|
|
From Jan 01, 1999 To Mar 11, 2010
|
Dec 28, 2009; 08:48AM - 2009, 'A Final...Final'
|
|
Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
|
|
Author Name: Gary Gaham
|
|
Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
|
Report Description:
Endless Season Update 12/27/2009
REPORT #1195 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
[b]East Cape [/b]
Fewer visitors and more fish seemed to be the mantra for 2009. While locals debated whether or not the lack of fishermen helped improve the fishing, the smart ones took advantage of the bite when it occurred. The reward was a swordfish for a few as well as one of the largest blues caught in quite a few years in July, plus the dorado and football tuna became commonplace, filling limits daily.
Then the better grade of tuna arrived...the 'tackle-busting kind' that had Captains and deckhands searching their respective storage areas for their heavy tackle. First large fish weighing in the double-digit range, and then the real tackle busting triple-digit ones. For some reason the usually ever-present Mexican tuna seiners never appeared. From Isla Cerralvo to Baja's tip the mayhem continued, remarkably all the way into December.
While all the offshore action drew the attention of most, for the few willing to brave the heat and hot sand, the beach delivered some one-two punches of its own with trophy sized jacks and some memorable roosters.
Now in late December you would assume that most of the attention would be directed to celebrating the holidays. Not exactly! Lance Peterson couldn't resist the great weather and while prowling a deserted beach he found a nice sized rooster to cap off 2009.
With 2010 just around the corner, the anticipation of what will happen in Baja's New Year is exciting.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
[b]Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico[/b]
While the fall season didn't produce the expected number of billfish, Magdalena's multi- dimensional fishery provided plenty of other species and many memorable highlights. Wahoo action was the best it has been in quite some time. Getting them to bite was the easy part ...keeping them away from the fur coats was another matter. Notwithstanding there were some spectacular catches by the local fleet as well as the visiting sports, yachts and trailer boats. One monster was reported weighing just over 100 pounds.
Tuna, dorado and yellowtail came to the party early and stayed late providing easy limits from early in the summer all the way until mid-December.
The esteros lived up to their 'fishy' reputation. Don’t confuse ‘fishy’ with easy. The spotted bay bass, grouper, corvina, sierra, jacks, mangrove snapper, pargo, pompano, halibut and snook were plentiful and there were trophy fish to be caught. Perhaps earned is a better way of putting it.
This combination of tough and strong fish in an hostile environment demands all the skill that an angler can gather. For those who met the challenge the rewards were some trophy sized catches.
As preparations for whale watching season continues, we are all looking forward to 2010. I'll leave the predications to the experts but after several decades of fishing in and around Magdalena Bay, I can promise it may be unexpected but remarkable..
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
[b]Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico[/b]
2009 was the best year we have ever experienced for fishing for roosters on the fly here in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Of course, having Cheva and Adolfo, two of the best roosterfish captains in Mexico, certainly helps.
There were days we raised as many as 40 roosters and 30 jack crevalle on hookless teasers. And these fish are huge...averaging 30 pounds.
Sara Henry of British Columbia got one pending line class World Record and several other records almost fell. We are really looking forward to the 2010 season......…[i]Ed Kunze[/i]
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582 |
|
|
Dec 21, 2009; 12:34PM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 14-20, 2009
WEATHER: We had very even weather this week with the morning lows at 65 degrees and the afternoon highs at 85 degrees with just a little wind in the afternoons. No clouds to speak of this week, really wonderful weather to spend the holidays enjoying, much better than all the snow I see in the news!
WATER: Surface conditions on both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez have been great, some small swells set quite a distance apart and light winds in our area. Farther up the Sea of Cortez, around the East Cape the wind has been howling and there were whitecaps everywhere. On the sea surface temperature charts you can almost see where the wind stops, as that is where the water temperature changes. Just to the south of Los Frailles the water warms to 79 degrees from 76 degrees and the warm water wraps completely around the Baja all the way up to just past Todo Santos on the Pacific side and extends well past any fishing range offshore along the entire area.
BAIT: Caballito and Mackerel in a pretty even mix at the usual $3 per bait and I have been told that there are some Sardinas up toward San Jose at $25 a scoop, but only if you get there early.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: With the water temperature staying fairly warm and the Dorado still around there was a bit of Blue Marlin action this past week. We had clients on two trips hook into Blues, one at the start of the week that was estimated at 225 pounds and was released and then at the end of the week another on estimated at 500 pounds that did not stay hooked for very long. If we had that kind of action then there were certainly others hooked as well. Also, there are still Sailfish to be had as twice this week anglers fishing with us released Pacific sails that averaged 100 pounds. The big news though is the Striped Marlin bite. It has started again and is happening close to home. Most of the action is taking place on the Pacific side off of the Lighthouse and up to the north to Los Arcos, close to the beach where the bait is stacked up, and there are reports of them showing up in small numbers at the Golden Gate Bank. Some of the better catches have been double digit numbers up to 19 a day (the best I heard of) but any boat that has gone out with the intention of Marlin fishing has been coming in with at least two flags flying. Hopefully this action will continue.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin have been scarce in our area. Boats traveling 20 or more miles to the west have found some fish, and there were some fish found to the northwest of the Golden Gate Bank, toward Finger Bank, but for the most part the Tuna have been a non-event for the boats. The fish that have been found in our area have all been football size, nothing large. I did talk with one angler that got off a long-range boat fishing well to the north of us who said that they had four fish over 300 pounds during their trip sop maybe we will see some of those fish later in the season.
DORADO: Dorado remained a staple for most of the boats, as they were fairly easy to find and close to home as well. The numbers have not bee great with most boats getting one or two fish, but a few boats that found schools of these great tasting fish were able to limit out at two fish per angler. They were scattered over the area with even numbers found on both the Pacific and the Cortez side of the Cape. All methods were working but the best results seemed to be had by boats that saw or hooked fish then slow trolled live bait in the same area.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo caught this week but did see a couple of Wahoo flags flying. They may have been for Wahoo but it is more likely that they were being flown for Sierra.
INSHORE: Once again it was a decent bite for Sierra that were averaging 6 pounds with an occasional 8 or 10 pound fish, Roosterfish that averaged 5 pounds with an occasional fish to 30 pounds and some scattered bottom fish found as well. Most of the Pangas were going just offshore and getting into the Striped Marlin action so it was hard to get a really good idea of inshore catch ratios.
NOTES: This weeks report was written while listening to Christmas music on Sirus Radio. I had forgotten what a beautiful voice Jim Nabors had. We are still seeing whales, the weather is great and there is a good Marlin bite going on. Buy yourself your own Christmas present and get away from the snow and cold! Until next week, tight lines! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, whichever is your reason for the season! |
|
|
Dec 14, 2009; 06:39PM - Lake Toho Bass Fishing
|
|
Category: Florida
|
|
Author Name: Capt Tim Fey
|
|
Author E-mail: tim@bassfishingfl.com
|
Report Description:
Lake Toho Bass Fishing
The bass fishing on Lake Toho has been great for us the past week. Wild shiners, artificial plastics and steel shad have been producing not only some good numbers, but some size as well. We have been launching out of the main ramp and making the long run to the south end of the lake.
Some good largemouth action had been coming from Fells Cove.
Working stickups and reeds have been a big key to catching some quality bass. Craws and Gitem KO’s have been the main producers as far as the plastics go. Steel Shad and spinner baits have also been very big, especially the steel shad in the open water areas that we have hit. There has been some steady schooling action on the southern end of Lake Toho, which has kept us going back for.
West side of the lake has also been a good area for us, slowing swimming either flukes or flappin shads thru the scattered grasses have produced some good strikes, another good bet was working a one ounce spinner bait thru the reeds and thinned out grasses. For the most part, the bite has been a pretty aggressive hit. |
|
|
Dec 14, 2009; 12:21PM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 7-13, 2009
WEATHER: The weather this week was a repeat of last weeks with the lows around 61-63 degrees and the highs around 89 degrees. We had partly to mostly cloudy skies at the beginning of the week that slowly developed into clear skies at the end of the week. No rain of course, and the wind died off a little. We still had afternoon winds from the west and southwest through Thursday but then they switched and came from the northwest.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific were very nice in the mornings with swells building during the week but spaced far enough apart that they gave the surfers a great time but did not really affect the fishing boats. These were caused by a couple of storms off to the far west, the same storms that gave Hawaii such great swells at the beginning of the week. In the afternoons there was a bit of chop on the water due to the afternoon winds, but the water was still very fishable. On the Cortez side of the Cape we had smaller surf and less chop, as is normal when the swells and weather come from the northwest, but at the end of the week the swells had switched and started to come from the east, but they were small. Across the area from the Golden Gate on the Pacific to the Punta Gorda area on the Cortez side the water was almost an even 80 degrees.
BAIT: Almost all the bait this week was Caballito, the moon was coming off of full and the bait guys had no problem getting these in the early morning. Mackerel was scarce but there were some available and I hear that there were still some Sardinas to be had up around Puerto Los Cabos.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: I did not hear of any Blue or Black Marlin being caught this week even thought the water temperature is fine for them. The Striped Marlin bite we had at the tail end of last week was a two day wonder, lasting Sunday and Monday, since then the better catches have been topping off at 3 fish per boat but the average is probably less than one release per boat per trip. The fish that are being caught are spread across the area, but more have been seen on the Pacific side than on the Cortez side, and the ones that are being caught show a preference for artificial lures over Caballito, and for Mackerel over artificial lures. There have been some very small fish in the releases as well, some of them reported as small as 15 pounds, but the average seems to be staying around the 100-110 pound mark with an occasional fish in the 160 pound range.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Still a slow bite on Yellowfin with a few fish being found on the Golden Gate Bank every few days as well as off of Palmilla on the Cortez side. A few boats have been going as far out as 50 miles to the south and west with little luck, and the fish they have found have mostly been footballs.
DORADO: The water temperature across the area warmed back up and the Dorado have remained in the area, but like last week, the bite has been slower than it was last month. This week was a repeat of last week as Boats were averaging 4-8 fish per trip with an occasional limit load. The fish were averaging 12 pounds with a few large fish in the pick, but no big numbers of them. Live bait seemed to do the trick on them this week, slow trolled in areas where Frigate Birds were seen to be working. The fish were spread across the area but the best results seemed to be had close to the shoreline and close to Cabo.
WAHOO: The full moon has gone and the Wahoo bite disappeared as well. There was still an occasional bite, but not nearly the numbers we were seeing during the full moon phase. Once again the shallower waters near steep drops and around rocky points supplied what little action there was.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week here. Inshore has been a decent mix of Sierra, small Roosterfish and Dorado. Most of the activity has been taking place on the Pacific side of the Cape and you did not have to go very far to get into the action.
NOTES: I could not help myself and played my “Chute 9” CD again, replaying over and over the first song on their album, “Mexican Dog”. I was laughing so much I kept missing the right keys on the keyboard and almost have the lyrics memorized. Until next week, tight lines! |
|
|
Dec 8, 2009; 04:35PM - How Big What kind?
|
|
Category: Guatemala Sport Fishing
|
|
Author Name: Stan Wright
|
|
Author E-mail: stanwright@hawaii.rr.com
|
Report Description:
Just got this from my friend Bill..... He and I just love to brag about our kids.
LOL... Aloha, Stan
Stan ….
Just got a picture from my son Mike.
He just came thru Honolulu last week on his way to Guatemala
to help his brother in this fishing operations.
He stepped off the plane in GUA last Friday night
took his boat out Sat am to shake it down for customers starting Sunday.
So here he hasn’t seen those waters for 5+Mths,
he hits the GPS spot for the last Marlin he hooked 5mths ago,
60min later snap and hooked up, and 90min after that, they land and release
The fish in the attached PIC.
How big? At least 6 – 800 but look close….
I think it was a BLACK MARLIN. look a the pectoral fin.
Not uncommon, but they get Blues 50 to 1 Blacks.
“Tight Lines” and great fishing
Bill |
|
|
Dec 7, 2009; 12:58PM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 30 - Dec 6th, 2009
WEATHER: I think that the season’s change is upon us. This week the low was down to 61 degrees, cold enough for me to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a sweater on top of it when we went to the marina in the mornings. Our daytime highs were up to 89 degrees a couple of days but for the most part remained in the low 80’s. We had mostly cloudy skies for most of the days this week but there was no rain with the clouds, at least in our area. We had a couple of days of blustery weather at the end of the week but by Saturday things had really calmed down.
WATER: Surface conditions on both sides of the Cape were very nice most of the week with the exception of the Pacific side on Monday and Tuesday as the wind blew fairly strong in the afternoons on both of those days, and on the Cortez side on Friday as the wind switched direction and came from the southeast. The swells were not bad anywhere but there was some fair sized surface chop accompanying those winds. On the surface the water on the Sea of Cortez averaged 80 degrees well offshore and a cooler 78 degrees within 10 miles of the shoreline. On the Pacific side the water to the north of the San Jaime stayed cool at an average of 76 degrees, while the water on the San Jaime and to the south of there was a warmer 78 degrees.
BAIT: There was a full moon this week that made it a bit more difficult for the bait boats to catch the Caballito. There seemed to be plenty of Mackerel around though and all the larger baits were at the normal $3 per bait. I heard that there were Sardinas at the Palmilla area but can only assume that they were the normal $25 per scoop since I did not buy any myself.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The high note for the week on the billfish front was the capture (and non-release) of a Blue Marlin that weighed over 850 pounds. The fish was caught on the Pacific side within a mile of the beach just to the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. This area had been providing some action the week before on fish to 400 pounds or so. The amount of bait in the form of young Dorado kept these large fish in the area much longer than normal. When weighed, this Marlin had two Dorado in the 12-pound class in its stomach. Other than this one large fish there were few other Blues or Blacks reported this week. There were plenty of Striped Marlin; however getting them to eat was a problem. Many boats were seeing groups of a dozen or more feeding on bait balls off of the area known as Los Arcos and were able to get an occasional fish to bite. A good catch for the week was two or three Striped Marlin released for the day, but most boats were lucky to get one. ((In a last minute update: On Sunday the 6th as the boats started coming in there were blue marlin flags flying everywhere. Mid-morning the bite on Striped Marlin had busted wide open on the ledge at the lighthouse and boats were releasing between two (for the slow boats) and 17 (high flag boat) marlin, best of all, there were only 30 boats in the area at the time. Hopefully the bite will continue. The bait was stacked up and the fish were feeding hard on a mix if Mackerel and large Sardinas, but boats using Caballito as bait got bit as well.))
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the Yellowfin action remained slow as the few fish that were found on a regular basis seemed to have been fished so hard that it was difficult to get anything going. The Gorda Banks bite slowed quite a bit and there were occasional schools of fish moving through directly south of the Cape, mostly in the 20-pound class and associated with Dolphin that provided action once in a while.
DORADO: The water continues to cool down and the bite continues to drop off, not that it has gotten bad, mind you, but not the numbers were had been spoiled with a month ago. Boats were averaging 4-8 fish per trip with an occasional limit load. Most of the fish remained in the warmer water on the Pacific side and around the structure of the 95 spot on the Cortez side. The fish were averaging 12 pounds with a few large fish in the pick, but no big numbers of them. Live bait seemed to do the trick on them this week, slow trolled in areas where Frigate Birds were seen to be working.
WAHOO: Once again we had a good week for Wahoo. While never a common fish in our area, the past couple of months have really been good. The fish have not been large, with an average weight of 20 pounds once again, but there have been many more than normal come in on the boats. Perhaps one in 10 boats came in flying Wahoo flags this week, about double the norm for this time of year. Working areas just off the beach around the rocky points in water ranging from 50 to 250 feet in depth with dark colored lures that work below the surface, or with live bait dropped deep and slow trolled on wire leader has provided most of the action.
INSHORE: Inshore has been a decent mix of Sierra, small Roosterfish and Dorado. Most of the activity has been taking place on the Pacific side of the Cape and you did not have to go very far to get into the action.
NOTES: More whales continue to arrive in our area, providing a break from watching lures behind the boat most days. I am off to the beach with the dog in a few minutes; she needs a few more boogie-board lessons and some exercise (as well as a bath). This weeks report was written to the Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection of blues, released in 1991. Until next week, tight lines! |
|
|
Dec 7, 2009; 12:52PM - RIVER Steelhead OCEAN Winter Chinook
|
|
Category: Canada
|
|
Author Name: Noel Gyger
|
|
Author E-mail: noel@noelgyger.ca
|
Report Description:
The photo of week shows Gill McKean owner of Westcoast Fishing Adventures with a beautiful bright, wild Steelhead landed last fall.
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated November 29 – December 6, 2009
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: As I am writing this summery the air temperature outside is -8 degrees C with high out flow wind (out of the north). We all know what this means…it is way too cold to go fishing. I think the wintering over Steelhead need a break from us anglers once an awhile. The Trout lakes should start freezing over now and the ice fishermen will start dusting off their gear. Weatherman says this cold snap may be with us for awhile.
'WIN' a FREE one day DRIFT FISHING TRIP for three persons down the Kitimat River by signing up your friends, family and fishing partners for my WEEKLY FISHING REPORT
This trip is supplied by Reliable Guide and Charters and is for the 2010 season. The LUCKY WINNER will be drawn on April 30, 2010. Cast to this link http://www.noelgyger.ca/articles/win-a-FREE-driftboat-fishing-trip.doc to open a form showing how to enter names. Send the completed form via e-mail or postal mail. When I receive it I will reply confirming your name is entered into the draw – GOOD LUCK
December 2, 2009 One 'New' clip posted on Video Clips:
I was invited to go fishing with Ron Wakita and Wes Owens for Dungeness Crab in the Kitimat ocean Douglas Channel November 27, 2009. This video shows 'how-to' catch Crab using the 'right tools for the job' such as Crab Traps distributed by Redl Sports www.redlsports.ca , Ace Line Hauler Crab and Prawn puller www.acelinehauler.com to effortlessly pull the traps, Danielson Bait Cage (basket) and a Gibbs-Delta Crab Gauge www.gibbsfishing.com to measure the Crabs. The lead core rope used to pull the traps is made by Danielson. We placed four traps for only one set and were only one Crab short of the daily limit of six each. Cast here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq-wU33Ihoo for a direct link to the video. It is also list on the Video webpage: Tips and Techniques: Title: HOW TO catch Dungeness Crab and is video clip #0078. It plays for 6:52 minutes
NOW BOOKING for 2010: Let me know if I can be of service to book you with the 'best' fishing guide and/or fishing lodges for both river and ocean. There are NO extra charges to book through me, just a lot of free information and advice from a person with years and years of fishing and fish guiding experience. It is like hiring two guides for the price of one. I will promptly answer your questions and concerns. Cast here http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to read more of what I have to offer.
Many people book three trips per year to our area; one trip in the spring (March-April-May), one trip in the summer (June-July-August) and one trip in the fall (September-October-November). They love having the same guide but fishing for different fish in different areas.
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for news bulletins, mid week fishing updates, conservation, my history, quality waters strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, podcasts, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles, archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002 and a sportfishing market place. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction. I am at your service.
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT Steelhead, Trout and Dolly Varden Char for river. Salmon, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks! (This is a BC fishing regulation)
FISHING THIS WEEK: (Too cold!)
SKEENA RIVER: water has been dropping all week and is in good shape. It is too cold to fish right now. Late fall Steelhead should be coming in now plus “excellent” fishing for Trout and Dolly Varden Char.
KALUM RIVER: Late fall and early winter Steelhead fishing will start again when the weather warms up.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: Really too cold to fish right now.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
Cast on link below to view New flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/images/Instore_Flyer_Oct_2009.pdf
Cast on link below to view New Christmas Flyer:
http://www.noelgyger.ca/images/2009-Christmas-Flyer.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: The Kitimat weather was sunny and clear early in the week and some anglers managed to get to do some Trout fishing with good results.
The Lower Dike, Goose Creek and the Big Pool at Cable Car were the Hot Holes this week. Cable Car was reported to have lots of small Trout.
Mid week in Kitimat we received some light snow falls followed by some rain which melted most of the Snow.
During the latter part of this week we received Sunny, Clear and some very Cold weather. It dropped to below zero at times.
Dec 1st Jacques Losier reports 'My son Colby Age 7 caught some incredible cut throats. He caught these 20 inch plus fish with a pink worm and a real worm. He landed at least 15 to 20 fish all in the 11 to 13 inch range. Awesome day of fishing!'
Wow! These are some very nice trout. Well done Colby! And at Age 7! It is so refreshing to report a Father and Son sharing the passion of fishing and it is quality time with Colby will never forget. Well done Dad! Thank You for taking the time out of your busy life to send me the pictures
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: The Winter Chinook fishing in the Kitimat Harbour is difficult to determine as only one boat was reported fishing the Harbour this week.
Nov 1st Wes Owens of Golden Adventures took my brother Brian and my Twin brother Rick Wakita out for Winter Chinook and to do a little crabbing. I asked Wes not too try to hard to catch any fish for my brothers because of our ongoing Sibling rivalry. For readers that have brothers you may be able to relate to the normal competitive nature of brothers. It can be bad in most cases but if you add the issue that we were all born the same year. (Brian was born in January and Rick and I were born in November the same year) it can be a little too competitive but it is all in good fun!
I am happy to report that they didn't catch any Winter Chinook. :-) They did however catch their limit of crab with the help of the Ace Line Hauler www.acelinehauler.com They both loved pulling the traps and they did catch a lot of crab but 'Whats Up' with the FiFI gloves!
I am sure that Wes and my brothers put in honest effort but they did not find the Winter Chinook. Stay tuned.
Thank You to everyone who provided info and photos to this Fishing Report.
Hope you enjoyed the Fishing Report.
We are booking River and Saltwater trips for the 2010 season. Interested anglers, please contact Noel: noel@noelgyger.ca
Good Luck Good Health Good Fishing
Sincerely
Ron Wakita
Fishing Report from: Nicholas Dean Lodge, Terrace
Spring Steelhead fishing near Terrace is probably one of the most overlooked seasons on the Skeena system, despite its reputation for large fish. Taft Ring can attest to this, having landed this 23 lb Steelhead on his second day of fishing!
Hello Anglers, around this time of year, I always find myself reflecting back on the season - of enjoyable dinners and conversations had with clients, tying flies in anticipation of the next trip and yes, the clichéd big fish stories told at the lodge which usually don't involve myself. So, for this week's report, rather than one specific story, I decided to do put some of these memories on paper - let's call them the 2009 season highlights...
Starting our Spring Steelhead season at our rustic and comfortable lodge on Kalum Lake Road, we hosted a number of clients who focused their angling efforts on a few Skeena River tributaries and the big river itself. Like most other years, there seemed to be proportionately more, large Steelhead landed in the Spring than at other times of year, and Taft Ring took top honors, landing a 23 lb Steelhead on the fly (this week's report photo). During that same week, we had the pleasure of hosting legendary Steelhead angler Lani Waller who had recently penned his newest book, 'A Steelheader's Way.' Lani is a charismatic yet genuine, humble man whose passion for Steelhead and Steelhead fly fishing is infectious and derived from many years on the water. Having the chance to meet and share stories with Lani was certainly a highlight of my Steelhead fishing career, and I suspect for those anglers who also joined us that week.
From mid April through mid May, we continued to develop one of our newest fishing programs - Adventure Steelheading - on small, not-to-be named coastal rivers. Why Adventure Steelheading? Well, many of the coastal rivers we fish aren't the easiest to access and demand a fair amount of hiking and wading on the part of the angler. On a few rivers in particular, we'll start the day by driving down a logging road, launching in the Ocean, jet boating to the river's estuary and from there move from pool to pool in search of Steelhead that average 12-15 lbs. This year, Sonja Sorbo took top honors with a 20 lb Steelhead landed in early May - one that I'm sure she won't easily forget!
Perhaps one of our most significant announcements this year was our partnership with five-star Yellow Cedar Lodge. Beginning April 20, we moved operations to this incredible facility, and clients enjoyed some of the best fine dining, hospitality and amenities in Northwest BC. Building upon our successes this season, we look forward to working with Alf and Simone at Yellow Cedar Lodge during the 2010 season as well.
It was another great year for Trophy Chinook Salmon on the Skeena and Kitimat Rivers during the early part of our Summer season, complete with some absolute monster fish. If you saw my Trophy Chinook of 2009 blog post a few months back, you will have probably already seen a few photos of these incredible fish. Congratulations go out to: Andrea Scaramella for a 60 lb fish he landed in late July, Bob Cusick for his 70 lb lifetime fish and Ron Kostich, with an 80 lb buck which is reputed to be the largest Chinook caught by any angler during the 2009 season.
As many devoted Skeena Steelhead anglers are aware, Steelhead numbers on the Skeena during early August at the Tyee test fishery were some of the highest reported in the last 10 years, which is certainly encouraging. Steelhead fishing on the mainstem Skeena near Terrace followed suit, particularly in late August and early September, with many large Steelhead in the 18-23 lb range landed. Dennis Channing landed a chrome bright 23 lb Steelhead on the Skeena in late August with Sky Richard, which was featured in our 488th Fishing Report.
Our Fall Steelhead and Trophy Coho season is always one of our most popular seasons, and 2009 was no different. We hosted several groups through September and October and, fishing overall was quite good. Many anglers had the opportunity to experience the magic of seeing a large Steelhead rise to a waked dry fly - certainly one of those defining experiences in one's angling career. Fabrizio Oliva was one of our more lucky anglers this Fall, as his first Steelhead landed was a 20 lb fish from one of our remote wilderness rivers. If this wasn't enough, he followed up with an even larger Steelhead stretching to 22 lbs a few days later on the same system! Perhaps one of our biggest success stories this year, however, was the marked improvement in Coho Salmon returns for the North Coast - nearly every system we fished this year had an abundance of fish, and the fishing was unparalleled! Top rods went to Gary Bartholomew and Deb Morrow who fished with us in late October, and landed over 60 Coho in one day...
On the whole, the 2009 year was a successful one for us, and we owe much of this to you, our clients. We would like to thank each of you individually for your patronage and company in your quest for exciting fishing experiences, and hope to see you in the 2010 season or in the near future.
Summary of Current Conditions: With air temperatures dropping well below freezing, fishing conditions are somewhat more difficult this late in the season. It's not to say the fish aren't there - they are - but, when your guides freeze every 4 or 5 casts it's slightly more difficult to focus on your presentation. On our warmer days, however, I have heard reports of anglers catching a few Steelhead on the Skeena and its tributary rivers, particularly in slower moving pools. With the last of the Coho Salmon spawning in local rivers, trout fishing has improved markedly, and targeting these fish with small flesh flies and single eggs are likely the most productive methods of fishing.
Please contact Noel Gyger noel@noelgyger.ca to book your next guided fishing trip with us.
From all of us here at Nicholas Dean Lodge, I'd like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season this year...
Chad Black, Operations Manager
Fishing Report from: J & E Tackle Shop, Prince Rupert
Noel the photos are of Miles Fuller and his charter vessel the Alouette Gal. Miles is holding a 14lb. Chinook caught Dec 5/09 in the Prince Rupert Harbour.
The Winter Chinook fishing has been awesome this past week with numerous reports from anglers taking to the inshore waters of Prince Rupert Harbour, Tucks Narrows, Spire Ledge, Venn Pass and Tugwell Island are all producing winter Chinooks. If you do not have a boat to get out and enjoy this winter fishery you can book any one of the local guides with rates reduced by up to 50% from summer months. So take to the water and do some winter angling, crabbing and prawning. You can contact Jeff Carlson of BC STYLE Fishing Charters www.bcstylefishingcharters.com
J & E’s Fishing and Hunting Shop has many gift ideas for your Christmas shopping.
Click on this link http://www.noelgyger.ca/articles/nov-30_2009-je-tackle-shop-christmas-flyer.pdf to view the instore Christmas flyer.
BLUE KNUCKLE DERBY UPDATE
Tickets will be available Monday December 7, 2009 at J & E’s Tackle
“19th Annual Marc (Dezi) Desautels Memorial Blue Knuckle Derby” is held on Dec. 27th
With the involvement of the Prince Rupert Lions Club and other charitable organizations we have to move from the previous “winner-take-all” format to a split of funds generated.
Largest Salmon Caught
1st Prize $1000
2nd Prize $300
3rd Prize $200.
Lots of door prizes to be won
All surplus funds raised from the ticket sales will go to the Salvation Army.
The weigh-in and prize money PRESENTATIONS will be held at the Moose Lodge in Prince Rupert.
More details of this event will be available in next week’s report.
e.g.
- Start and finish time of derby
- Where to purchase tickets
- Time and place of Weigh-in
BLUE KNUCKLE DERBY SPONSERS
PRINCE RUPERT LIONS Organizer
ASTRAL MEDIA Radio Coverage
HAWK AIR 2 Tickets -Prince Rupert/Vancouver Return
LOYAL ORDER OF THE MOOSE weigh-in and prize money PRESENTATIONS
Prince Rupert Tide Charts:
http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/cgi-bin/tide-shc.cgi?queryType=showFrameset&zone=18&language=english®ion=1&stnnum=9354
Thanks. Jeff Carlson – owner
PRODUCT PROFILE: Redl Sports www.redlsports.com CENTER PIN fishing reels
Trophy XL offers two styles of fishing reels. The Winter Run series is a line of center pin reels that cater river anglers under all conditions. The Tyee series is a popular mooching reel that every saltwater angler needs to have.
Top left: Trophy XL Tyee QR is machined from solid aluminum bar stock, duel balanced handles and anodized dark pewter. Spool capacity for 500 yards of 20lb monofilament.
Top middle: Trophy XL Winter run is machined from solid bar stock, click drag system, brass bushing system for silky smooth casts, polished silver finish. Spool capacity for 200 yards of 15lb monofilament. Available for right or left handed anglers. Nickel finish is also available.
Top right: Trophy XL Tyee is made from machined solid bar stock, disc drag system, 3 bearings for silky smooth casting and polished silver finish. Spool capacity of 500 yards of 20lb monofilament.
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: Skeena River, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: Skeena River, 27-pounds.
FISHING REGULATIONS WEBSITES:
2009-2011 BC tidal waters and non-tidal (Federal) Salmon fishing information:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011
2009-2011 Freshwater (Provincial) Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011 (Note regs good for two years)
GUEST FISHING PHOTOS:
*** If any of you have special fishing photos, testimonials, scenic river photos, wildlife photos or articles I would love to see them.
The photo shows James Clark of Alberta with a bright wild Steelhead landed on a Skeena Tributary this past October. He and his friends had a great trip landing many Steelhead and Coho Salmon. Photo courtesy of James Clark.
The photo shows Genady Davidov with a Skeena tributary a wild Steelhead. He and his friends had another great guided fishing trip this fall. Second year in a row pro fishing guide Dustin Kovacvich guided them to many different rivers for both Steelhead and Coho (Silver) Salmon. Photo courtesy of Genady Davidov
Catch & Release formula:
- Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by 1000 (inches)
- Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
Place your order NOW for Fiberglass Fish Reproduction
This 42 x 23.5 inch Steelhead was estimated to weigh 30-pounds. There are many sizes and positions available, and pretty much any species. Call Carey Braun anytime at 250-639-3769 and he will be happy to build one for you. Yes, that’s Carey in the photo.
MARKETPLACE Sportfishing related items only please. Contact me anytime to list your items. There is no charge for this service.
Buy, sell, trade or swap your item or items by listing them here today
Your Ad will receive LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL exposure:
• Your Ad will be posted on my website
• Your Ad will be promoted in my Weekly Fishing Reports
• Your Ad will be posted on other websites who host my fishing reports
Examples of what to list: Boats and accessories, Motors, Vehicles, Air Craft, Rods, Reels, Tackle, Real Estate (i.e. fishing lodge), Rentals (Cabins Cottages), Lakeshore, Tourist accommodation, ATV, RV's, RV sites, Taxidermy, Books, Magazines, Videos, Photographs, Antiques, Artwork, Clothing, Employment, Trade/Swap and Wanted, Help Wanted, etc.
To view the items currently listed please cast to: http://www.noelgyger.ca/market-place.htm
To receive my WEEKLY FISHING REPORT and PHOTO via e-mail please send your name and e-mail address to: Noel Gyger noel@noelgyger.ca
GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
Yours sincerely,
Noel F. Gyger
Back to: http://noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
Home page: www.noelgyger.ca |
|
|
Dec 4, 2009; 02:32PM - Lake Toho Bass Fishing
|
|
Category: Florida
|
|
Author Name: Capt Tim Fey
|
|
Author E-mail: tim@bassfishingfl.com
|
Report Description:
Lake Toho Bass Fishing
The first part of December started out great on Lake Toho. Three days of bass fishing with Paul Fisler and HM1 Shane Gilley proved to be eventful and a lot of fun. These guys were catching bass at a good pace every morning, with steel shad leading the way. These bass were in tune in a big way with the shad. The early bite was definitely key to every day, as once the schooling action cooled off, we found ourselves doing some moving around to catch bass. The south end of Lake Toho proved to be the best action.
Paul started Day one out, showing me his new spinner bait from Holeshottackle.com, and on the first cast of the day got the hook up. After that we spent the majority of the time catching bass with the shad. We had one main area that we fished every morning with great success, bass played very good and kept the action steady every day. Once this action died off, we moved around working Gene Larew craws catching bass scattered across the southern end of lake toho. Tried some senko type baits but got no action with them, and managed only one follow on a Gambler Flappin Shad. Despite higher winds on Wednesday, we still caught bass scattered on toho, using steel shad, with Shane basically just trolling one behind the boat. For the most part, the bite with soft plastics with a very light one, as Shane’s big bass just picked up the bait and swam towards the boat with it before he realized he had something on the line.
JJ’s Dippin Dye was a big help on the boat as well, with the light bite, I honestly believe this product made a difference, as the first few bass that hit, let go fast that is until we started dipping our baits. Great product, and you only need to dip your plastic once, as this penetrates the plastic and trust me on this, it stays and works! |
|
|
Dec 4, 2009; 02:29PM - Lake Toho Bass Fishing
|
|
Category: Florida
|
|
Author Name: Capt Tim Fey
|
|
Author E-mail: tim@bassfishingfl.com
|
Report Description:
Lake Toho Bass Fishing
The first part of December started out great on Lake Toho. Three days of bass fishing with Paul Fisler and HM1 Shane Gilley proved to be eventful and a lot of fun. These guys were catching bass at a good pace every morning, with steel shad leading the way. These bass were in tune in a big way with the shad. The early bite was definitely key to every day, as once the schooling action cooled off, we found ourselves doing some moving around to catch bass. The south end of Lake Toho proved to be the best action.
Paul started Day one out, showing me his new spinner bait from Holeshottackle.com, and on the first cast of the day got the hook up. After that we spent the majority of the time catching bass with the shad. We had one main area that we fished every morning with great success, bass played very good and kept the action steady every day. Once this action died off, we moved around working Gene Larew craws catching bass scattered across the southern end of lake toho. Tried some senko type baits but got no action with them, and managed only one follow on a Gambler Flappin Shad. Despite higher winds on Wednesday, we still caught bass scattered on toho, using steel shad, with Shane basically just trolling one behind the boat. For the most part, the bite with soft plastics with a very light one, as Shane’s big bass just picked up the bait and swam towards the boat with it before he realized he had something on the line.
JJ’s Dippin Dye was a big help on the boat as well, with the light bite, I honestly believe this product made a difference, as the first few bass that hit, let go fast that is until we started dipping our baits. Great product, and you only need to dip your plastic once, as this penetrates the plastic and trust me on this, it stays and works! |
|
|
Nov 30, 2009; 01:36PM - Johns Lake Bass Fishing
|
|
Category: Florida
|
|
Author Name: Capt Tim Fey
|
|
Author E-mail: tim@bassfishingfl.com
|
Report Description:
Johns Lake Bass Fishing report for November 2009
November has been a pretty good month for bass fishing on Johns Lake. We have had several trips out on Johns Lake and for the most part of the month there is been consistent schooling action going on. Deer Island Cut is usually the best bet for the schooling action first thing in the morning, but as we witnessed on a trip with clients, who were fishing for strictly pan fish, the schooling action can kick in just about anywhere on this great body of water.
Spinner baits and blade baits have been the best producers out here and usually in wide open waters. Mid lake seemed to be one of the best areas to keep a consistent catching action going on. Docks had been holding limited amount of action skipping wacky rigged Gitem K.O’s and Gene Larew craws.
We did notice a big drop in the bite when we got hit with a very good cold front for Thanksgiving and word from the dock was this cold front really turned on the crappie bite. Schooling action on Johns Lake will with no doubt continue through March as usual with some five plus pounders coming out of these schools of bass.
With the major spawn just around the corner now, we fully expect another great season on Johns Lake throwing everything from 10 inch worms to swim baits again. With water levels up, and tons of flooded timber, bass will have all the cover needed so we expect to see some bass beds in some hard to work areas, this will make for yet another great action packed season. |
|
|
|
