Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
From the Rivers Inlet Sportsman’s Club owners/operators the Kelly Family.
Forget kissing the Blarney Stone … Simon Kelly (in green) with longtime guest
Chris Fawcus getting "personal"with his trophy salmon.
Fishin’ The Wall For Salmon
Our Guests Do The Talking
Eric, Simon and KR celebrate their trophy salmon caught at the wall.
Long time guests Jon & Wendy have this to say:
Annually, for the past 15 years, my husband Jon & I return to the finest place on earth, Rivers Inlet Sportsman’s Club Fishing Lodge, for an action packed world class fishing adventure. Definitely, we put our fair share of fishing time in when visiting the lodge. Year after year, The Wall never lets us down. On our 25th anniversary in 2014, Wendy caught a 25 pound king off The Wall. We had stopped for a quick flick on our way back to the lodge – we dropped the line in about 10 feet off the cliff & next thing…FISH ON. Throughout the years, The Wall has always provided exciting fishing. We are all booked up for our return to the Sportsman’s Club this coming fishing season & we can’t wait! Thank-you, Simon, Barbara & the Sportsman’s staff for always providing us with the best experience every time.
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Here is what Ron B., an enthusiastic guest for 20 years, has to say:
There are a great many things about Rivers Inlet Sportsman Club that make it special: There’s the location at the ocean end of Rivers Inlet, the lodge itself, the boats and gear, the food and of course the staff.
There is one thing, however, that sets it apart from many other fishing lodges along the coast of British Columbia and that is the abundance of places to fish in close proximity to the lodge. They include but are not limited to Kevin’s Corner, Jackson’s Hole, The Wall, The Dome, Cranstown Point, Calvert Island, Draney Inlet, etc.
Like all anglers, I have my favourite spot and it is The Wall. Why, you ask? I reply, there are many reasons:
The Wall is a short five minute ride from the Sportsman’s Club dock so it’s easy to get the lines in the water early and take them out late. All the gear types and fishing methods work there which makes for the opportunity to try different approaches. I cut my salmon fishing teeth on motor mooching with cut plug herring, moving slowly with the current, and have had great success in catching Tyee sized Chinook salmon and big Northern Coho. Over the past few years, I have taken the plunge with down-riggers and have had good results with that method. Whether it’s with hootchies, flashers with herring or just plain old herring the results are the same, lots of fish. The method used depends on the tides, time of day, phase of the moon, depth of water and the type of Scotch consumed the night before. You can mooch close to shore with the rod tips almost touching the rocks for those big Tyee (Chinook/king) salmon, or move a little farther off shore with down-riggers to try and tease a Tyee or coho/silver into sampling what you have to offer. While I have not personally had the experience, trolling a large fly can produce good results for coho/silvers.
What more could you ask for?
Of course, as Ron says above, The Wall is not the only spot to fish, but it’s close to the lodge & has produced more large fish than any other. So, if you haven’t already done so, contact us today to book your dates & try out The Wall for yourself.
Kelp Facts
Big King/Chinook salmon are like bass in that they like to hide around structure. This is all to do with the "conservation of energy theory". A 50 lbs. trophy salmon does not want to spend more energy chasing a herring than it gets from eating one. As a result, they tend to rest in the kelp "forests" that fill the shallows along the rocky shoreline, at places like The Wall, hiding from the currents and waiting for that bait-fish to drift by. Kelp is a type of large seaweed that is know for having an incredibly fast growth rate. It can grow up to 18 inches/day and reach lengths of over 200 feet.
Here is more information on this "amazing algae".
Recipe – Blackened Salmon
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INGREDIENTS: Salmon fillets skin on, blackening/Cajun seasoning, olive oil/butter. DIRECTIONS: Heat grill pan on med heat and brush lightly with olive oil/butter (very lightly) Place salmon skin side down on pan and cook on med heat until half of the salmon (from the bottom up) is opaque. |