Author: douganddeb

Sept 17th
Clearing skies and calm winds as we pulled anchor and set course for the Ghost town of Ocean Falls. Winding our way through the narrow and beautiful Troup Narrows we drank our coffee on the top deck and soaked up the glassy waters and sunrise over the towering coastal peaks in Fischer Channel. Always a favourite we tied up at the Ocean Falls dock under sunny skies and warm temps. Our walk through the old townsite and along the road to Martin Valley was both beautiful and sad. Once a vibrant town on the north coast every visit shows how nature is taking the last remains over and soon little will be left to reveal the town that once lived there. There are some sparks of life as the power plant is still operating and viable and some new charter and eco operations are starting up. Always our favourtite spot on a sunny day.

Sept 16th.
Away at 0700 with no fixed stop in mind we wandered through the inside passage at a liesurely 7.5 knots. Through the narrow Jackson pass and Reid pass we picked a new spot in Troup narrows for the night. A mixed bag of showers and sun, we motored under a beautiful rainbow in Seaforth Channel and set the hook in a deserted bay out of the wind. Unnamed on the charts it provided

a well protected and peaceful night while winds on the outside gained in strength.

Sept 15th
Day 3 and we set course at 0745 with a short day in mind. Entering Princess Royal Reach we planned on an early stop at the head of Khutz inlet. A beautiful inlet with a waterfall and wide river esturary at the head it is one of our favourite spots on the north coast. On the hook at 1330 we took the dinghy and explored the base of the waterfall. Then it was up the estuary as far as the dinghy would take us in search of bears and other wildlife. While we didn’t spot any bears we had wonderful eagle sightings as well as many seals and accompanied by spawning salmon. Great day on the beautiful north coast!!

Sept 14th
Away at a liesurely 0800 we set course for Bishop Bay Hotsprings and a relaxing soak in the pool. A beautiful day again we wound our way into the steepening coastal range accompanied by the occasional blow of a humpback whale and some friendly dolphins riding the bow. We passed the usual group of Spirit Bear watching boats the frequent this area however when we dropped the hook we were all alone in Bishop Bay. Off in the skiff we slipped into the hot clear water of the hotsprings and soaked off some of the summer kinks and knots. Another great day as we grilled up some fish for dinner and slept soundly on a quiet hook in the bay.

September 13th
Season number 6 in the books Deb and I fired up the Thunder and pointed the bow towards the south coast. Calm seas and sunny skies accompanied us out of the harbour and we made way for our first anchorage in Grenville Channel. We reflected on another busy year and felt fortunate to be able to live the lifestyle we have and share it with our many guests and friends. With just the two of us aboard and no fixed schedule it was almost hard to relax as you become so used to being on the go all summer. It would take a few days for the off season to sink in. At 18:40 we dropped anchor in Klunuggett inlet for a quiet night on the hook.

Welcome aboard Travis and family for a one day excursion out of Prince Rupert. We would have liked to have you aboard for a longer excursion but we were happy that the weather and the whales cooperated for your short stay with us. A few late springs, some northern Coho, and humpback whales putting on a show all made for a memorable day. With the sun at our backs and the crew all on the top deck enjoying the view we set sail for home port happy that our season ended on such a beautiful day. Thanks again Travis we hope the remainder of your trip back to Calgary was safe and enjoyable. Perhaps we can lure you out for a longer trip next time. Cheers.

Hello September. Where did the summer go? Seems to be like a train that you hear coming and then it is gone in a flash. The good part about September is we get to fish with our good friends and guests Jason and his Dad, Dave. Accompanied by new guests, Ryan and Neil ( alias Sudsy )we embarked from Prince Rupert on Sept 2nd looking for some northern Coho in the W

ork channel area. Faced with some SE wind we worked the Coho on the North end of Hogan island and were rewarded with some nice fish. Tucked away in the back inlets we avoided much of the wind on the outside and as was the pattern the weather broke to give us a nice finish to our trip. The last morning saw some nice halibut caught with Ryan atop the leader board with a solid 35 lber. After many laughs and great stories we bid adieu to our friends once again. Thanks Jason and Dave, we hope to have you aboard for many seasons to come.

Welcome back Ray and his new group, Dave, Daren, and Al. Some new faces to the salmon fishing we were hoping to show the gang some great action on the reels. A beautiful cruise up to Dundas and some awesome Humpback whale shows gave us a great start for the trip. Next morn

ing brought some challenging weather but the gang stuck it out on the rods and were rewarded with some nice Coho. Playing hide and seek from wind and rain once again mother nature relented on the last two days and we were free to pick our spots for halibut. What luck as the last morning we had an awesome bite with all the guests hooking up, well almost all as Daren did his best to weed out the dog fish so the other guest could land the hali’s. Nice job Daren, and way to go Ray for your 36 lber!!! Enjoy your halibut this winter.

Welcome aboard to Arnold , his wife Janie, Randy and wife Irene. Referred by our friend Kerry we were anxious to make a good impression with our new guests. A present to Arnold from his wife for his birthday we were quick to put Arnold onto a few nice birthday Coho at the Gnarled islands. Wind and rain could not dampen their spirits and our patience paid off as the grey skies gave way to beautiful sunny skies and calm seas for the last two days. Taking advantage of the weather we enjoyed some great hali fishing with Randy hooking up a hard fighting 65 lber and his wife Irene not far behind with a 35. We couldn’t hook up Arnold with the big one but we are hoping he returns to give us another chance. A thourghly enjoyable trip we hope to see our new guests again.

Welcome back Ron and Miles!! Joined by new friends Brian and George we embarked on our 16th voyage of the season. Weather resulted in our first weather delay of the year however the crew and guests enjoyed a crab feast tied firmly to the dock awaiting the early morning departure when the winds would abate. Under way early we quickly hooked up a nice coho and ling cod and then set the hook for some hali fishing on smooth seas and sunny skies. Lots of action on the rods and we soon had our limit. Steaming up to Dundas we found where the Coho were hiding the rods sang, and the fish jumped both on and off the lines over the next couple of days. With shorts on and sunscreen applied we had some of the nicest weather of the summer. Thanks again Ron for bringing your gang as well as your unyielding optimisum to the Thunder 1.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Sports Show in Edmonton.

Welcome Paul, Andrew, Jason and Jordy. First time salmon fishing for some of the group so the learning curve was steep however after some patient coaching, and a little barking, keep the tip up , face the fish etc. the fellas started to make some headway. By day three the anglers were winning more than they were losing

and some great northern Coho started filling up the box. With a last minute halibut flurry under sunny skies we almost filled out the limit, some good ones that got away for next time. Looks like the BBQ’s in Alberta will be grilling some more fine Coho this fall and winter. Enjoy!!

Welcome aboard Rick, Drew, Brian and Greg for their first adventure aboard the Thunder 1. Not new to the area but new to us we were anxious to show our new guests a great time aboard the Thunder 1. With some decent weather, good fishing and Deb’s cooking how could we go wrong. The fellas seemed to have a great time and landed a full boat of salmon and some halibut as well. We are looking forward to having them back aboard soon. Safe travels guys, enjoy your fish.

Welcome the Nechako Group. Pairing up with the yacht Striker III we embarked on whirlwind back to back two day trips. With beautiful weather and the Coho biting we did our best to hook our guests into both halibut and salmon on their short two day adventures

. Great guys and good fishing, thanks to John , Debbie and Phil for rafting up and and enjoying some fantastic sunsets on the north Coast.

Joined by guest and friend Kerry, his wife Sue, along with friends Terry and wife Maxine we set out in late July for what is always an enjoyable trip with our return guests. Always a rain and wind magnet we hoped for better weather this year as it was Kerry’s turn. Well the rain didn’t quite stop, but the wind abated and the fish decided to reward us. Starting every morning with Terry’s baratone singing and yodelling we proceeded to tie into the best fishing of the year. Although the guys were ever vigilant it was the gals who shone. Congrat

ulations Sue for hooking and landing not 1 but two Tyee salmon. Wear your pins proudly, you deserve them. A great trip, have a great summer looking forward to your next visit.

Welcome back Barry, and thanks for bringing out your son Mike and good friend Cam and his son Ben. Once again with fly rods in hand we set out to show the young fellas what fishing on the north coast was all about. Hopeing to ease into it, the first Coho hit 3 minutes after the rods hit the water and the action didn’t stop for the entire trip. With some great fights by both Springs and Coho, father and sons spun out the light gear and battled some awesome fish. From the herring jigging festival to the halibut fishing truly one of the most enjoyable trips of the year. It was great to watch the young fellas get hooked on salmon fishing. Hope to see you all back soon and thanks to the young fellas for rating it the best 5 days of their lives. Right On!!!

Larry his wife Vicky

, Murray and his wife Noranda joined us for a first experience aboard the Thunder 1. They are the first in a long line of Guests whose names rhyme, hope I don’t mix them up. As the rain stopped and the skies cleared we set course for the Moffats and a chance to wet some lines. Using 10 wt fly rods Larry builds himself and some islander reels it looked like this trip was going to be a lot of fun for the anglers. It did not dissapoint as one after another the Coho and S

prings jumped, ran, porpoised and bent the fly rods in all directions. Big Coho, and some nice springs were plentiful as well as a crazy hali session that saw some good tuggers and even a Coho smack the cut plug dangling off the back. Perhaps the best fish of the trip was played and landed by Noranda on her first salmon trip. A 25 lb spring that took 45 minutes to tire out and was played beautifully by Noranda from start to finish. Bravo!!! We hope to see you again soon with those beautiful rods and reels in hand.