Category: Past Trips

Welcome aboard to Jim, Linda, Curtis and Christine. Always nice to have a family unit aboard September is a great time of year on the north coast. Lots of fish, great humpback whale viewing all await our late season guests. Always fun to have some first time anglers it was great to see the gals hook up some halibut and northern Coho. The Whales did not disappoint and the mouth of work channel provided some outstanding viewing for our guests. Then

it was back to fishing, lots of action as the Coho continued to slam the gear on their way to the spawning grounds. A great trip, some pleased guests and the hope that they took home a wonderful experience from our coastal waters. Thanks Jim, and of course thanks to our good client Kerry Brown for sending along the Jim and family.

New comers to Thunder 1 Adventures we hoped to show our  guests from Alberta some great fishing on the north coast. Starting with halibut we hooked into some nice ones on the first evening, releasing quite a few in hopes of tagging a big one. The Coho fishing proved awesome and we even added a small spring salmon to the mix. As the salmon tally rose we continued to hunt for hali’s and they proved a little more elusive. In the end we finished with lots of nice fish and left some smaller halibut to grow bigger for our next years anglers. Thanks for joining us fellas we hope you have a great winter and enjoy your fish!!

Welcome back Jason, his father Dave, Craig and son  Ross. Jason and Dave have been with the Thunder for 9 seasons and we look forward to their September long weekend trip every year. It proved to be another exciting September fishing weekend with lots of hard fighting northern Coho. Lots of laughs as usual and no mercy for those that lost a fish the trip went by all too fast. With a full compliment of 32 Coho and 8 halibut in the coolers we returned to Prince Rupert Harbour for the grand finale. Jason arranged an ice bucket challenge to raise funds and awareness for ALS. After being dunked with a cooler of ice he jumped into the cold icy waters of the Prince Rupert Harbour to punctuate his cause. We hope the challenge was met by his colleagues and look forward to hearing about it next season. Always great to have you back, hoping to see you many more times down the road. Cheers!!

Welcome aboard Janice and Earl, Quince and Dianne, and Margaret and Penny for another one of our Prince Rupert Fishing Charters. A diverse family group that travelled from points afar it was nice to be joined by this group for their fishing adventure. Although Quince had dragged lots of lines on the BC Coast the rest of the group was new to our fishing and it was great that we could show them how awesome it is on the north coast. Booked as a double trip, one for fishing and one for cruising we set out to find some fish on the first part. Hali’s were the first up and we quickly had a number on and kept some fat chickens for the cooler. A good haul of prawns started day 2 and then it was off to find some Coho. Fish On!!!! We found them alright, great action, wild jumpers, big shiny fish, what a day. The weather was awesome the fishing electric and were soon back in Rupert for a quick turn and then off with the group for a leisurely cruise and some whale watching. Cruising up to Work Channel we anchored in the calm back inlets of the coast, beautiful scenery as we were surrounded by towering peaks and glassy water. The morning humpback show was spectacular and we watched for an hour or two as the waved their tails and fed at the mouth of Work. After that we headed to the Khutzemateen for the chance of viewing a Grizzly Bear. While the Bears did not come out the weather was great and the scenery worth the trip. Returning to Rupert we were treated to an amazing Humpback whale Bubble Net feeding show that will not be forgotten by our guest for a long time. With many miles to go to return to their homes we bade out guests farewell and hoped they would spread the work on how beautiful our part of the world is.

 

Welcome back Ron, Judy, Jerry and Holly. The big news for this trip was not the fishing, or the whales, or the weather, but the news that Ron and Judy were tying the Knot and getting married shortly after their trip with us. Wonderful news Ron and we are looking forward to some pictures. While we started out with some wind and rain it quickly gave way to some wild fishing and calmer seas. Surrounded by the humpback whales on the mainland side the Coho action was wild and double headers were the norm not the exception. With the sun coming out we chased around the sound for some halibut and caught some nice ones to add to the catch. Always a pleasure to have Ron and Judy aboard, their schedule of travel and adventure is hard to keep up with we are just happy they made time for us again aboard The Thunder 1. Hope to see you again soon as the official Mr. and Mrs. Brown.

A tough client when it comes to the bargaining table, Doug insisted that he would return this year as long as we could bring our daughter Kyla along to accompany his daughter Julia on our Prince Rupert Fishing Charter. Well after a tough milli second of debate we agreed. Friends from U Vic , Kyla and Julia joined Doug, and Julia’s boyfriend Jarrett, and Marc all the way from Yellowknife. Charmed by nice weather again this year we had to break out the sun screen  for this trip. Needed those sun glasses as well as the reflection from all those big smiles was hard to look at. Under smooth seas we fished our way toward Alaska picking up some great fighting halibut and salmon along the way. With a great weather we headed off shore for some halibut fishing and had a great couple of hours off shore to fill the halibut tub. As for the Coho fishing, unbelievable, double headers, triple headers, over, under up and down with some of the best aerial work of the year it was lots of fun. Wonderful to have a working visit with our daughter, and her wonderful friends it was memorable trip. And yes Doug you win, Kyla can come next year, can’t wait.

 

We had the right group for some ripped fish lips as we were joined by our return group of Dentists, Alan, Greg, Kent and Greg’s daughter Kirsty. And boy did these fish need some dental work as we ripped the lips off as many Coho, and halibut as the group could handle. Great action accompanied by the melody “all my exes live in Texas” kept the group hopping and some calm anchorages, swooping eagles and whales feeding all made an excellent fishing charter for our group. Looking forward to the same action, same time next year!!

 

After a couple of years sabbatical it was nice to have Barry, Cam, and their sons Mike and Ben as well as new guests Scott and Pat back aboard for another fishing charter in Prince Rupert. Light rod salmon hunters this group comes equipped with 8 wt. fly rods and Islander reels to hook up their fish. As the prize money for the biggest fish was still being sorted out young Ben stepped up out of turn and grabbed the 8 wt. as it flattened out under the pull of a big spring. Fish On!!! Nothing like a screaming MR 2 and a big fish on a light rod. Great job by Ben and he expertly fought the 25lb Chinook to the boat and into the leader board list. What followed was 5 days of nice weather, nice fish and much laughter. Some other nice Springs joined the mix but ultimately that first fish held up and Ben took home the Bacon. Great to have the group back, always awesome to play big fish on light gear and well done to all the anglers.  Looking forward to seeing you next year.

Flattering to have return guests in this business, and welcome back Kerry, his Dad Bill, Rocco and Ian to our Prince Rupert Fishing Charters. Back for his 8th visit aboard the Thunder it was great to headed out under clear skies and flat seas. Hoping just to get the gear in for a little refresher and warm up on the salmon fishing doesn’t always work out as the Coho jumped us as soon as the gear hit the water. Before we knew it 7 big shiny Coho were in the box and the warm up session was all over, great start. A little prawning, a nice crab dinner and we were ready to wet some lines in the morning. Look out!! Fishing was electric again and Coho zipped and jumped and hit everything we put in the water, what a day. The halibut proved to be equally as aggressive and we hunted around trying a few different spots looking for a lunker. In the end we landed some nice ones and the lunker will have to wait for next year. Thanks again Kerry for coming back, all the best for the rest of the summer and looking forward to seeing you next year.

July 15th, 2014. In our 9 years of exploring the coast aboard the Thunder 1 for our fishing charters in Prince Rupert, Deb and I have had the privilege of witnessing some spectacular sights on our coast, but nothing compared to our encounter with a humpback whale in Chatham Sound on this day. Cruising between halibut fishing spots we witnessed a spectacular breach by a humpback whale in the distance. Shortly after a large dark object appeared just off our starboard bow. Thinking a log I slowed for a better look and realised it was a resting humpback whale. As our course would take us quite close I reduced to idle  power and shifted out of gear to glide by without disturbing his or her rest. (we will call it her from here on). She awoke as we glided by but instead of swimming off she swam toward us for a visit. Quickly shutting down all engines we watched breathlessly as she approached. What happened for the next hour was truly remarkable. In what can only be described as curiosity she swam around our boat for the next hour. Rolling to look at us, gliding under the boat, circling around and around she came with in inches of our wooden hull without ever once touching. The grace and majesty of this 45 foot whale was beyond words. To be able to observe a humpback at this close range was a once in a lifetime occurrence.  It is truly humbling to look deep into a whales eye and realise she is looking at you with the same curiosity as you have of her. These animals are truly amazing and to think we hunted them almost to extinction is a sobering thought. Hopefully we can learn to live together with them in the future. If everyone could have shared the experience we had I believe that our respect and desire to live in harmony with them would be greatly enhanced. I am adding some pictures and a short video clip but will try to attach a link to a longer clip soon.Here is our YouTube video
 

 

Their are big fish, small fish, red fish, blue fish, but the best fish is your first fish, ask Gene who at 85 years young landed his first salmon, and his first halibut!! We feel very honored to have had been a part of it. Great to have Chris, his sons Ryan and Dave, and his uncle Gene and son Mike aboard for a really great fishing charter in Prince Rupert. The weather could not dampen the laughter or the fun we had with this group and if a picture is worth a thousand words check out these smiles. Never missing a chance to put a rod in the water Dave hooked up a 20 lb halibut on the casting rod and a buzz bomb during lunch, some fun there. Ducking the winds that blew from all four corners we caught some fish, lost some fish and finished with a busy halibut session that saw all the rods bouncing including Genes. Punctuated by some spirited cribbage games in the evenings it was a great trip. Closely avoiding tragedy at the end as Dave and Ryan were almost abducted by a bevy of blond Australian gals who were crewing the super yacht next to us, only their Dad’s late minute diligence saved the boys and kept them in the country, nice save Chris.! Looking forward to seeing you next year, all the best and thanks for making us smile as well.