Reel Reports
BC Sportfishing Outlook
Northern BC Fishing Resorts - May 5, 2008
Hey all you anxious anglers, Fishmaster Cookie here with the projections for this years salmon fishery for our Northern Resorts.
The science of predicting salmon returns is still only moderately accurate although great strides have been made in recent years. A lot of what you see in the media is only the bad reports. There are some great success stories for a lot of runs of salmon, especially here in B.C. where some rivers have rebounded from previously endangered status to stable and increasing. A great majority of Chinook runs in B.C. are at normal historical levels and some are receiving greater than average returns. Because of conservation measures taken in the last 10 years such as moratoriums, slot limits, and area closures, our Coho fishing in the north has been, and is expected to, be extraordinary this year.
The MV Marabell and MV Charlotte Princess up at Langara are expected to have excellent fishing right from the get go. All of the Queen Charlotte local runs and the masssive Skeena and Nass runs for Chinook are expected to be in abundance. That means we should see great numbers of those big 40 lb. plus Skeena and Kitimat fish with the early runs showing up in May. My personal fishing diary tells me it should be an excellent big fish year for Chinook. The Columbia River runs are going to be almost double what they were last year and those fish start to filter through Langara in June along with hundreds of other migratory runs that stop for a meal at Langara.
The Coho fishing is forecasted to be excellent and we should see some good numbers starting in the end of June. There should be an abundance of those big hook-nosed northern Coho in August as well.
The halibut and lingcod fishing was better last year than I have ever seen it. We have been actively researching this fishery so I expect that with all our expertise and the awesome new improvements on our gear and bait systems it will be the best bottom fishing year ever.
The MV Salmon Seeker in Kano Inlet is an easy one. They have had the best Chinook-per-angler ratio of any other spot on the coast for the last three years and the outlook looks even better for this year. The increase in the Columbia River run-size this year, as well as excellent returns to the Puget Sound-area rivers, should only improve an already first class fishery. Our guides deadly halibut techniques brought in more 100 lb. plus halibut last year than the Masterfisherman board could support. We expect these trends to continue.
King Salmon Resort in Rivers Inlet looks like it's in for some great fishing. The Chinook runs through the area are predicted to be at normal levels. I have an inside contact that has lived in the area for his entire life and works actively with the native hatchery program there. He expects an above average to excellent year for those giant Kilbella and Wonnock River fish. Hey, isn't King Salmon Resort right in front of the mouths of those 2 rivers?
One factor that works in our favour coast-wide is that La Nina has cooled down the ocean to premium salmon fishing temperatures. That means bait balls on the surface and 40 pounders running shallow and I can't wait.
Shawn “Cookie” Pennell
Fishmaster, MV Charlotte Princess
Langara Island, Queen Charlotte Islands
