Happy New Year 2018!
fish box by office manager Cathy’s husband Wally for their grandson is a classic!
Wow … what a year it was! From the amazing fishing we had in 2017 to the huge resurgence in the economy world-wide, things have never been better in the destination fishing travel business. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our guests for their loyal patronage & dedication to the Rivers Inlet Sportsman’s Club. You are what have made us so successful over the years & we look forward to celebrating our 35th anniversary with you in summer 2018! We hope that you have all had a wonderful time with friends & family over the holidays & that you are refreshed, relaxed & ready to roar into the New Year with a positive outlook! Resolutions are always on the radar & if you haven’t made yours yet then here are a few suggestions: Work less – Spend more time with family & friends – Spend more time enjoying nature. All of these elements are the basis of our “experience” at the Sportsman’s Club so what are you waiting for? If you have not already done so, contact your friends, family, clients & plan your trip with us today! www.riversinlet.com 1-800-663-2644
like Vic Arneill pictured here with son Matt & a 31 lb. beauty chinook salmon.
Ocean Temperatures
With all the buzz these days about global warming we often get questions from our guests about how possible rising ocean water temperatures could affect salmon stocks & sustainability? As we are in the middle of the coldest winter in North America in 50 years it seems ironic to even be discussing this right now but here we go … In terms of water temperatures, there are 2 issues at play here. The first is open ocean temperatures & the second is river water levels & temperatures. It seems that open ocean water temperatures don’t seem to have any impact on the returning salmon levels at all. For our tuna fishing enthusiasts this would seem almost impossible! The schools of tuna that migrate all the way from Mexico up to Northern B.C. are so temperature specific that you can often totally predict their location based exclusively on this information. The schools of tuna are consistently found on the edge of the drop-off of continental shelf in 60F + water. As a result when the waters warm up in B.C. in late summer the tuna are right on our doorstep. The returning salmon however don’t seem to be in any way affected by the open ocean temperature conditions. Returning spawning salmon are much more calendar dependent. They re-appear like clockwork returning to their rivers of birth in our area between May & October. We precisely time the brief opening of our Lodge from late June until early September to maximize the opportunity to harvest these returning salmon at the peak of their runs. The other issue is river temperature. Some years the combination of unusually high river water temperatures & low water levels can combine to make difficult spawning conditions for salmon. The good news is that in these years, the returning salmon just wait it out & delay their arrival into the rivers systems until the water levels rise & temperatures drop so that spawning conditions are optimal. For our guests, this means that the salmon stage near our lodge for longer periods waiting for the Fall rains to come & fill the rivers with fresh cool water before they move up-stream to spawn. The salmon are so resilient that they will sometimes hold up for weeks & wait for the right conditions. If that doesn’t happen in a timely manner with the ticking of their biological clock to spawn & die, they will instead head up the next closest river with correct water conditions to spawn. More evidence of this resilience & adaptability is when there is a natural disaster like a landslide or debris & their birth-river is actually blocked, the salmon again will automatically move to the nearest river to spawn. This is why the salmon have survived in great numbers to this day for thousands of years despite all natural & manmade obstacles. And this is why we have such amazing fishing still at the Rivers Inlet Sportsman’s Club. Plan your trip today to experience truly world-class trophy salmon & halibut fishing in a pristine remote wilderness setting.
Guest Testimonial
We decided we wanted to go salmon fishing for our 50th. wedding anniversary. We researched many lodges & we picked the Rivers Inlet Sportsman’s Club because it looked like the best one. It was the perfect spot. We could fish to our hearts content all day or do nothing. Naturally we fished a lot & amazed ourselves by catching salmon even when we ventured out on our own. The guides were very helpful & entertaining & the meals & accommodations were great. I felt very spoiled. Our boat was number 21 which is our anniversary day! Our table companions were very congenial. Our first floatplane trip & salmon fishing experience were unforgettable & we had a fantastic time. Thanks to everyone. Jerry & Ellen – Thomson Lake/SK Canada
Top Water Coho Fishing
World class top water game fishing at its finest!
There are very few places in the world where you can successfully catch trophy coho/silver salmon over 20 lbs. using light tackle on the ocean surface. Rivers Inlet stands out as one of those unique fishing destinations & this certainly puts us on the map as far as world-class sport-fishing experiences. You can literally let out a few feet of line & watch a salmon hammer your bait or lure right before your eyes! Regardless of your knowledge & experience, our fish master & team of dock staff & professional guides (extra charge for guiding) will help ensure you have all the skills & resources to maximize your fishing experience with us. They are well trained & their knowledge & expertise in combination with our initial training seminar & daily follow-up fishing clinics, will ensure you are able to capitalize on all fishing opportunities during your stay. There are the 3 main fishing techniques that we use to surface fish in Rivers Inlet, mooching, fly-fishing & spin casting.
Mooching
Mooching is the traditional “old-school” way to fish for salmon. The rod is typically in the 9 -11 ft. range, lightweight with a very limber tip so that you can see the often extremely light bite of the salmon. These custom-style mooching or classic fly rods are equipped with a single action salt-water fly reel with 200-300 yds. of 10-30 lbs. test monofilament line. The terminal tackle is a 1-6 oz. weight, a 8-12 ft. 20-30 lb. test line leader with a mid swivel & 2 4/0 hooks. You cut the head off a herring, affix the hooks into the flesh. The combination of the cut of the herring & the hook positioning will give the bait a nice lively spin & flash. The bait can be fished right on the surface or lowered down anywhere up to 30 feet. The action of the bait is achieved by putting the motor in & out of gear trying to maintain a varied angle of incidence on the line somewhere between perpendicular & 45 degrees. Working with the currents & constantly adjusting the boat speed creates irregular bait action that imitates a wounded baitfish. At times your herring is spinning quickly & at other times motionless or shimmying lifelessly downward. This bite can be very light so it is imperative to watch your rod like a hawk for any variance in the action of the tip not associated with the movements of the wind, tide, current & swell etc. Sometimes it is just the tiniest of taps on the rod tip as the salmon takes the bait. At other times, the rod will “pop up” & the line will go slack as the salmon swims with the bait towards the surface & you will have to reel like mad before you catch up to the fish, get some tension back on the line & set the hook. One of the most amazing fishing experiences you can have at our lodge is when you get into a good coho/silver salmon bite right on the surface. You can just turn your motor off & drift with the tide & current. The fish just hammer the bait, gets hooked & the line starts screaming out of the reel. The action can be so intense when the bite is ON that you can barely even keep a line in the water! This happens a lot in Rivers Inlet each summer. This why we are considered one of the best salmon fishing destinations in the world & why many of our guests keep coming back each year for the past 35 summers.
Fly Fishing
Perhaps the most challenging way to catch a salmon is on a fly. It takes some expertise & technique, but for those with the discipline the rewards are great. Our open boats are perfect for fly-fishing with nothing in the way to impede your casting action. We cast flies to target the salmon on the top water & mid water or troll buck-tail flies on the surface in the boat wash. We also drift mooch with fly rods using 1-2 oz. weights (or no weight) with a herring. There is nothing like the fight of a chrome bright hard fighting coho salmon on a 9 weight fly rod!
Spin Casting
If you are a trout or bass fisherman you will enjoy the novelty & activity of casting a spin caster to target coho. We use 1-4 oz. jigs, spoons, spinners, crocs & just about any & everything that wiggles in a variety of colours & shapes, it all works.
You can also effectively target the literally hundreds of varieties of bottom & reef fish that inhabit the waters around the lodge. One tactic is to position your boat about 20 ft. off the shoreline where there are kelp beds. You simply cast to the edge of the kelp beds, let your lure sink for 10 seconds & then retrieve slowly. The action can be non-stop with a bite every cast! The other technique is just to free spool your line down to the bottom in 50-150 ft. of water near structure, edges or drop offs & see what you pull up! Tight lines & happy fishing!
Simple Seafood Recipe
This simple & easy technique keeps the fish very moist & results in a nice crispy bottom. Can be used with Halibut, Cod, Scallops & other fish.
Ingredients
-Fresh Salmon fillets
-Olive oil
-Salt & pepper
-Whatever spices or herbs you prefer or have handy
Preparation
-Heat your olive oil over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes so it’s really hot.
-Place your salmon fillets skin side down & don’t touch them again until it’s all over! If you do not want the skin then remove and place the top side down first.
-Season with salt & pepper & whatever spices or herbs you like or have lying around.
-Turn the heat down slightly after about 5 minutes of cooking time.
-You want the skin of your salmon to crisp & brown, but not burn.
-Turn heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook for about 8-10 minutes longer.
Cooking time can vary greatly depending on thickness of fillets, so check salmon often and remove once it is cooked to your liking. Better to finish slightly under-done as the salmon will continue to cook after removing from heat. I prefer when it’s barely cooked through, perfectly tender & moist.
World of Concrete Show
