pargo as well as jacks and roosters. A bit farther out, there are some huge skipjack breezing on small sardina.
Out in the bluewater, boats lucky enough to find something floating usually found dorado under it and some are large up to thirty five pounds.
As the water warms up, the sails have begun to be seen mixed in with the marlin. Also an occasional swordfish pops up and few even bite.
Water temperature 72-78
Air temperature 64-94
Humidity 62%
Wind: ESE 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Plenty of wind and whitecaps made this a good week to fish the esteros and what do you know… the leopard grouper cooperated; none of them were huge but a few were up in the 10 pound range. Of course there were five spotted bay bass for every grouper. On the surface the orange mouthed corvina were eating small poppers.
Out at Cabo San Lazzaro there were yellows up to a Baja 12 lb. which by most standards are still firecracker class. Last and maybe least there were some small halibut hanging out in the shallows off the sand beaches.
Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 61 -98
Humidity 67 %
Wind: WNW 13 to 18 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:42 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:03 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The fishing is picking up this week. There are very few clients, but the action on the yellowfin tuna has been excellent. Basically it is just the commercial pangueros who are doing most of the fishing for the tuna. With the blue water moving in to the 18 mile mark, the tuna were between 18 and 20 miles. But, reports are circulating that the bite is shutting off and they have moved out to about 40 miles. This is typical, and they should move back in close again within a few days. A few blue marlin are also being taken and the fleet is averaging one or two sailfish a day per boat.
There is still excellent action on the jack crevalle, and the roosterfish are making their long awaited arrival. There has been some very good roosterfish action reported down about 18 miles in the Petalan region.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 78-105
Humidity 68%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:11 p.m. DST
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May 11, 2009; 11:51AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 4-10, 2009
Notes: There are still no reported cases of the Swine Flu here in the Baja, but tourist numbers have remained low anyway. So come to Cabo to escape Swine Flu! Just as was the case last week the report this week is based on very low numbers of boats going out. We are still seeing a few whales here and there but they are pretty much done for the year.
WEATHER: It was pretty nice during most of the week with light and scattered clouds, the daytime highs in the mid 80’s and nighttime lows in the mid 60’s. At the end of the week clouds moved into our area, coming in from the southwest and they were heralded by some pretty strong winds on Saturday. With wind speeds at 25 miles per hour all day long and a heavy cover of clouds it felt as if it might rain, but all we had was about 10 minutes of a light mist.
WATER: The Pacific side was a tough way to go this week as they weather system made its way toward us. The winds have been pushing the swells all week long and early in the week you knew that something was on it’s was as the swells went overhead. A few boats that went out toward the San Jaime Bank reported that conditions were similar to “victory at sea” film clips. It was not comfortable out there and the water was cool as well with surface temperatures in the 67-degree area at the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Banks. Closer to shore on the Pacific side there was a band of cold water pushing its way south along the beach. This cold water was 61 degrees and ran from the beach to three miles out all along the Pacific side, finally turning off to the southwest at the lighthouse. Between the band of cold water and the 95 spot on the Cortez side of the Cape the water slowly warmed up to 72 degrees, and once you went east of there it quickly warmed to 77 degrees. The cold water was also very green with the green slowly fading the warmer the water became.
BAIT: There was bait available at the normal $3 each with the small Barred Jacks being more prevalent than any other type of bait. These make good cut bait but I don’t care for them for much else. There were a few Mackerel, but there were not very many Caballito, both due to the cold water and the full moon. There were supposed to be Sardinas available up in San Jose, but I also heard that their availability was on “who you know “ basis.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: Reports have some Striped Marlin showing up at the Punta Gorda and north of there, in the warmer water. We caught one this week on the Outer Gorda Bank and had another one on the same trip come into the pattern and swirl on a lure. There were plenty of small Skipjack on the bank as well as common Pacific Dolphin. We went as far as Vinorama without seeing any other fish but I had some friends tell me I should have gone about 10 miles farther north. A couple of boats reported seeing Swordfish on the surface around the 95 spot on Thursday but no one was able to get a bite.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I did not hear of any boats getting into the Tuna this week locally, but did hear of one boat making a transit from Mazatlan that got into some nice fish about 80 miles from us. The fish were in the 50-pound class and they caught a dozen or so of them.
DORADO: There were scattered Dorado this week and perhaps 50% of the boats out there were able to get a hook into one of them. These fish were scattered on the Cortez side of the Cape and until we get some floating debris in our area there are not likely to be any large catches.
WAHOO: The full moon brought about a few hungry Wahoo up around the Punta Gorda area and the Inman Banks area. The usual high speed swimming plugs did not work as well as slow trolled or drifted live bait, but that may have been because more anglers were slow trolling or drifting, huh?
INSHORE: Inshore fishing was almost non-existent on the Pacific side as wind and swells kept getting stronger and larger, the water became colder and got greener. The action on the Cortez side made up for it a bit though with some decent Yellowtail to 25 pounds being found off of the rocky points as well as some nice Sierra to 9-10 pounds. A scattering of other fish in the mix such as Amberjack, small Roosterfish, Pargo and Grouper made for some interesting trips on the Pangas.
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May 9, 2009; 09:25AM - Crowds Light…Fish Bite
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Endless Season Update 05/07/2009
REPORT #1165 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
As I write this report the biggest impact of the swine flu is the lack of tourists. There are still no cases of swine flu in Baja Sur. For my take, read the cover story in this week’s WON. http://tiny.cc/i5K3z
Water temps continue to climb and the weather is great – winds are nice and calm in the mornings with very nominal afternoon winds and fishing is awesome! The striped marlin are everywhere! Running in packs of three or four and performing their aerial jumps for everyone's benefit, including their own!
Another bonus this week was the landing of a swordfish by Mark Rayor on his birthday from his boat, Jen Wren. More on this to come.
The photo below is from Lance Peterson. Lance said, “Fed a few (roosterfish) on Cinco de Mayo. This one was the best of the bunch. Since then it's been tough. Maybe I'm crazy...but perhaps it has something to do with the gill nets I've seen lately? Two nights ago a panga came in after sunset and set one right along the beach near our house. Yesterday I saw two groups of men swimming with gill nets to set them along the beach near the park boundary south of the Lighthouse (Miramar). The 'authorities' are busy checking fishing licenses at East Cape while these guys run amok and do untold damage to the fishery. It’s frustrating to say the least.”
Dorado are being found up and down the East Cape, either free swimming or under almost anything floating - including dead sea lions. Near Punta Pescadero, a whale carcass was located that provided limits of dorado for several days. Some in the 50 to 60 pound range were reported over the days the carcass was seen. Another reported carcass was north off the Sierra Verde (slide rock area) that was also holding lots of dorado. Fishermen heading either north or south were having no trouble reaching their limit on dorado.
Late season sierra mackerel are still around and those being caught have been ‘grandes’.
Lots of sardina available and those with some ballyhoo rigs are doing better with their marlin catch and release.
Water temperature 72-77
Air temperature 65-95
Humidity 58%
Wind: S 1 to 1 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:41 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
The water has begun warming up which has improved fishing conditions for yellows, tuna, dorado and skipjack just a few miles outside the Entrada and Boca Santa Domingo all the way to the Thetis Bank.
In the Esteros there are a few snook up to 10 pounds along with some mangrove snapper and leopard grouper from 5 to 10 pound class.
The scallop season is now in full swing and will continue for the next few months.
Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 65 -96
Humidity 50 %
Wind: WNW 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:46 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:00 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Cool water is still the controlling factor, with the blue water moving even further out this week. Six miles off the beach, the water is 76º at the 100 fathom line and only 80º at the 1,000 fathom line (30 miles).
Even though there are very few marlin, sailfish and dorado being taken. A very large area of yellowfin tuna has been located at 26 miles. Most of the tuna are averaging between 35 and 45 pounds, with a few larger ones down below the large schools of smaller fish.
Inshore action is still very good for jack crevalle, sierras, chulas, and black skipjack tuna.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 73-85
Humidity 83%
Wind: WSW at 12kt
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:09p.m. DST
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May 5, 2009; 11:32AM - Skeena River Guided Fly Fishing
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Category: Canada
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Author Name: Noel Gyger
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The photo of the week shows Marc Girard, an associate guide for Reliable Guide and Charters, with a beautiful Kitimat River wild Steelhead. Photo by Ron Wakita
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Noel Gyger – Guided Fishing Adventures and Weekly Fishing Report
4012 Best Street, Terrace BC V8G 5R8, Canada
Tel/Fax: (250) 635-2568
Cell: (250) 631-2678
E-mail: noel@noelgyger.ca
Home Page: www.noelgyger.ca
Fishing Reports: www.noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
RECORD SALMON & STEELHEAD Spin or fly-fishing
RIVER, LAKE, STREAM or OCEAN!!!
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Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated April 26 – May 3, 2009
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: The weather has been good all week with average daytime temperatures and lots of sun until it rained overnight. The rivers are on the rise as more snow melt comes down. The run-off has come down slowly so there is no danger of flooding yet. Both upper and lower sections of Kalum River are in good shape. The first Chinook are in the river now. This time of year I like to remind folks of the great possibilities of angling for both Steelhead and Chinook (King) Salmon on the same day. The main stem Skeena River is dirty and not fishable. Best places to fish now are at the clean seams where the tributary rivers flow into the Skeena. For the Kitimat River and Douglas Channel please check out the Ron Wakita report below.
When May comes around I cannot help but think of Chinook (King) Salmon on the Kalum River. Actually, this is the time, everything being normal, when you can catch both Steelhead and Chinook on the same day. Cast here http://www.noelgyger.ca/articles/Articles-May-2nd-on-the-Kalum-by-Noel.doc to read an article I wrote about on such a day. The guides still have a few days open so if you are interested in booking a trip contact me noel@noelgyger.ca anytime.
An important message from Alexandra Morton: Here in British Columbia we are in the last two weeks of electing a Provincial government and this will have critical affect on wild salmon due to privatization of rivers and ocean spaces, even schools of fish. Many of you received responses from the BC government currently in power, the “Liberals,” headed by Premier Gordon Campbell. They said the BC government is not allowed to intervene in the Appeal of the Constitutional Challenge I won regarding fish farms. This is not correct they do have this power. I have written a response on the website www.adopt-a-fry.org It is becoming very clear that while the current BC government has allowed the salmon feedlots to expand despite the science, public outcry and impact on rural economies they realize they are a political liability and thus are making every effort to distance themselves from the industry.
There are simple answers to this mess which now threatens the entire eastern Pacific and the BC economy. Aquaculture is not the problem, the problem is lack of political will. Alaskan salmon have political will on their side and they are thriving.
For those of you in B.C. please view this film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPuJfbS2qMY and vote. The existence of wild salmon depends very much on this election.
LIST OF “New” ITEMS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:
- One New item posted on 'Conservation' May 2/09
- Two New items posted on 'Special Guided Fishing Trips' May 1/09
- One New item posted on 'Conservation' April 30/09
- Two New items posted on 'Conservation' April 28/09
NOW BOOKING: Let me know if I can be of service to book you with the 'best' fishing guide and/or fishing lodges for both river and ocean. There are NO extra charges to book through me, just a lot of free information and advice from a person with years and years of fishing and fish guiding experience. It is like hiring two guides for the price of one. I will promptly answer your questions and concerns. Cast here http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to read more of what I have to offer.
Many people book three trips per year to our area; one trip in the spring (March-April-May), one trip in the summer (June-July-August) and one trip in the fall (September-October-November). They love having the same guide but fishing for different fish in different areas.
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for news bulletins, mid week fishing updates, conservation, my history, quality waters strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, podcasts, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles, archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002 and a sportfishing market place. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction. I am at your service.
FISHING GUIDE REPORTS FOR THIS WEEK ARE FROM:
Ron Wakita
Gill McKean
Todd Haynes
Tracey Hittel
Chad Black
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT: Steelhead and Trout for river. Salmon, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks.
FISHING THIS WEEK: - GOOD -
LARGEST FISH OF THE WEEK: Specie: 20-pound Steelhead Where: Kitimat River Angler: Ariel Kuppers
WEATHER: A few showers ending early this afternoon then cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. Wind south 40 to 60 km/h diminishing to 20 this morning then becoming light this afternoon. High 15. Sunrise 5:52 AM Sunset 8:11 PM. Today’s yearly average temperatures: Maximum 16 degrees. Minimum 4 degrees.
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
SKEENA RIVER: Is too dirty to fish. Fishing the clean seams of the tributary rivers is a good idea now.
KALUM RIVER: Is in good shape and rising slowly. Good numbers of Steelhead are in the river now. Spring runs of Steelhead should be coming in. Fishing for them with fly or spin tackle works well. Fresh early run Chinook (King) Salmon are expected anytime. We have caught them around mid April. Chinook have been seen rolling in the lower river.
April Vokey, Andrea Charlton and Rob Vodola invited me to go fishing with them on the Kalum River yesterday. First day out for the girls was a little slow as fly tackle had to be arranged and set-up. They have another 5 days of fishing to do so I am certain things will turn around. Rob had a huge male Steelhead close to landing with his spey rod but the hook pulled out last second. April Vokey is a fishing guide based out of Chilliwack, BC. In addition to fish guiding, she specializes in fly-casting instructionals, workshops, wilderness camps and ladies clothing. Her company is Flygal Ventures www.flygal.ca
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Is too dirty to fish.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters.
Cast on link below to view TACKLE STORE flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/ads/Apri 14_2009_INStore_Fishing_Specials_FLYER.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: Kitimat River Steelhead are in full swing with lots of Steelhead being caught. This has been a 'Great Steelhead season so far with some steelhead caught weighing over twenty lbs, one pushing thirty pounds. Wow ! And the weather has been outstanding! Just when we thought that the Steelhead season was going good, the hot weather started to bring the river level up and the Kitimat River started to murk up a bit. The Kitimat River very seldom becomes unfishable due to snow melt but the higher, murky water will present some challenges. Anglers simply need to adjust to the conditions. Float fishers need to lengthen the float and use some roe, Hot shotters may have to fish a larger size and Fly Fishers may have to change the sink tips and possibly change to different flies. All anglers should be making some kind of adjustments. If the right adjustments are made sometimes Steelheading can still be very good...The weather is forecast for cooler temperatures so conditions will improve.
Early in the week the conditions were really good and accordingly the catch rates were also very good. I drifted Sunday evening with two fishing partners Al and Martin. Al hooked and lost two Steelhead and Martin landed a Hatchery Steelhead which he retained. (More important details about hatchery Steelhead later in this report)
James Botrokoff is a Kitimat Resident who moved to Edmonton to work and is back home fishing with his father Anthony. It is a wonderful scenario to watch a father and son share the passion for fishing. There is always a bit of competition involved, sometimes a little trash talking and even some of those 'Grass Hopper' lessons that a son must often have to listen to. Some of the fondest memories I have of my father are our family fishing trips. James has been home fishing from April 25th to April 28th and he has landed eleven steelhead and his father, Anthony has landed four. The official scoring has the son James ahead in the count since he has had more time to fish but James' catch results are actually a complement to the 'teacher.'
Another father/son fishing team fishing the Kitimat River are my good friends, Wayne Van Velzen and son Eric. In the past week Wayne has landed ten steelhead and Eric has landed four including one over twenty pounds on a fly. Eric is fly fishing most of the time and with all due respect to Wayne's very good results I would score Eric’s catch higher since they have been on the fly. This will make for interesting whiskey conversation around their camp fire. Wayne brought his good friend Bob who landed his first Steelhead on Wednesday and Eric brought his good friend Peter (Greg) who I drifted with on Thursday morning. We hooked two Steelhead and Peter caught and released a Hatchery Steelhead. Wayne and his friend Bob also landed a Steelhead Thursday morning.
Rob Vodola and Mike Herzberg drifted the Kitimat April 28th from the Sawmill down to the Pumphouse. Had a great drift, going 6 for 6. Rob landed two float fishing. All fish were released, all were wild. The five does ranged from 11 to 14 lbs., the buck was pushing twenty. Photos by Mike Herzberg (associate fishing guide for Reliable Guide and Charters) Well done Mike and Rob!
Ariel Kuppers and Eric Neidert who are also associate guides for Reliable Guide and Charters drifted the lower Kitimat on an evening drift and they landed a big Buck pushing twenty pounds. Reliable Guide and Charters still has some booking dates available for Steelhead. Please contact Noel noel@noelgyger.ca if you wish to book a trip. I had the pleasure of doing a morning drift with Todd Haynes of Nautical West Fishing Adventures Friday morning. We both lost a Steelhead but we had a great time! Todd is a talented angler and a pleasure to fish with. Todd also has dates available for Steelhead bookings.
Other guides and anglers have been in our tackle store-City Centre Hardware Sporting Goods and have reported good catches as well. Mr. 'G' continues his success as he reported landing a Steelhead on Wednesday morning.
We received four Hatchery Steelhead entries from Martin Golhke, Derek Pacholokf, James Botrokoff and Peter Grogan into our Instore Hatchery Steelhead Photo contest this week. This contest was designed to raise public awareness to the Kitimat Hatchery Head Recovery Program. We have donated a Shimano Rod and Reel for this promotion. If a Hatchery Steelhead is retained by an angler it is Very Important that the head is turned into our store or to the Kitimat Hatchery. The Kitimat Hatchery uses the information contained on code wire in the head of the Steelhead and more importantly receives credit for producing the Steelhead. The Kitimat Hatchery budget is constantly being cut and Head recovery numbers are an important factor considered by DFO managers. Once we take a picture of the Hatchery Steelhead and the head is turned in to us or the Hatchery, the angler's photo is entered into a draw for this Shimano rod and reel. I am aware that a large number of anglers who have the highest regard for Steelhead prefer to catch and release all Steelhead. The Kitimat Hatchery is responsible for the exceptional return of Steelhead that all anglers enjoy fishing for on the Kitimat. I cannot stress enough the importance of Anglers who retain a hatchery Steelhead to please turn in the head. Anglers are also reminded that when they retain a hatchery Steelhead they must immediately record it on their fishing license and can no longer fish the Kitimat River for the remainder of that day. Steelhead on the Kitimat will continue for another couple of weeks.
Anyone interested in a Guided Trip on the Kitimat River for Steelhead with Reliable Guide and Charters please contact Noel noel@noelgyger.ca and he would be more than happy to accommodate.
UPDATE – Sunday morning: The Kitimat River water level has risen to marginally fishable conditions in the lower Kitimat, Sunday morning (May 2nd). The high temperatures we received on Saturday afternoon combined with some rain we received Saturday night has bought the Kitimat River water level up. There is a 6' wet line on the Pump House scale at 8:30 AM which indicates that the water level has started to drop. There is also a high tide peaking at 9:00 this morning and will drop for the next six hours. This out flow tide will creat a flushing effect which will help the river level to drop faster. The Kitimat River drops and cleans faster than other systems in the North West. The upper Kitimat will clean first and will the tributaries. Smart money says to fish the upper Kitimat or at the mouth of one of her clean running tributaries.
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: Todd Haynes of Nautical West Sport Fishing is heading out this weekend to do some Pre Charter fishing. (Homework trips is how I refer to these trips) The better Guide and Charter Companies in the industry do these trips to stay up to date on changing issues with the fisheries and to get 'dialed in' prior to the Chartering season. Todd will be joined by his lucky fishing partner and wife Nesia. A tradition has evolved where Nesia lands the first big Chinook of every season. Good Luck to Todd and Nesia, we look forward to seeing the pictures.
Other boaters are still focused on Crabbing and some boaters are starting to do some bottom fishing.
Thank You to everyone who contributed info and photos to this report.
Our tackle Store: City Centre Hardware and Sporting Goods has many preseason specials. Please click here: http://www.noelgyger.ca/ads/Apri 14_2009_INStore_Fishing_Specials_FLYER.pdf to view our New! Updated instore flyer. It has some “HOT” deals!
Tight Lines!
May you be blessed with bright fish and big smiles!
Ron Wakita
Fishing Report from: Tracey Hittel of Steelhead Heaven
This past weeks Steelhead. Alexi landed this big male on the spey with his black and blue magic fly. When we entered this small pool he hooked 3 fish in 20 casts with an orange fly, all to elude him. After many casts with no fish, Alexi changed flies to a different color, the second cast he landed this big male. When Alexi hooked his first fish in this pool it took on the dangle and when he set the hook the rod stopped like it was on a large rock. In fact we both looked at each other wondering if it was a fish, he quickly gave me the nod and the beast moved into the top of the pool in the deep fast holding area. It then decided to make a move downstream with a screaming roar, all to have this huge Steelhead spit the hook. Alexi saw a small glimpse of this fish and said it was very thick. The good stories are always about the one that got away.
Also attached is the Steelhead queen, Brenda Kochan, with a chrome female she landed, as you can see this fish is very healthy and fresh from the sea.
Most of April was very cold and snowed a lot so the catching was slower than usual. Now that water temps have risen to 4-5C the fishing has finally started to turn, and this year the fish are very large. Local anglers are chin waggin that 30 plus pound fish are not uncommon and the largest some of the locals have even landed. These guys have put 250-300 Steelhead on the bank over the years so I am happy to say we have a fantastic fishery. May is peak season and with the fish late this year the next 2 weeks are going to be super, not to mention the fresh Chinook coming in very soon. Tracey John Hittel
Fishing Report from: Gill McKean of Westcoast Fishing Adventures
Hi Noel, fishing has been simply outstanding. I think the photos tell most of the story. Photo on the right is Pierce Clegg, owner of Babine Norlakes, out of Smithers BC. Pierce was my guest for a few days this spring.
We still have a few last minute openings for 1 or 2 persons. Call Noel 250-635-2568 and he will hook you up!
Gill McKean, Fishing is our addiction - Guiding is our passion - Adventure is in our blood
Fishing Report from: Todd Haynes of Nautical West Sport Fishing
First test run of the season today. Out for some crabbing and a Chinook troll. Stay tuned for the update. If you’d like to book a trip (ocean or river) please contact Noel Gyger noel@noelgyger.ca and he can give you all the details. Thank you. Todd Haynes
Fishing Report from: Chad Black of Nicholas Dean Lodge
Chad Black, operational manager, for Nicholas Dean Lodge sent these photos for this report. The fellow holding the Steelhead for the young lady is head guide Dustin Kovacvich. Fishing this week has been very good on many of the smaller streams and rivers. Note the little bit of snow still on the banks.
In Chad’s own words, “The fishing on the Skeena River and its tributaries this Spring has been downright challenging at times – March and early April saw some of the lowest river levels in years – but in most cases, the fishing has been good for those willing to put their time in while on the water, and perhaps go the extra distance. The past week has been a classic example of this. While some of our favourite waters close to home have produced some great fish – including a few in the 17-18 lb class, we’ve been having great success on smaller, lesser known rivers. Rivers with difficult access, and often difficult hiking. But, the rewards have been worth their weight in silver – multiple fish days on the fly, with fish averaging 12-16 lbs, on some of the most remote and beautiful rivers around – tend to make for happy clients, and vibrant conversation at the dinner table.
Speaking of dinner tables, we now have a different one! We’ve moved venues and have partnered up with Alf and Simone Leslie of Yellow Cedar Lodge, located on the Skeena River just outside Terrace. Having experienced two weeks of exceptional food, accommodations and camaraderie here at Yellow Cedar Lodge, and with much positive feedback from clients, I can say with confidence that we’ve found a winning combination. But, why take my word for it – come see for yourself! We have several spaces still available during the best seasons for Trophy Chinook on the Skeena and Kitimat, chrome bright Summer Steelhead on the main channel Skeena, and even Fall Steelhead – complete with dry flies – during September and October. Join us on one of these trips, and not only will you likely experience some of the best fishing available around – but now you can take advantage of all the amenities available at Yellow Cedar Lodge. Whether it’s the inspiring mountain views, the comfort of the hot tub after a cold day on the river, or the 5 star cuisine prepared by Alf and Simone, it will be an experience that you won’t soon forget. Give Noel a call today 250-635-2568 to book your 5 star fishing trip with us and Yellow Cedar Lodge, and experience fishing at its finest…”
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels…
Chad Black
Operations Manager, Nicholas Dean Lodge
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: Skeena River, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: Skeena River, 27-pounds.
FISHING REGULATIONS WEBSITES:
2007-2009 BC tidal waters and freshwater Salmon fishing information:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010
2008-2009 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011 (Note regs good for two years)
GUEST FISHING PHOTOS:
*** If any of you have special fishing photos, testimonials, scenic river photos, wildlife photos or articles I would love to see them.
Catch & Release formula:
- Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by 1000 (inches)
- Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
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