Always a pleasure to have Ron aboard, third visit for Ron and some new fishing partners as he was joined by Joanna and Greg. Pass the sun screen for this trip as we hit four beautiful days in a row on the North Coast. We can take this all the time. Calm winds, sunny skies and some big Coho, one waying in at 15lbs. Accompanied by a number of whales and some halibut to boot and we can only hope that Ron brings this weather back for his fourth visit.
August 5th to 8th. Another group from Edmonton joined us for our 13th voyage of the summer. With all our Edmonton guests we will have to start an air service. Some sun and some rain but it did not dampen our spirits as we chased coho and halibut around Chatham sound and the top end of Dundas. With as many earning their freedom as made the fish box we had some great fishing and a great group. The humpback whales showed their backs a little more often as their numbers increased feeding and lounging on our coast in preparation for the journey to Maui. Thanks Rob and Steve for bringing your boys, hope you enjoyed your stay aboard the Thunder 1.
Fishing our way into August we were joined by Ray and his wife Joane, as well as Deb’s Brother and his wife Francine. With Den and Fran bringing their years of fishing expertise with them and acting as both crew and deckhands it was like a holiday for Deb and I. Couple that with great fishing and the best summer weather of the year and it was a home run. The highlight of the fishing was some outstanding halibut fishing, and a story about the one that got away that will always have us wondering, just how big was that fish? One thing for sure, very, very big, as it had it’s way with us and seemed undaunted by our efforts to bring her closer to the boat. Our policy is always to release the large female spawners to help insure future halibut fishing for all, however it would have been nice to see how big she was. To Ray and Joane, thanks hope to see your soon, to Den and Fran, your hired, shitty pay but all the fish you can eat.
Welcome Elmer, Rudy, Carol and Shirley. Our first guests from our neighbours to the south it was a pleasure to have you aboard. After 55 and 56 years of marriage it was nice to see their enthusiasm has not be dampened for salmon fishing. After a slow start on the first day the momentum started to build and without a doubt the last morning was the best fishing of the year. Only fishing one rod we boated 15 salmon in 90 minutes, one of them was a 41 lb spring, the largest of the year aboard the Thunder 1. Way to go!! A long way to come we hope you enjoyed your trip thanks again.
Welcone Ken Davies and group as we reached the mid season point of the 2011 season. New to the boat but not to salmon fishing on the coast Ken, John , Dave , Art and Niel quickly set off to put some fish in the boat. Summer like weather for the first three days allowed the fellows to put a nice mix of both springs and coho in the boat. Add to that a crab feast and a great feed of fresh prawns and everyone was content. The last day saw a south east blow that looked more like November however the Thunder 1 handled the seas with ease and we arrived back in portwith another happy group. Thanks Ken hope to see you again soon.
Led by their fearless leader, and also their Dad, Uncle and Father inlaw Dan and the young guns joined us for some awesome fishing and weather. Sunny skies, hard fighting Coho and a Tyee on the last morning for Mike. You will have to let us know how the ride home went as I am sure that Mike had lots of time to polish up on his fish tale. A great trip with great guys and some awesome bottom fishing to boot, thanks Dan hope to see you again soon!
Welcome back Kerry and thanks for bringing your Dad, and some new faces Terry and Dave. After enduring some of the more unsettled weather in the past it was good to see mother nature cooperating this time. The trip got off to a great start with Dave collaring a beautiful 22 lb Chinook on the first night. From there on in we kept busy with some great halibut fishing a awesome fight by the big Tyee that got away, we will get him next time Bill but he deserved to earn his freedom with a fight like that. Hope you enjoy your catch througout the year and we are looking forward to seeing next July!!
Just like clock work, Jeff and his crew bring summer every year. No exception for 2011 although the first day had us wondering when it was coming. The next four days saw the guys in shorts and a liberal amount of sunscreen. Blue skies and warm temps didn’t scare the salmon as we landed some awesome chinook, with Wayne and Jeff being awarded Tyee pins for their 34 and 32 lb Chinook. However it wasn’t the big ones that gave us the best fight as those mid 20 b springs fought the hardest, big runs and one spooling us right down to the knot. Great anglers it is always a pleasure to have Jeff, Pete, Wayne and Gary aboard, we look forward to their return and the sun that always follows.
Trip # 6 we were joined by return guests Byron, Dean, Trent and Dave. Always a pleasure to have aboard we were surprised to see that Byron was not fishing in his suit and tie this year but had adopted a more relaxed attire. Weather was a mixed bag with moments of sun and warmth followed by cool and damp. It did not dampen the spirits or the fishing as we enjoyed a mixed catch of hard fighting coho and smaller Chinook. Once again the last day the sun came out and the seas turned to glass as we finished up with a flurry of action and Byron landing the last Spring Salmon right at the bell. The big one may have eluded us this trip but all anglers had plenty of action and left with lots of good BBQ material to keep them till next time. Thanks Byron see you next season.
June 22 to June 25. We shoved off on trip 5 accompanied by two couples, Bruce and Linda, Al and Dawn. Dawn’s last outing left her less than enthusiastic and we hoped the ambiance aboard the Thunder would change all that. Al was hoping for the big spring that had eluded him over the years. We are hoping that we succeeded on both fronts as Al landed our biggest of the year, a hard fighting 40 lb Chinook and Dawn found the cuisine and warmth of the Thunder much more to her liking. A full catch of Halibut, some nice salmon, awesome weather and a great show by the Killer whales, all we could ask for on an outing. Thanks again and your still on our team when we play name that tune.
June 16th to 19th. The last trips weather worries dissolved and we were joined by three couples celebrating their parents Marcel and Helene’s 50th wedding anniversary. We felt privileged to have them all aboard on their first salmon fishing trip. No strangers to fishing they quickly showed us how fast they could pick up on the salmon and halibut techniques The highlight of an awesome trip had to be the Triple header, salmon of 33, 27, and 22 all on at the same time. Too bad no one had a free hand for the movie camera, what a circus it was. Best of all, each fisherman did a great job of not only keeping their fish apart but also playing them beautifully. All three were landed, a first on the Thunder for three big springs at once. Well done. The halibut fishing was also spot on and we thank Gratien and his wife Lorraine for putting together the trip. We hope it was the trip of a lifetime they had hoped for.
June 11 th to 14th. Well mother nature decided that summer was not in the plans just yet and we struggled with gale force SE winds and a few other glitches. We were finally rewarded with one of the best salmon bites of the year and the ensuing 90 minutes saw 7 springs and a coho in the box with some excellent angling by the group. Chinnook of 31,26,24,19 and 17 were all fought and landed successfully. Good work guys, and cngrats to Mark for landing the Tyee. The final day saw the sun come out and the seas grow calm as we cruised back to Rupert in preparation for the next gang. Thanks again to Mark and his group for joining us again on the Thunder 1.
June 6 to 9
Thanks to Bill and Ted for joining us on the second trip of the season. The salmon fishing was scratchy and we worked long and hard for our opportunities, some which escaped to fight another day. Halibut fishing was great and we put some nice ones in the bin along with a couple of big ling cod and some beautiful prawns from the Moffat islands. We hope to see Bill and Ted back next year and we will get the salmon biting a little better.
June 01 at 3 pm, with longtime client Bill, his son Ryan and friends Paul and Doug W, we motored out of port and headed north for Dundas Island. Anticipation was high however so was the wind forecast as gale force SE winds were predicted for the next two days. A smooth ride out led us into early morning Salmon fishing. The bite was slow but our group worked hard and it paid off when young Ryan hooked into a beautiful 33 lb Chinook. A spectacular fight well played by the young angler led to his first Tyee. Congrats Ryan well done!! Doug W followed later that afternoon with a spirited fight from a 20 spring, his first salmon, right on Doug. Stiff winds hampered our bottom fishing however the wildlife made up for some slow spots and Humpback whales, Killer whales, sea lions, dolphins riding the bow and a Bald Eagle show at anchor that was spectacular kept things interesting. The last day broke clear and calm and we had some great action on the bottom fishing with the boys taking a variety of ling cod, rock cod, halibut and snapper home. Thanks again Bill for coming with us, hope to see you soon. Tight lines.
Out today with our second group, sun is out, winds are down, look out fish!!
With the first salmon aboard we awoke to a sunny day and we were eager to get into Rupert and finish the final preparations so that we could get our guests onto the fish. It was a another nice day, we waved at the black bear foraging on the shore near the mouth of the Skeena and on smooth seas we motored into the busy Prince Rupert Harbour. A quick stop at the fuel dock and then into our slip. Always nice to catch up with friends and we recieved a warm welcome on the dock. The next week we will be busy in preparation for our first charter on June 1. I will update prior to our first trip and then I will try to update after each group on our return to Prince Rupert. Stay posted, we are looking forward to having everyone aboard in 2010!!
If some days are good, today was fabulous. Grey skies gave way to puffy whites and blue sky. We left at 10 am and tried for halibut out in front of our anchorage, no luck for hali’s, just a few more Rockies. With a push from the tide we slid peacefully from Principe Channel into Petrel Channel. Water turned to glass and the sun shone on the Thunder. Three days since we had seen a boat or a person, gotta like it! Into Newcomb Harbour, we jumped into the skiff to try the point for an evening fish. It is only fitting that the gal who works the hardest gets the first Tyee of the Season. As improbable as it seems, jigging for cod Deb hooked into a huge spring salmon. What a fight, pulling the skiff in circles, screaming line of the reel, all the while we hooted and laughed, if we could only catch a glimpse we would be happy. Up it came, a beautiful bright 31 lb tyee, and me with only a gaff. One whiff and my name would be mud after Deb did such a great job of fighting it to stand still. Luck would have it, one swing and it was in the boat. Yahoo!!! Tyee!!! Tomorrow on to Prince Rupert, but if life is good, today was great!!
