2018 Port Renfrew Reports

....lodge owners make a bundle, but what does Sandspit, Queen Charlotte City, Skidigate or Masset see? Even the lodges right in Sandspit keep their clients within their doors.
Any QCI lodge I've ever been at has all kinds of locals working-guiding, cooking, cleaning, and I've never heard one of those people complain about being employed.
 
Fished Renfrew Thursday and Friday, Thursday was a bust, released several small Springs and bonked one bleeder at 5lbs. Saw one other fish netted.
Friday was quite a bit different, out at 5:30 and nothing until 8am, then crazy for an hour or so. Lost a screemer, boated two around 20 and then out and added two Sockeye.

Bit of a lump both days, no wind.

What is the legallity of dipping Sockeye from the DFO siene purse? Saw several charter boats do this and then share the results amoung several boats.

Thoughts?
Robert, I’m not quite sure why it’s okay for you to “boat a couple of 20’s” but they shouldn’t be able to up north?
 
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You are right, I shouldn't. But the regs say I can take 30 Chinook as well, but I never have as no one needs that much fish for a season, but we technically can if we choose.
As well Stizzla, I fished two days. The point I am making is that you will never increase South Coast Chinook numbers unless the increase escapement percentages from our Northern waters, BC and Alaskan waters. People who spend $10,000 for a fishing experience are not doing it to fill their freezers with meat, they want the experience, so lets continue to give it to them and reduce the quota (ours as well) they can bonk on the head.

As for the locals working at the lodges, next time you are up in Skidigate or another Haida Village (ie:not at a lodge), ask around my friend, you may find there is a difference of opinion than those found at the lodges.

Tight Lines......
 
I heard one of em put in 13 hrs at camper for one 13 lb spring... more of a MayDay....
Cant blame that one on me :D, boat got pulled at the end of July, last Friday a buddy cut plugging took a couple of friends out, landed 9, kept 8 to 30 lbs, every day is different. He said there are some old boots coming in from East Point already, pen fish must be stacking along the bay. As for sockeye i am definitely am not the guy to give any tips only fished them 2 days in my life, tough with no riggers!!
 
You are right, I shouldn't. But the regs say I can take 30 Chinook as well, but I never have as no one needs that much fish for a season, but we technically can if we choose.
As well Stizzla, I fished two days. The point I am making is that you will never increase South Coast Chinook numbers unless the increase escapement percentages from our Northern waters, BC and Alaskan waters. People who spend $10,000 for a fishing experience are not doing it to fill their freezers with meat, they want the experience, so lets continue to give it to them and reduce the quota (ours as well) they can bonk on the head.

As for the locals working at the lodges, next time you are up in Skidigate or another Haida Village (ie:not at a lodge), ask around my friend, you may find there is a difference of opinion than those found at the lodges.

Tight Lines......
It is a touchy subject for sure. I personally don’t think people spend $10,000 just to put $1500 worth of fish in their feeezer. I also know many people are like me who dream of going to Haida for the experience and to fight a fish of a lifetime. Anyways, let’s keep the reports coming. I have no beef with you Robert, I’m just maybe not on board with you on this topic :)
 
I agree gentlemen, but lets start with the white elephant in the room. Every Chinook salmon that swims into Juan De Fuca Straight also swims through the North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska, and down either side of the Queen Charlottes (Haida Gwaii to you youngsters). If DFO wants to increase Chinook numbers in South Coast waters, should they not start by increasing the escapement numbers from the North Coast?
Closing areas and reducing catch numbers on the South Coast and ignoring what is going on on the North Coast is akin to finding someone with a severed finger and putting the bandaid on the severed finger rather than on the stump on the hand!! I flew to Sandspit last week via Air Canada and over 50% of the flight cargo was fish boxes ( two flights a day, 7 days a week). And lets not forget that many lodges have thier own flights so we never see those fish moving through the airport. I was personnaly disgusted with what I saw. What a way to treat a resource.
It may be time for some serious changes to lodge rules.
To me it seems pretty simple, you want more Chinook for the starving Orcas of the South Coast, let more escape the North Coast.

Also...... let us not forget that DFO's own study shows over 80% of salmon caught in the Gulf of Alaska, are fish destined for BC, Washington, Oregon and California rivers. TIME TO ACT?!

Just an Old Mans thoughts.....
I like what you are saying! If the Lodges don't fish the same as a recreational fishermen, they should be reeled into the same regs as we fish to. They will not loose business, because there are tons of people that want to use a charter. Including myself. ( I cant take my boat everywhere ). So I have a trip booked for 2019 in AK and I want to fish those waters.
But the big Elephant as you put it. Is still the Commercial and Tribes and seals! ( what ever country or state you live in) 1 sainer will do as much as all of us combined. Reduction in their time on the water will make huge returns for recreational folks.
I think the answer is simple, for me its, Increase the Hatchery to Maximum capacity! Take the first 2 legal fish you catch ( period ). Cut the catch time down for the commercial fleets and the tribes. Thin down the seal population.
 
Reducing seals will help, as will reducing commercial and other user groups.
On the other side of the supply chain, we need to produce more consumer fish protein.

This would take pressures off of the wild and hatchery stock. They need to be land based of course.

The other immense issue that I see is the food energy available to salmon. It clearly is diminishing, note the smaller average size of our chinooks the past 7 or 8 years.

Putting more hatchery fish into a barren ocean might not be helping the overall problem.


Big issues, that can be solved, hope your listening DFO with big ears.
 
You are right, I shouldn't. But the regs say I can take 30 Chinook as well, but I never have as no one needs that much fish for a season, but we technically can if we choose.
As well Stizzla, I fished two days. The point I am making is that you will never increase South Coast Chinook numbers unless the increase escapement percentages from our Northern waters, BC and Alaskan waters. People who spend $10,000 for a fishing experience are not doing it to fill their freezers with meat, they want the experience, so lets continue to give it to them and reduce the quota (ours as well) they can bonk on the head.

As for the locals working at the lodges, next time you are up in Skidigate or another Haida Village (ie:not at a lodge), ask around my friend, you may find there is a difference of opinion than those found at the lodges.

Tight Lines......
Interesting thing about the rules, If they work for you no one ever complains that they have too much. I'm glad you have never taken you'r allowable quota. Have you ever said whoa that's too much and tried to change the rule? Just asking.
 
Reducing seals will help, as will reducing commercial and other user groups.
On the other side of the supply chain, we need to produce more consumer fish protein.

This would take pressures off of the wild and hatchery stock. They need to be land based of course.

The other immense issue that I see is the food energy available to salmon. It clearly is diminishing, note the smaller average size of our chinooks the past 7 or 8 years.

Putting more hatchery fish into a barren ocean might not be helping the overall problem.


Big issues, that can be solved, hope your listening DFO with big ears.
I hear you, there's lots of things attached to the salmon. but I don't to cure world hunger with the salmon issue. But we could fix alot of things with just a few changes. There will be pain in some places. But if we start off with increase the hatcheries capacity it will hurt less when the time reductions take place.
 
Cant blame that one on me :D, boat got pulled at the end of July, last Friday a buddy cut plugging took a couple of friends out, landed 9, kept 8 to 30 lbs, every day is different. He said there are some old boots coming in from East Point already, pen fish must be stacking along the bay. As for sockeye i am definitely am not the guy to give any tips only fished them 2 days in my life, tough with no riggers!!
like I said depends who you talk too,right place right time and a horseshoe up your a.... make for a good day or a bad day
 
We all have different or sometimes the same opinion on what the fishing restrictions should be and we would love to see change.
The only way we can do it as recreational
fshermen is to keep showing up for meetings and voicing our opinions. We need to stay together.
On another note were wanting to come for the coho derby and I can’t seem to get on the website. What date is it and how do you pay? Any place to stay for a couple of gents? Dans?
Cheers
 
We all have different or sometimes the same opinion on what the fishing restrictions should be and we would love to see change.
The only way we can do it as recreational
fshermen is to keep showing up for meetings and voicing our opinions. We need to stay together.
On another note were wanting to come for the coho derby and I can’t seem to get on the website. What date is it and how do you pay? Any place to stay for a couple of gents? Dans?
Cheers
29-30sept
 
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