Oak Bay Marine Group Reel Reports

Queen Charlottes Fishing Update

MV Salmon Seeker - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-09

The sun is still shining everyday, there are no winds and there isn’t even a ripple on the surface of the sea. Paradise…

I received a thank you letter from Ms. Adeline Lewis, who was on board couple of trips ago.

“While I have had the opportunity to travel among a variety of size and style of resorts, none, truly NONE, have made the impression that yours has left… Top-notch pride in accountability, workmanship and hospitality was apparent from day one.”

Thank you Ms. Lewis, for your kind words. Now, on to the fishing.

Great halibut fishing continues. Neal McLennan caught a 110 lb. halibut, Frank Saunders caught a 154 lb. halibut and Les Saunders caught 164 lbs. pounder. All three are now members of the Masterfisherman Club.

New Captain's Club members are Greg Wilson, Mark Ankenman, Denis Prevost, John Rissline, Gordon Kiloh, Donald (Bruce) Charles, Les Saunders and Bruce Fowler.

Nice work, anglers!

Captain Zak Farid
Master, MV Salmon Seeker
Queen Charlotte Islands

Langara Fishing Update

MV Charlotte Princess - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-07

Hey folks, Cookie here again with a brief update.

The past week has been steady for salmon with the Chinooks being a little tougher to get at through the millions of Pinks and Cohos that have saturated the island.

We did have a 41 pounder come in this morning, as well as a few other Tyees. I helped harpoon a halibut this afternoon on one of our bottom fishing adventures that will definitely tip the scales at over 100 lbs. I’m anxious to see when they come in.

Andrews Point has been the workhorse for Chinooks, with Langara Rocks and Lacy producing fish today as well. The week of strong westerly winds finally tapered off today giving us access to the whole island. Tomorrow we will explore a little and see what the west side has to offer. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Salmon continue to be caught at all depths, with 20 pulls at Andrews Triangle Marker being the sweet spot for the big Chinook today.

Tight lines,

Shawn “Cookie” Pennell
Fishmaster, MV Charlotte Princess
Langara Island, Queen Charlotte Islands

Perfect weather and three new Masterfishermen

MV Salmon Seeker - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-07

Another gorgeous day in paradise. The wind is flat calm and the water was smooth.

I never get tired with natural beauty of this area. I hear it every time we get a new group of guests as soon as they get out of the sea plane.

Fishing is great, as expected. A good number of boats came back to the ship in the morning to unload their catch and switch over fishing in the afternoon to halibut fishing or salmon fishing as the case might be.

Out of 21 halibut caught today, three earned Masterfisherman status. Dave Collins got a 120 lb. halibut, Jim Rissling caught a 175 lb. halibut, and Denis Prevost landed a 118 pounder. Out of 40 Chinook and 21 Coho, we welcomed four new members to the Captain's Club: Vic Preto, Jim Rissling, Leslie C. Wilson and Mike McAuley.

Daily trivia: Do you know why the name “Givenchy” was given to the area where MV Salmon Seeker anchors?

“Givenchy” was the name of the ship that surveyed the area. In 1935, HMCS Givenchy, a Canadian Navy ship, was loaned to the Canadian Hydrographic Department to carry out surveys of the West Coast of Queen Charlottes. The captain named the area after his ship.

Captain Zak Farid
Master, MV Salmon Seeker
Queen Charlotte Islands

Fishing, and catching

Canadian Princess Resort - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-07

Wow, what a year!

We are still seeing lots fish coming in. We had a 66 lb halibut and a 29 lb Chinook for the catch of the day and, despite a thunder storm, are guests are undaunted and the fishing is still very productive.

Here are some photos from the last few days so you can see for yourself!

Dave Martin
Marine Operations Manager, Canadian Princess Resort
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island

Three new Masterfishermen

MV Salmon Seeker - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-05

This season we have excellent group of guides with good experience and great attitude. This helps a lot, since they are with our guests for ten hours everyday. In between bites and reeling fish, good conversation is a large part of the fishing experience.

The sun is out and, even with a lot of sun screen, most of our guests returned with red faces.

Tom Sault, Tom Cadwelder and John Cadwelder all caught halibut over 100 lbs. today, earning them Master Fisherman status.

Our newest Captain's Club members are Glen Finnason, Mitchell Finnason and Doug Apple.

Congratulations to all!

Captain Zak Farid
Master, MV Salmon Seeker
Queen Charlotte Islands

Independence Day

MV Salmon Seeker - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-04

Today is Independence Day for our dear American friends. We have the U.S. flag displayed in the dining room. The weather is also cooperating and we have a wonderful weather.

The fishing is strong and that is a good sign for a quality season. We got 16 Chinook and 17 Coho today, among others, including a 114. halibut caught by Jeff Taggart.

We sure are blessed having the vessel anchored in Kano Inlet. Even our guests noticed the different shades of green combined with the landscape. One guest said that as soon he stepped from the aircraft he was fascinated with the beauty of the whole area.

Some nautical trivia to start your day: Why do we say “deep six” when we mean to destroy something?

“By the deep six” is a nautical term referring to sounding the water’s depth and means six fathoms (eleven meters or thirty-six feet). In the navy, to deep six something means to dispose of an item by tossing it overboard into deep water where it could not be found. (Doug Lennox)

Captain Zak Farid
Master, MV Salmon Seeker
Queen Charlotte Islands

The fishing has been unreal...

Painter's Lodge - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-02

The fishing has been unreal for the past four weeks. Our guides have been finding fish all around the south end of Quadra Island. During early June the was a large mass of Chinook around the Oyster River area. These fish have now moved in closer to us at Painter’s Lodge and April Point. This has meant great fishing closer to home.

In the last week we’ve seen record numbers of tyees hitting the dock. Notable mentions go to:

Dan Oldham — 27 lbs
Heather Richardson — 34 lbs
Joe Murphy — 26 lbs
Tanner Zelink — 30 lbs and 25 lbs
Crutis koepke — 28 lb halibut
John Rawe — 33 lbs
Maralyn Butt — 33.7 lbs
Ray Mattinson — 33 lbs
Jim Jewitt — 30 lbs

With the great fishing has come weeks of beautiful skies. Its bright and sunny everyday, it seems, and the bite seems to continue everyday. In addition to great Chinook fishing, we’re looking forward to a very strong return of Pinks and Sockeye. We’re expecting Sockeye to open during the late part of July, and DFO should be letting us know very soon. These fish will be coming through the inside passage in the MILLIONS. I can hear the fish cooler staff screaming already…

Tight lines,

Dave Gosnell
Marine Operations Manager
Painter’s Lodge and April Point Resort & Spa

Lanagara Fishing Update

MV Charlotte Princess - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-02

The fishing remains steady at Langara. Most boats are limiting on Chinooks and Cohos, with many boats reporting 20 or more salmon to the boat each day.

Even with some challenging weather on the west side, many boats got their halis, which are everywhere, and a few lings.

Cohoe and Andrews Ooints have been stellar while Gunia and Boulder have tailed off a bit. 15 pulls is working in the morning with 40-50 working better in the afternoon.

Some nice big fish are coming in, with several fish over 30 lbs. hitting the dock. Half a dozen halis over 50 lbs. hit the dock this week as well.

The Coho are early and surley, with a 17 lber hitting the dock yesterday.

Shawn “Cookie” Pennell
Fishmaster, MV Charlotte Princess
Langara Island, Queen Charlotte Islands

Sunburns and daily limits

MV Salmon Seeker - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-02

This is another beautiful day in kano Inlet. The sun was out all day long with very few clouds in the sky. The only draw back? Yesterday a good number of our guests came back with rosy sunburns!

Lots of whales were swimming beside our boats between Kano Inlet and Rennell Sound, which were a treat for our guests. We had six Orcas and one Humpback whales at about 10:45, and in the afternoon we had one Orca inside Givenchy anchorage right beside the MV Salmon Seeker.

Most of our boats returned early in the afternoon to the vessel as they had their daily limits. It was a great fishing day.

Eric Priest of WA caught a 110 lb. Halibut and was awarded Master Fisherman status. Ron Scott is the newest member of the Captain’s Club.

Daily trivia: Why doesn’t an “ovation” signify a “triumph”?

A triumph was a Roman celebration of a military victory over an enemy of the state. The victorious commander rode in a chariot in a grand parade with his entire army and the booty and slaves he had won. An ovation was a less elaborate honour for a general who had won victory without bloodshed, perhaps by treaty or reason. He was denied a chariot and either walked or rode on a horse during a less imposing ceremony. (Doug Lennox)

Captain Zak Farid
Master, MV Salmon Seeker
Queen Charlotte Islands

Still strong on the west coast

Canadian Princess Resort - Oak Bay Marine Group — 2009-07-02

More great news from the west coast…

Salmon are so abundant that guests are releasing most salmon under 10 lbs., and we are seeing some nice halibut coming in in the 30-40 lb. range.

We caught more salmon in our opening weekend than we caught in the whole month of June last year and now, into our third week, they are still strong and getting bigger.

If you haven't booked and are still thinking about it you better call because space is being snatched up very fast.

Tight lines and fish on,

Dave Martin
Marine Operations Manager, Canadian Princess Resort
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island