September 25, 2014 – 2014 Fishing Report

Another Great Year At The Rivers Inlet Sportsman’s Club

After incredible fishing at the start of the 2013 season, 2014 was a bit slower. However, the pace soon picked & for most guests the fishing action was non-stop all season long. Many of our Sportsman’s Club guests landed their salmon limit or close to it. There were lots of stories of doubleheaders and this is always an exciting event.

The chinook/kings salmon fishing was better than last year, & most of the trophies were caught close to the lodge at Kevin’s Corner, the Wall & Dome Rock. The chinook/kings fishing action going up Rivers Inlet was just OK with Drainey Inlet and the Head producing a few trophy salmon as well. On the last day of the season at the end of August, the largest chinook was caught by Peter Norie and tipped the scales at a whopping 62.5 lbs.

When the fishing did slow down locally, we made the 20 minutes crossing over to Calvert Island to find the coho/silvers & chinook/kings anywhere on that “salmon highway” from Clarke Point, Canoe Cove and at times all the way up to Safety Cove.  MORE…

The big news for the fishing season was the resurgence in the popularity of top water mooching. Our guests were catching so many fish with the downriggers that many switched back to our set-up of a simple weight, bait and the classic drift with the tide, hugging tightly to the shore looking for that lunker salmon lurking in the shallows. This “old school” method takes a bit more skill dealing with the cutting of the bait and the contour of the shoreline but often produces bigger fish, and of course a better feel of the bite and fight with the lighter tackle. Fishing with fly rods was also more popular this year. There is nothing like catching a hard fighting salmon on a 9 weight fly rod!

The bottom fishing was popular as well. As guests caught near their limit of salmon, there was concerted angler effort put into finding halibut and lingcod holes to great success.
Overall it was an AMAZING summer with countless sunny, windless afternoons and reels screaming all day long.

GUIDE Reports:
Guide Max sums things up with his report here …
“Locations – Coho – Calvert Island depending on the day, the school was anywhere from Clarke Point all the way to Safety Cove. Chinook – The Wall, the Dome, Kevin’s Corner. Also, Rough’s Bluff was a hot spot especially late season as the fish moved up the Inlet.
Halibut – Anywhere along Calvert Island at 250-300 ft. as well as Paddle Rock. Lingcod – Off the kelp beds anywhere from Dowling Point all the way to Open Bight Beach off Cranstown Point. Halibut bait was always salmon bellies or heads.
Gear – Green, White, Purple or Orange Flashers. White, Double Glow or Red hoochies. Holy Roller and Cut-plug for the herring (no flasher, no dummy flasher)..
My highlights were a 50 lbs. chinook off the Wall and a few giant halibut from Roughs Bluff.
Thanks for a great season, Max.”

We have guest guides who come up and fill in when necessary, and Gary, who has fished at almost all the lodges along the coast, had this to say …
“First, a big thanks for having me as a guest guide at your Sportsman’s Club at Rivers Inlet. I have guided in waters from Alaska to Victoria for the past 35 years and have a real warm spot in my heart for Rivers…This opportunity to guide at the Sportsman’s Club has reminded me of those good ol’ days again, excellent fishing, excellent service from the whole team of highly qualified personnel. Each person complements the other. Hey… what high-class hotel warms your bed at night with hot water bottles??? … this one does. I enjoyed the early morning run across to Calvert Island to hook some coho and chinook. I troll mostly with cut plug about 8-10 feet behind a pink/silver flasher (kinda ‘ol school) and always land a big spring. A bit more work to prepare but a good result always. In the afternoon/evening bite I like to hit the Wall with customers so they can experience some real close and tight trolling along the kelp beds and whamo! The other guides are also having good success with flasher and hoochie. It will be a memory for life for those who visit the Sportsman Club and the crew. Thanks Again Cut Plug Gary.”

Perhaps Head Guide Toby summed up the season and what we do best at the Sportsman’s Club … “lots of laughs, lots of fish, making memories”.

If you missed out on fishing with us this past summer, & have not yet booked your 2015 trips, make your plans now to join us next fishing season for the wilderness fishing adventure of a lifetime!
Keep your tip up … Simon.

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Guest Testimonial

"Dear Simon, Barbara et al,
My son Devin and I had a great time with on our recent visit. He said it was the best trip he has ever been on. He loves to fish but is really busy with his career so it was a special time for us to get together doing something we both love so much. A super job was done by all, as usual, and we will definitely try and come back soon.

Tight Lines."
P Griswold CA, USA

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Recipe – Salmon Tartare

Salmon is such a delicate flesh that it doesn’t last in the freezer for too many months so plan to eat is ASAP to maximize the freshness and flavor. This is the first in series of simple recipes in the coming months that allow you to optimize the flavor of your fish while it is still very fresh. This one was submitted by Guest Guide Gerald Worobetz, who in addition to being a world class fishing guide is also a professionally trained chef & food sciences instructor.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb salmon.
3 tbsp finely chopped green, red or Walla Walla sweet onion.
3 tbsp capers.
3 tbsp peeled finely chopped ginger.
1tbsp Dijon mustard.
1 tbsp Japanese soya sauce.
1 tbsp red wine vinegar.
1 lemon.
1 tbsp olive oil.
1 tsp crushed black pepper.
1 package table water crackers.

DIRECTIONS:
Skin, de-bone & chop salmon into ¼ inch cubes.
Squeeze half lemon into juice & other half into wedges.
Combine onions, capers, ginger, mustard, soya sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, & pepper.
Chill and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add salmon, chill and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the salmon to “cook” from the lemon juice.
Spoon one tablespoon of tartar on each cracker.
Garnish with a squeeze of lemon wedge, a pinch of pepper, onions & capers.
Keep tartar chilled while serving by placing it in a metal bowl in larger outer bowl of ice.
Enjoy with a crispy cheeky bottle of your favourite dry white wine.

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